Your favorite Olympic stadium

[jhc68]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

I don't see any mention of Barcelona. Graceful, low-profile stadium sitting on top the slope in a lovely green parkland.

[JumboElliott]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

I love how ballsy the design of Munich is.

[DoubleRBar]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

I've been to most of the Olympic stadiums around the world, however I would say that my favorite Olympic stadium is Los Angeles, simply because that's where I fell in love with track and field over fifty years ago.

[bambam]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

The highlight of the Opening Ceremonies was the retired Gymnast who circled the entire rim of the Birds Nest on a wire that luminous night.

That was good...but Athens had already done something similar and there were many more highlights to the 2008 Opening Ceremonies; Li Ning lighting the flame would have been about 5th or less, imo. What ranked higher? In no particular order: the drummers, the printing press, the wushu (kung fu/taichi) participants, the hidden cauldron...it was incredible.

Yeah, 2008 Opening was incredible. Not hard to throw a pretty good party, however, when you spend $300 million doing it - that was the cost for the Opening.

As Garry stated, if you've never been to Beijing, you really can't fathom how bad the air is. You literally can't see buildings 2 blocks away.

[batonless relay]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

The highlight of the Opening Ceremonies was the retired Gymnast who circled the entire rim of the Birds Nest on a wire that luminous night.

That was good...but Athens had already done something similar and there were many more highlights to the 2008 Opening Ceremonies; Li Ning lighting the flame would have been about 5th or less, imo. What ranked higher? In no particular order: the drummers, the printing press, the wushu (kung fu/taichi) participants, the hidden cauldron...it was incredible.

[Jackaloupe]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

The highlight of the Opening Ceremonies was the retired Gymnast who circled the entire rim of the Birds Nest on a wire that luminous night.

[gh]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

Bird's Nest truly is an imposing edifice in person, although my biggest memory is probably working the test event in May of '08, in which the air pollution was so bad that trying to view the long jump on the other side of the field was actually compromised by visible haze in the air. Seriously!

[tandfman]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

I believe they've used the stadium as a tourist attraction in recent years, so they must be maintaining its good appearance, at the very least.

In any event, they're hosting the World Championships there in 2015; I'm sure it will be in very good shape by then, if it isn't now.

[CookyMonzta]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

Last I heard, that Bird's Nest was losing a few twigs here and there.

Are they implementing any repairs by now, or are they just letting that bowl rust and fall apart?

[batonless relay]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

2008 Bird's Nest in Beijing. Here's why.

In the lead up to the 2008 Olympics I followed the designs of what the Olympics stadium might look like - before the final design was chosen. Here is a link to all of the final design proposals and #12 was my favorite http://www.globalconstructionwatch.com/ ... proposals/ . The idea that the Chinese were going to build something that had a "floating" roof just blew my mind and I wondered how it was possible to build something like that. Apparently, so did the Chinese. Anyway, they never chose #12, obviously, and I HATED the design that they chose; the design that would become the Bird's Nest. Until I actually saw it with my own eyes.

Fast Forward to 2008 and I've seen the Birds Nest on TV hundreds of times and in print but I still hate it because it wasn't my choice and I just didn't get it. So we land in Beijing and on our way to the hotel we pass the Birds Nest and instantly my feelings changed. Do you know how impressive something has to be to move from hate to love at first "actual" sight? I was blown away. Pictures and video don't do it justice. One of the most impressive structures I've ever seen.

I still wonder how impressive it would have been to have a stadium with a floating roof but the Birds Nest definitely won me over.

[AFTERBURNER]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

It had a larger capacity for the 68 games, now it's been downsized to about 63k

[BillVol]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

Mine is "Estadio Olimpico Universitario" in Mecixo City.

And yours?

Mexico was one of the smaller Olympic Stadiums, wasn't it? Although this site says it holds 72K+.

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/north_america/mexico/central_mexico/mexico_city_olimpico.shtml

This one says around 63K.

http://www.stadiumguide.com/olimpicouniversitario/

[Rob]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

Berlin and Munich.

[kuha]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

Stockholm 1912. Magnificent architecture. Perfect for the purpose for which it was built, and still worthy of today's track and field. Smart it was for them to use all bleachers instead of taking any chances on seats that were either too wide or too narrow.

What was its seating capacity in 1912, and what is it today?

In my mind, Stockholm wins in this category easily, and for multiple reasons. It has been very little messed with or "improved" over the years, and yet is still a living, active facility. Thus, we have a genuine historical landmark that is still a centerpiece in the life of a great city. The only other Olympic stadium that I can think of that we can also say this of is the MCG in Melbourne (which began as a cricket/football grounds and has lived on as such). I love Stockholm's relative simplicity of design and--MOST important of all--its absolutely wonderful intimacy. In just about any seat you are close to the track--for me, at least, a vastly different and more satisfying experience than that provided by any 80 or 100,000 seat stadium. But I will admit to an extreme prejudice for medium-size track venues over the giant bowls needed for all "modern" Olympic games.

[CookyMonzta]

Re: Your favorite Olympic stadium

Stockholm 1912. Magnificent architecture. Perfect for the purpose for which it was built, and still worthy of today's track and field. Smart it was for them to use all bleachers instead of taking any chances on seats that were either too wide or too narrow.

What was its seating capacity in 1912, and what is it today?