Table Of ContentOLYMPIC STADIA
OLYMPIC STADIA provides a comprehensive account of the development of stadia including but not
limited to: developments in running tracks, the introduction of lighting, improvements in spectator
viewing standards and the introduction of roofs.
Written by a world-renowned expert on sports architecture and an award-winning engineering
journalist, the book:
• Systematically analyses every stadium from Athens 1896 to Tokyo 2020
• Provides drawings, plans, elevations, photographs and illustrations in full colour
• Considers the fundamental changes wrought by the incorporation of the Paralympic Games
• Looks at the impact on host cities and their urban infrastructure, and considers the long-term
legacies and massive investments that Olympic stadia require
• Explores the effects of the demands of the world’s TV broadcasters.
An invaluable and beautiful resource for practical insight and inspiration, this book makes
essential reading for anyone interested in Olympic stadia.
GERAINT JOHN, Dip. Arch. (UCL), RIBA, DAVE PARKER B.Sc., CEng., FICE, was technical
Companion CIMPSA, FRSA, has a deep involvement editor of New Civil Engineer magazine for 14 years
in buildings for sport and leisure. His previous before leaving in May 2006 to become a freelance
experience as the chief architect and head of the author and journalist. New Civil Engineer is
Technical Unit for Sport at the GB Sports Council has published by Emap under licence from the Institution
made him an expert in the particular field of sports of Civil Engineers, and goes monthly to all members
facilities. He is a joint author of Stadia: The Populous of the ICE.
Design and Development Guide, now in its fifth Prior to becoming a journalist 30 years ago,
edition, and has curated exhibitions at the Olympic Dave was a practising civil engineer for more than
Museum in Lausanne. 25 years. He worked in both design and contracting,
In 2014, the International Olympic Committee was senior partner of a small forensic engineering
awarded Geraint the Pierre de Coubertin Medal for practice, and technical marketing director of a
outstanding services to the Olympic movement. He specialist products company.
is the only British subject to be so honoured. Dave is also a former Visiting Professor of Civil
He is a senior advisor to Populous, a global Engineering at the Queen’s University of Belfast, a
architecture and design firm. position he held for ten years.
Geraint is a Visiting Professor at the University of In 2014 Dave was asked to return to New Civil
Hertfordshire. He sat on the Environment Committee Engineer as technical editor emeritus.
of the London bid for the 2012 Olympics and on the
government’s Global Sports Projects Sector Advisory
Group.
He is Honorary Life President of the International
Union of Architects’ Sports and Leisure Group, and
an inaugural member of the International Association
of Sports Facilities Hall of Fame.
OLYMPIC STADIA
THEATRES OF DREAMS
GERAINT JOHN and DAVE PARKER
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Geraint John and Dave Parker
The right of Geraint John and Dave Parker to be identified as authors of this
work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: John, Geraint, author. | Parker, Dave (Journalist), author.
Title: Olympic stadia : theatres of dreams / Geraint John and Dave Parker.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references
and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019021000| ISBN 9781138698840 (hb : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781315518053 (ebook : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Olympics—History. | Stadiums—History.
