Atatürk Olympic Stadium
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| Location | Istanbul, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Opened | 31 July 2002 |
| Owner | Republic of Turkey |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | €350 million |
| Architect | Michel Macary Aymeric Zublena |
| Capacity | 75,486 |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 68 m |
| Tenants | |
| Istanbul BB Turkey national football team UEFA Champions League Final (2005) Turkish Cup Final (2004, 2005) Turkish Super Cup (2009) |
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Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Turkish: Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı) located in İkitelli, a district in the western outskirts of Istanbul, is the largest-capacity stadium of Turkey. The stadium takes its name from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Its construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2002. It was built for Turkey's failed 2008 Olympic Games bid and cost about €350 million. The 2008 games were awarded to Beijing.
With its 75,486 (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 A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. was played on May 25, 2005, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. 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.
Galatasaray SK played its home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium during the 2003-2004 football season, due to the renovation of their own venue, the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, and this was criticized by other teams. Galatasaray eventually returned back to Ali Sami Yen for the 2004-2005 season, but played some of its 2006-2007 UEFA Champions League games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Sivasspor also played some of its Süper Lig home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium due to the bad weather conditions in their original hometown stadium.
[edit] Renovation
From 2002 to 2005 the stadium had a capacity of 80,597 (all-seater). This was later reduced to 75,486 (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 between AC Milan and Liverpool FC, which was played on May 25, 2005.
[edit] Records
| Rank | Attendance | Date | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 79,414 | 31.07.2002 | Galatasaray SK - Olympiacos CFP |
| 2 | 71,334 | 27.09.2003 | Galatasaray SK - Fenerbahçe SK |
| 3 | 70,858 | 12.09.2006 | Galatasaray SK - FC Girondins de Bordeaux |
| 4 | 70,024 | 25.05.2005 | AC Milan - Liverpool FC |
| 5 | 66,300 | 30.08.2003 | Galatasaray SK - PFC CSKA |
| 6 | 62,620 | 09.08.2003 | Galatasaray SK - Diyarbakırspor |
The opening match between Galatasaray SK - Olympiacos CFP also marked the record attendance for a football game in Turkey.
[edit] External links
- Atatürk Olympic Stadium - Official (Turkish)(English)(German)
- Satellite Photo of Atatürk Olympic Stadium
- Atatürk Olympic Stadium Photographs
| Preceded by Arena AufSchalke Gelsenkirchen |
UEFA Champions League Final Venue 2005 |
Succeeded by Stade de France St-Denis |
Coordinates: 41°04′28.10″N 28°45′56.53″E / 41.074472°N 28.7657028°E
