Stockholm Olympic Stadium

Stockholm Olympic Stadium

A small Olympic stadium that hosted some of the world's most famous musicians and sports stars, and still holds the record for the most athletic world records broken.

The Stockholm Olympic Stadium, often called Stockholms stadion or simply Stadion, is a small Olympic stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. Designed by architect Torben Grut, it was opened in 1912 for the 1912 Olympic Games. The stadium has a capacity of 13,145-14,500 spectators depending on usage, and nearly 33,000 for concerts. Despite its small size, it has hosted many significant events and holds the record for the most athletic world records broken. The stadium was the home ground for association football team Djurgårdens IF for many decades until a more modern facility, Tele2 Arena, was opened in 2013.

However, Djurgårdens IF still has offices in the Stadium building. In 1956, when Melbourne hosted the Olympics, the equestrian competitions were held here due to quarantine rules in Australia. In 1958, the European Athletics Championships were held at the stadium. The annual Stockholm Marathon finishes with a three-quarter lap around the tracks of the stadium. Since 1967, the stadium has been the venue of the annual international athletics meeting DN Galan, which is part of Diamond League since 2011.

Originally, the north-east stand had two levels, increasing the capacity to about 20,000. After the Olympics, it was reduced to one level. Some sections of the stadium were damaged by a bomb attack on 8 August 1997. Mats Hinze, who was against Stockholm's bid for the 2004 Summer Olympics, was later found guilty. Since then, it has hosted numerous sports events, notably football and track and field athletics, but also for example, 50 Swedish Championship finals in bandy and hosted concerts.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nik Frost

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