Olympic Stadium (Montreal)

Montreal Alouettes (CFL ) ( 1976-1986, only Playoff) Montreal Expos (MLB ) ( 1977-2004 ) Montreal Manic ( NASL ) ( 1981-1983) Montreal Machine ( WLAF ) ( 1991-1992) Montreal Impact (MLS ) (2012 -, individual Games )

• Summer Olympic Games 1976
• Grey Cup final in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 2001, 2008
• Papal Mass of John Paul II in 1984
• World Bowl 1992
• Junior football World Cup 2007
• Final of the Trophée des Champions 2009

The Olympic Stadium (French: Stade Olympique ) Montreal as part of the Olympic Park ( Parc Olympique ) is a city located in the east of the multifunctional stadium that has been built for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Colloquially the stadium following his form as The Big O is called. A characteristic feature of the stadium is the inclined tower, forming the largest inclined tower in the world with a height of 175 meters.

In the criticism of the stadium came in particular because of its Canadian with 264 million dollar high cost; the stadium was paid off only 30 years after the Olympics. Thus, the stadium was therefore also known as The Big Owe ( German about: The big debt ) refers.

After the Olympic Games, the stadium was home to the 1977 Montreal Expos of Major League Baseball, until the club after the end of the 2004 season to Washington, DC was moved. In addition, it was 1976-1986 as the venue for the Montreal Alouettes (Canadian Football) and as a football stadium of Montreal Manic used ( 1981-1983 ). Currently, the Olympic Stadium does not serve as a home for a sports team, with increased number of spectators of the Montreal Impact misplaced but its home games from the Stade Saputo in the Olympic Stadium; Regular addition of musical concerts of various famous artists and bands.

• 2.1 Tower of the Olympic Stadium
• 2.2 Biodome

• 3.1 Canadian Football
• 3.2 Baseball
• 3.3 Football
• 3.4 Other events

Architectural History

Planning and construction

The system, designed for 55,000 spectators stadium was designed by the Parisian architect Roger Taillibert. Ursrpünglich was provided already finish the station in 1972. The construction of the stadium, however, only began on 28 April 1973 and the opening was celebrated at the beginning of the Summer Olympics in Montreal in the summer of 1976; due to financial, organizational - during a major construction phase were workers in a strike - and technical - for the architecture of the stadium, there was no reference structures - problems that were encountered during construction, the construction, however, was still not fully completed at the opening. At the opening of today's distinctive tower was built only in the base and hardly recognizable. Only in 1987 were initially completed after a fire had significantly set back the construction process of the tower and younger calculations had shown that the originally planned concrete construction of the tower would be too heavy and thus endangered the structural analysis of the tower, tower and roof; the tower was completed on steel construction.

The stadium was initially built with a trailable roof 52 meters above the playing field. During the Summer Olympics this height proved during certain ball and ball sports to be too low, so that balls frequently touched the stadium roof. This made it necessary to make orange lines on the roof, which made it possible to detect contact between ball and roof a foul. Similarly, the stadium proved to snowfall and strong winds as unsafe, so it could not be used in snowy Montreal in the snow on its roof. In 1991, the stadium was therefore changed its concept and in a complex construction project, the roof of the hall was significantly increased; since it is no longer open.

Another problem of the stadium were his too low calculated costs. Originally to 134 million Canadian dollars ( CAD) estimated that total costs rose to 264 million CAD ​​in fact. The Government of Québec resulted in funding their own tobacco tax in May 1976. In November 2006, the debt was paid in full and the stadium funded. Calculations, which take into account the subsequent repairs as well as the accrued interest, the total costs amount to around 1.5 bis 1.8 billion CAD. It would thus, according to Forbes Magazine after the Wembley Stadium in London, have amounted to about 1.2 billion euros whose construction costs, the second most expensive stadium ever built in the world.

Problems when construction is completed

There are also after final completion of the stadium's construction in 1987 and reconstruction work of the roof in 1991, significant safety problems with the stadium, the majority of those affected to be the stadium roof. So soon after the completion of the renovation work on 8 September was a 56 -ton concrete part on the sidewalk; the stadium was then closed for the time being. In May 1998, the roof was removed from aramid and installed a new roof for 37 million CAD. This blue opaque roof is present to this day.

In January 1999, however, there were also with this roof problems, as a 350 m² large area of ​​the roof collapsed because of the loads of snow and ice and workers working in the stadium met. Then, the melt of snow and a Tausystem was under the roof developed using the hot water ice causes. Nevertheless, weaknesses in the stadium roof, more and more cracks, last 50 major and several thousand small cracks per year. The cost for the complete repair, which could only be achieved by a further exchange of the complete roof and Umstruktion into another system, are estimated at 200 to 500 million CAD. The Montreal fire department came to the conclusion that the roof needs to be completely renovated to ensure safety during the winter can.

