Helsinki Olympic Stadium facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Helsinki Olympic Stadium

Helsingin olympiastadion Helsingfors Olympiastadion
"Stadikka"
UEFA
Location	Helsinki, Finland
Coordinates	60°11′13″N 024°55′38″E / 60.18694°N 24.92722°E / 60.18694; 24.92722
Owner	Stadion-säätiö
Capacity	36,251
Field size	105 m × 68 m (115 yd × 74 yd)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	12 February 1934; 91 years ago (1934-02-12)
Opened	12 June 1938; 87 years ago (1938-06-12)
Renovated	1939, 1947–1952, 1953–1956, 1961, 1971, 1991–1994, 1997–1998, 2004–2005, 2010–2011, 2016–2020
Architect	Yrjö Lindegren and Toivo Jäntti
Tenants
Finland national football team (1938–present) Finnish Athletics Federation

The Helsinki Olympic Stadium (Finnish: Helsingin Olympiastadion; Swedish: Helsingfors Olympiastadion) is a famous sports arena in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It's the biggest stadium in the country. This stadium is most known for being the main place for the 1952 Summer Olympics. During those games, it hosted exciting events like athletics, horse riding show jumping, and the football finals.

The stadium has also hosted many other big events. These include the very first Bandy World Championship in 1957. It also welcomed the World Athletics Championships twice, in 1983 and 2005. The European Athletics Championships took place here in 1971, 1994, and 2012. Today, it is the home stadium for the Finland national football team.

After a big four-year renovation, the stadium reopened in August 2020, looking brand new and ready for more events.

History of the Olympic Stadium

Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 1938, soon after it was finished. It was built for the 1940 Olympics, but had to wait until 1952 for the games.

An aerial view of the Olympic Stadium in 1976.

The Olympic Stadium was designed by two talented architects, Yrjö Lindegren and Toivo Jäntti. The stadium is famous for its "functionalist" style of architecture. This means it was designed to be useful and practical, as well as beautiful. It was even featured in a magazine as one of the best examples of Olympic buildings. Yrjö Lindegren later won a gold medal for architecture at the 1948 Olympics in London.

Building the stadium started in 1934 and it was finished in 1938. It was originally meant to host the 1940 Summer Olympics. However, those games were first moved from Tokyo to Helsinki, and then completely cancelled because of World War II. So, the stadium had to wait over a decade to host the 1952 Summer Olympics instead.

The stadium also hosted the first-ever 1957 Bandy World Championship in 1957.

In 2006, a popular American TV show called The Amazing Race 10 had an episode that ended at the Olympic Stadium Tower. Teams had to rappel down the tower as part of a challenge.

Bubi the Owl, a Finnish Hero

Since March 2007, a Eurasian eagle-owl has been living in and around the stadium. On June 6, 2007, during a football match, the owl landed on a goalpost. This stopped the game for ten minutes! Because of strict rules to protect animals, no one was allowed to make the bird leave.

The owl was later named Bubi and became "Helsinki's Resident of the Year." Finland won that football match against Belgium. The Belgian team even joked that the owl "disturbed their rhythm of playing." Bubi the owl became a Finnish national football hero. Since then, the Finnish men's football team has been called "Huuhkajat," which means "The Eagle-Owls."

Commemorative Coins

In 2002, Finland made a special silver coin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympic Games. This coin showed a picture of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. It also featured a 500 markka coin from 1952, which was made to celebrate the original games.

Stadium Features

The tower of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium is a clear landmark. It stands 72.71 metres (238.5 ft) tall.

Finland, the host country, marching in the 1952 Summer Olympics.

The stadium could hold over 70,000 people during the 1952 Summer Olympics. This was possible because extra seating was added temporarily. Today, the stadium has 36,251 seats for spectators. For concerts, it can hold between 45,000 and 50,000 people, depending on the stage size.

The stadium has a tall tower that is easy to spot. It stands 72.71 metres (238.5 ft) high. This height is special because it's the exact distance of the gold-medal-winning javelin throw by Matti Järvinen at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Modern Renovations

The stadium was almost finished with its renovation in April 2020.

The stadium's Gymnasium 1 was completed in the 2020 renovation. It is located underground.

The Tunnel is a two-lane running track found below the main field's track.

One of the stadium's restaurants.

The stadium has been updated many times over the years. It was fully modernized between 1990 and 1994. It also had renovations just before the 2005 World Championships in Athletics.

A major renovation project began in the spring of 2016. During this work, all the spectator stands were covered with roofs. The field and running tracks were also completely redone. The stadium now has bigger restaurant areas and more indoor sports facilities. The renovation was finished, and the stadium opened to the public in September 2020.

The cost of this big renovation grew over time. It was first expected to cost €197 million in 2016. By 2019, it was €261 million, and it ended up costing €337 million. This was €140 million more than first planned. The Finnish government and the City of Helsinki helped pay for the renovation.

Events Held at the Stadium

A stamp from the 1971 European Athletics Championships held at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

The Helsinki Olympic Stadium has been a popular place for many exciting events, from sports competitions to big music concerts.

Sport Events

• 1952 Summer Olympics
• 1957 Bandy World Championship
• 1971 European Athletics Championships
• 1983 World Championships in Athletics
• 1994 European Athletics Championships
• 2005 World Championships in Athletics
• UEFA Women's Euro 2009 (4 Group matches and a Final)
• 2012 European Athletics Championships
• 2022 UEFA Super Cup

Concerts

Many famous music artists and bands have performed at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

See also

In Spanish: Estadio Olímpico de Helsinki para niños

• List of association football stadiums by capacity
• Lists of stadiums