The Helsinki Olympic Stadium, located in the Töölö district about 2.3 km (1.4 mi) from the centre of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country and is currently used mainly for sports events and large concerts. The stadium is known for being the centre of activity for the 1952 Summer Olympic Games. During these Games it hosted athletics competitions, equestrian jumps and football finals.
The stadium was also the venue for the first Bandy World Championship in 1957, the first World Championships in Athletics in 1983, and the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. The European Athletics Championships in 1971, 1994 and 2012 were held here. It is also the home stadium of the Finnish national football team.
The stadium has been closed since March 2016 for renovation work and is scheduled to open in August 2020.
The Olympic Stadium was designed in a functionalist style by architects Jury Lindegren and Toivo Yantti. Construction of the Olympic Stadium began in 1934 and was completed in 1938 with the intention to host the 1940 Summer Olympic Games, which were moved from Tokyo to Helsinki, but were cancelled due to World War II. Instead, it hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics more than ten years later. The stadium was also to be the main venue for the cancelled 1943 Summer Workers' Olympics.
It was the venue for the world's first Bandy World Championship in 1957.
The stadium was completely modernised in 1990-1994, and also renovated just before the 2005 World Championships in Athletics.
In 2006, in the American TV series "Amazing Race 10" one of the episodes ended on the tower of the Olympic Stadium. The teams had to make their first facelift (known as Angel Dive) down the Helsinki Olympic Tower.
Since March 2007, a Eurasian owl has been spotted in and around the stadium. On 6 June 2007, during the Euro 2008 qualifying match, the owl postponed the game for ten minutes after landing on the goal post. The owl was later christened Bubi and was named Helsinki resident of the year.
The 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympics, which took place in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, was the main motive for one of the first euro silver commemorative coins in Finland, the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympic coin minted in 2002. The Helsinki Olympic Stadium can be seen. On the right is a 500-mark commemorative coin issued in 1952 to commemorate this event.
The capacity of the stadium was maximum during the 1952 Summer Olympics with more than 70,000 seats. Currently, the stadium has 40,600 spectator seats. During the concerts, depending on the size of the stage, the capacity is 45 000-50 000 people.
The stadium tower, a distinctive landmark with a height of 72.71 meters (238.5 feet), measuring the length of the gold medal won by Matti Järvinen in javelin throwing at the 1932 Summer Olympics, is open to visitors and offers spectacular views over Helsinki. You can see the neighbouring Telia 5G -areena .
The hostel is located within the stadium complex.