On March 4, 2012 was an eight- to twelve -foot-tall concrete block by the ceiling of the underground car park of the stadium to the ground, there were no casualties.

Architecture

The design of the Olympic stadium, was inspired by the appearance of the Australian Pavilion at Expo '70, which also had a tower for the suspension. The architecture of the stadium comes from the French architect Roger Taillibert. Next to the tower, which should be the symbol of the stadium, were the elevating and one of the first major world constructed entirely of plastic roof and the location next to the base of the tower Velodrome other peculiarities in the architecture of the stadium.

The stadium is associated with the modern architecture.

Tower of the Olympic Stadium

The overall picture of the stadium is dominated by the 175 meter high tower oblique; the angle of inclination is dependent on the reference point (the slope increases with the height of the tower since the tower has a curved shape ) from 23 to 81 degrees. The tower was due to technical problems up to the 1976 Olympic Games is not done, the unfinished tower stump towered over nearly the amount of stadium construction. It was not completed until 1987. A cable car transported in glass double-decker gondolas visitors to the 166 -meter high observation deck up. At the top of the tower is the Salon Montréal, which can hold up to 240 people.

The tower is used as the Olympic Stadium mast to hold the fastening ropes of the stadium roof, which is headed to bundle these.

Biodome

Also in the Olympic Park to the east of the stadium is the former Olympic Velodrome. During the Olympic Games in 1976 it served alongside the cycling competitions also the judo competitions as a venue. It was also designed by Roger Taillibert now rebuilt after a renovation between 1989 and 1992 to an environmental museum called Biodome and opened in 1992. It presents the four different ecosystems: simulation of tropical South America, the Laurentian forest in North America, the ecosystem of the St. Lawrence River and the two polar regions the Arctic and Antarctic.

Current usage

Following the 1976 Olympic Games, the Olympic Stadium was primarily used as a venue for playing in the Canadian Football, baseball, football, and as a venue larger concerts and fairs.

Canadian Football

The Montreal Alouettes football team wore their home games 1976-1986, when the club disbanded at first, from the Olympic Stadium. After the resumption of gaming operations in 1996, the Alouettes still remained two seasons in the Olympic Stadium, moved their venue but then the much smaller Stade Percival Molson. After the number of spectators was increased significantly at home games again, it has been considered to move the games back in the Olympic Stadium; but instead opted for an expansion of Stade Percival Molson - to increase the spectator capacity. In playoff games with a higher number of spectators, the games have since been transferred regularly to the Olympic Stadium.

So far, six of the Grey Cup finals were held in the Olympic Stadium.

Nine of the ten richest spectator games of the Canadian Football League took place in the Olympic Stadium. The attendance record in a CFL game was played on September 6, 1977, when 69 083 spectators attended the game between the Montreal Alouettes and the Toronto Argonauts.

Baseball

From 1977, the games of the Montreal Expos were held in the Olympic Stadium after they were established in Jerry Park Stadium before. In 2004 the club was to Washington, DC relocated and now bears his games out there.

Football

The Olympic Stadium was used between 1981 and 1983 as the home of the Montreal Manic. Most of the spectators were counted in a playoff game against Chicago Sting 1981, there were approximately 58,000 people in attendance.

In addition, the stadium was used as one of the venues in the U-20 World Cup 2007. The stadium was sold out in two games, each with 55,800 spectators put these games the games with the highest number of visitors during the tournament dar.

Since 2012 the home games of the newly established for the Major League Soccer Montreal Impact will also be played in the stadium. The previous record crowd for a football match between club teams in the Montreal Olympic Stadium was achieved with an audience of 60 860 people May 12, 2012 against Los Angeles Galaxy. As part of the 1976 Olympic Games at the game between West Germany and Poland (final score 3-1 ) with 76,000 viewers far more persons were present.

Other events

On September 11, 1984, Pope John Paul II held a Youth Mass at the Olympic Stadium; there were about 55,000 people in attendance.

In addition, the Montreal Olympic Stadium some great music concerts were held. Special recognition the joint concert of Guns N 'Roses and Metallica received on 8 August 1992 at the Metallica singer James Hetfield severe burns drew upon at the opening by pyrotechnics. Other well-known bands that have occurred in the Olympic Stadium, are AC / DC, Genesis, The Rolling Stones, George Michael and more.