Atatürk Olympic Stadium

The Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Turkish: Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı, pronounced [aˈtatyɾc]) is a stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. Located in the western district of İkitelli, it is the largest-capacity stadium in the country. The stadium is named after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. Its construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2002. It was originally built for Turkey's failed bid for the 2008 Olympic Games that were ultimately awarded to Beijing, China. It cost about US$140 million.[3]

Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı
Full nameAtatürk Olimpiyat Stadı
LocationBaşakşehir, Istanbul, Turkey
Public transit Olimpiyat
OwnerTurkey
Executive suites34
Capacity80,597 (2002–2005)
76,092 (2005–2019)
76,761 (2019–2020)
75,145 (2020–present)[1]
Record attendance79,414 (Galatasaray–Olympiacos, 31 July 2002)[2]
Field size105 x 68 m
SurfaceGrass
ScoreboardYes
Construction
Broke ground28 November 1997[3]
Built1997–2002
Opened31 July 2002 (2002-07-31)
Renovated2005, 2020
Construction cost$140 million
($199 million in 2019 dollars[4])[3]
ArchitectMichel Macary
Aymeric Zublena
Tenants
Turkey national football team
Galatasaray (2003–2004)
2005 UEFA Champions League Final
İstanbul Başakşehir (2007–2014)
Kasımpaşa (2007–2008)
Beşiktaş (2013–2016)
Fatih Karagümrük (2020–present)
2021 UEFA Champions League Final
Website
www.ataturkolimpiyatstadi.gov.tr

With its 76,761 (all-seater) capacity and Olympic size, it was granted the "5-star sports complex" title by the UEFA in 2004, enabling it to host the finals of UEFA events. The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final between Milan and Liverpool was played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 25 May 2005. The stadium is also certified by the IAAF and IOC as a first-class venue for track and field, and has hosted several European athletic competitions. The stadium was originally scheduled to stage its second Champions League final on 30 May 2020, but following the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe the match was postponed and later rescheduled to August at the Estádio da Luz in Portugal behind closed doors; the stadium will host the 2021 final instead.[5]

Süper Lig football team Istanbul BB used the venue as their home stadium until they moved to the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium in 2014. Galatasaray played its home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium during the 2003–2004 football season because their own venue, the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, was under renovation. Galatasaray eventually returned to Ali Sami Yen for the 2004–2005 season, but played 2006–2007 UEFA Champions League group stage matches at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Sivasspor also played some of its Süper Lig home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium due to bad weather conditions in their original hometown stadium. Beşiktaş used the arena in the 2013–14 season to play most of their home games, with the reasoning being the same as Galatasaray's, while their own stadium, the Vodafone Arena, was under construction.

Design and construction

Istanbul Atatürk Olympic Stadium was originally conceived for the city's 2008 Olympic Games bid.

The stadium's two steel roofs (weighing 2,800 t and 1,300 t) were produced by Tekfen's Steel Structure Fabrication Plant in Ceyhan, Adana. The west roof, designed in the form of a crescent and principally composed of a 1,000 t main beam called mega-truss, is supported by two reinforced concrete shafts with 196 m span.

With its 134 entrances and 148 exit gates, the Olympic Stadium allows 80,000 spectators to evacuate within 7.5 minutes, in case of an emergency. Two annex fields (for warm up / training purposes) are connected directly to the Olympic Stadium with a tunnel.

The Olympic Stadium's technical infrastructure and design ensure optimal visibility from all stands; a homogeneous sound level (102 decibels) with modern speaker systems, and a 1,400 lux illumination covering all areas of the stadium.

A 42,200 m2 commercial center is situated under the west roof, with a front facade length of 450 m and a total of 6 floors (3 floors below ground level.)

Facts
Atatürk Olympic Stadium
  • Excavation & Backfilling: 3,700,000 m3
  • Micropiles: 2,240 units
  • Concrete (cast in-situ): 60,000 m3
  • Concrete (precast): 11,000 m3
  • Reinforcement: 7,400 t
  • Prestressing & Cable Stays: 40 t
  • Steel Structures: 5,400 t
  • Roofing & Cladding: 52,000 m2
  • Pavement: 90,000 m2
  • 42,200 m2 commercial / facility building,
  • Amphi-theatre with 300 seats capacity,
  • Two elevated car parks with total capacity of 400 vehicles,
  • 36 private-view lodges each fully equipped with a TV set, meeting table, comfortable arm chair(s) and a (drink / snack) bar with high bar stools,
  • Each zone has its own access points, refreshment, first-aid and toilet facilities,
  • All zone separators comply with the latest international safety standards.
  • The field inside the athletics track is a Hatko Hybrid Grass[6] playing surface

[3]

Renovation

2005 UEFA Champions League Final

The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Liverpool F.C. of England and A.C. Milan of Italy at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on 25 May 2005.

