A World Tour of Olympic Stadiums

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part,"

By Google Arts & Culture

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Stadium, Olympia, Greece

It all began here. In 776 BCE, the first Olympic Games were held in this 45,000 seat stadium, found to the east of the sanctuary of Zeus. The event was a religious festival, and the only sport was the stade, a straight-line sprint of just over 192 metres.

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Panathenaic Stadium, Athens, Greece

The last Olympic Games of the ancient world were held in 393CE. When the first modern games were held in 1896, they were hosted at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The stadium is itself ancient, built in 144CE and refurbished for the 1896 games.

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Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden

Designed by architect Torben Grut, the Stockholm Olympic Stadium was opened in 1912. During the 1912 Games, it hosted the athletics, tug of war, and wrestling events, and some of the equestrian, football, and gymnastics events.

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Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, USA

Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a monument to L.A. veterans of the First World War. It has twice hosted the Summer Games, in 1932 and 1984, and is due to host the 2028 Summer Games.

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Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany

The Berlin Olympiastadion was built specially for the 1936 games, infamous for being hosted by the Nazi government of Germany and being the last games held prior to the Second World War. The games also saw the triumph of Jesse Owens, winner of four gold medals.

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Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki had been due to host the 1940 Games, but this was postponed to 1952. The 1952 Games were notable for being the first to feature the USSR, and for the number of world records that were made - many remained unbeaten until 2008.

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Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City, Mexico

During the 200m medal ceremony on October 16, 1968, two African-American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, each raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the US national anthem - an enduring symbol of Black Power and solidarity.

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Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Canada

One of the most iconic stadia of the games. The Montreal Olympic stadium was built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics. Nicknamed 'The Big O' for its name and ring-shaped roof, it's also known as 'The Big Owe' for the huge cost of its construction.

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Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia

Sydney was host to the first games of the third Millennium, when it held the Summer Games in 2000. Since then, it's been renovated and come to host Australia's national games: cricket and Australian rules football.

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"Spyros Louis" Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece

In 2004, Athens once again hosted the Olympic Games. The stadium was refitted with an enormous roof to protect from the blazing Mediterranean sun. The stadium takes its name from the gold medallist of the first modern Olympic marathon, Spyros Louis.

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Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China

The first Chinese Olympic Games were held in 2008. Of the Game's 37 venues, 12 were brand new, including the main stadium, nicknamed 'The Bird's Nest' by its architects Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei.

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Olympic Stadium, London, United Kingdom

London was host to the 2012 Games, making it the first city to have hosted the modern Olympic Games three times - having previously hosted the Summer Games in 1908 and in 1948. During the Games, swimmer Michael Phelps became the most-decorated athlete when he won his 22nd medal.

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SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, USA

The opening and closing ceremonies to the 2028 Summer Games will be held at Inglewood, just outside of Los Angeles, California. The SoFi stadium is still under construction, but planned to open in 2020, and will be the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.

National Museum of KoreaNational Museum of Korea

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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