From 2002 to 2005 the stadium had a capacity of 80,597 (all-seater). This was later reduced to 76,092 (all-seater) by removing the seats from where it was not possible to see the entire pitch, prior to the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final game.

UEFA Euro 2016 plans

The stadium was part of the Turkish UEFA Euro 2016 bid. To meet all requirements of the UEFA for being able to organize the Euro 2016 football championship, the authorities planned to take major reconstruction works on this stadium. It was planned to increase the stadium's capacity to over 90,000 spectators and making it to the world's largest stadium with every seat under cover. To increase the net and gross capacity to 81,106 and 94,555[7] respectively, the pitch would have been lowered by 2.15 metres. In order to provide better convenience for the VIP guests and the media, all existing hospitality areas at levels 3 and 4 would have been extended. Furthermore, 12 new boxes were planned to be added to the west stand and 32 to the east stand in order to add to the current number of 36 skyboxes; making a total of 80 skyboxes after the reconstruction.[8]

2020 UEFA Champions League Final

The 2020 UEFA Champions League Final was scheduled to be played at the stadium on 30 May 2020. However the final was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe[9] and later relocated to the Estádio da Luz, Lisbon. It will stage the following season's final instead, originally to be held at Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg.[10]

UEFA Euro 2024 plans

For the UEFA Euro 2024 bid the Turkish Football Federation planned to rebuild the stadium. The stands would be closer to the pitch, making it a football stadium.[11][12] Because of the removal of the athletics track, this would likely have ended Turkey's prospects for a future Summer Olympics. The rebuild was made by Manchester-based British architecture company AFL Architects. Ultimately, the Euro 2024 tournament would be awarded to Germany instead.

Concerts

U2 360° Tour

On 6 September 2010, the renowned Irish rock band U2 gave a concert at the stadium which reportedly attracted 54,278 fans, as a part of their U2 360° Tour, the opening act of which was performed by the group Snow Patrol.[13]

A panoramic view of Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul

Records
Attendance Records
RankAttendanceDateGame
1 79,414[2]31 July 2002Galatasaray SK – Olympiacos CFP
2 77,512[14]22 September 2013Beşiktaş JK – Galatasaray SK
3 71,334[15]21 September 2003Galatasaray SK – Fenerbahçe SK
4 71,230[16]12 September 2006Galatasaray SK – FC Girondins de Bordeaux
5 69,000[17][18]25 May 2005A.C. Milan – Liverpool F.C.
6 66,300[19]13 August 2003Galatasaray SK – PFC CSKA
7 65,110[20]19 March 2015Beşiktaş JK – Club Brugge KV
8 63,324[21]26 February 2015Beşiktaş JK – Liverpool F.C.
9 62,620[22]9 August 2003Galatasaray SK – Diyarbakırspor
10 60,747[23]29 August 2013Beşiktaş J.K. – Tromsø IL

See also

References
  1. http://www.ataturkolimpiyatstadi.gov.tr/eng/default.asp. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "2006-07 UEFA CL Statistics handbook" (PDF). Kassiesa.net. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  3. "Tekfen Construction - ISTANBUL ATATÜRK OLYMPIC STADIUM". Tekfeninsaat.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  4. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  5. "UEFA competitions to resume in August". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  6. https://www.hatkosport.com/hybrid-grass/
  7. Archived 24 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine JSK Architects
  8. "Official website for Turkey's Euro 2016 bid: The Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul". Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  9. "Istanbul to host 2020 UEFA Champions League Final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  10. "UEFA competitions to resume in August". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  11. picture of the project
  12. UEFA EURO 2024 Turkey Bid Brochure
  13. "U2'dan unutulmaz konser". Sabah (in Turkish). 7 September 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  14. "İşte derbi ile ilgili gerçek rakamlar". haber1903. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. "UCL Report Cover 07" (PDF). Uefa.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  17. (PDF) http://www.istanbul2020.com.tr/download/ist2020bidbookTR-EN.pdf. Retrieved 11 August 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. "UEFA Champions League – Statistics Handbook 2012/13" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. p. 141. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. "Attendance record broken as Dynamo beat Everton - UEFA Europa League - News". UEFA.com. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  21. "UEFA Europa League - Timeline". Facebook. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Preceded by
Arena AufSchalke
Gelsenkirchen		 UEFA Champions League
Final venue
2005		 Succeeded by
Stade de France
Saint-Denis
Preceded by
Estádio da Luz
Lisbon		 UEFA Champions League
Final venue
2021		 Succeeded by
Krestovsky Stadium
Saint Petersburg

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