Classification: LCC GV721.9 .J64 2020 | DDC 796.4809—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019021000
ISBN: 978-1-138-69884-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-51805-3 (ebk)
Typeset by Alex Lazarou
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS P.viii
FOREWORD BY LORD COE P.xi
INTRODUCTION P.xiii
CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 13
IN THE BEGINNING P.1 LOS ANGELES, USA, 1932 P.57
CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 14
FIRST STIRRINGS P.4 BERLIN, GERMANY, 1936 P.62
CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 15
BARON PIERRE DE COUBERTIN LONDON, UK, 1948 P.69
AND THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN GAMES P.9
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 4 HELSINKI, FINLAND, 1952 P.76
SIR LUDWIG GUTTMANN AND
CHAPTER 17
THE BIRTH OF THE PARALYMPIC GAMES P.13
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1956 P.81
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 18
ATHENS, GREECE, 1896 P.18
ROME, ITALY, 1960 P.86
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 19
PARIS, FRANCE, 1900 P.23
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1964 P.91
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 20
ST LOUIS, USA, 1904 P.27
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, 1968 P.96
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 21
LONDON, UK, 1908 P.31
MUNICH (MUNCHEN),
CHAPTER 9 WEST GERMANY, 1972 P.101
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1912 P.36
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 10 MONTREAL, CANADA, 1976 P.106
ANTWERP, BELGIUM, 1920 P.41
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 11 MOSCOW, USSR, 1980 P.112
PARIS, FRANCE, 1924 P.47
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 12 LOS ANGELES, USA, 1984 P.118
AMSTERDAM,
CHAPTER 25
THE NETHERLANDS, 1928 P.52
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, 1988 P.124
vi OLYMPIC STADIA
CHAPTER 26 APPENDIX A
BARCELONA, SPAIN, 1992 P.129 SOCHI WINTER GAMES,
RUSSIAN FEDERATION, 2014 P.182
CHAPTER 27
ATLANTA, USA, 1996 P.134 APPENDIX B
INTERCALATED GAMES P.186
CHAPTER 28
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 2000 P.139
CHAPTER 29 INDEX P.187
ATHENS, GREECE, 2004 P.144
CHAPTER 30
BEIJING,
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, 2008 P.149
CHAPTER 31
LONDON, UK, 2012 P.155
CHAPTER 32
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, 2016 P.162
CHAPTER 33
TOKYO, JAPAN, 2020 P.168
CHAPTER 34
THE OLYMPIC STADIUM OF THE FUTURE P.172
To my family and Jennifer Purvis for their help and support
during a period of health and family problems.
GERAINT JOHN
To my late wife Lesley, who battled cancer throughout the
creation of this book, but did not live to see its completion.
And to my daughter Jenny, whose support to us both made it
all possible.
DAVE PARKER
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I MUST acknowledge with great thanks all the contributions
that have been made in the preparation of this book. I also
want to pay tribute to those who have had an influence
on my professional life in the field of the architecture and
development of buildings for sport and leisure.
I will begin with Rod Sheard and Bill Slater, two people
who have supported me and have been of major influence,
and Professor Llewelyn Davies, who introduced me to the
concept of the architect as Renaissance Man.
I would like to particularly thank those who have helped
in the preparation of this book: Kengo Kuma, Soichiro Sano,
Jac Griffiths, Sena Ofliz, Damon Lavelle, Benjamin Flowers, Li
Xinggang, Arthur Gelling, Paul Rushton, Gustavo do Amarol
and Paul V. Dudman. The names of Shane Kane, Trevor
Ruddell and Gilson Santos should be added.
The practice of Populous has been an enormous support to me. Damon Lavelle, Tom Jones
and Ben Vickery are worthy of special mention related to this project, together with Christopher
Lee and Nicholas Reynolds. Matt Grace, Maria Vicalova, Jess Lockhart and Paul Shakespeare
must also be included.
Those who have stimulated me throughout my career include Ian McKenzie, Bill Stonor,
Simon and Jackie Inglis, Derek Wilson, Professor Terry Stevens, Dyfed Griffiths, Stephen
Brookhouse, Silvio Carta and Professor Peter Cook.
I would like to acknowledge the help I have received from colleagues in the International
Olympic Committee (IOC): Sir Craig Reedie, Gilbert Felli, Christopher Dubi, Anna Volz Gott,
Michelle Lemaitre, Anne Chevalley, Alain Quenzer, Rachel Caloz, the staff of the Olympic
Studies Centre, and from the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS),
Klaus Meinel.
Through the International Union of Architects (UIA) I want to mention those who have stood
out as colleagues who have supported and inspired me: Wojciech Zablocki, Gar Holohan,
Kresimir Ivanis, Pino and Alessandro Zoppini, David Body, Augustin Garcia Puga, Christophe
Parade, Jorge Joppien, Nikos Fintikakis, Rene Kural, Joaquin Pujol, and Harald Fux. I should add
the many others too numerous to mention here.
From those whose names I have missed, I ask forgiveness. There are many.
GERAINT JOHN
July 2018
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix
MANY RELIABLE sources are quoted in this book – but there
are many others that turned out to be inaccurate, incomplete
or simply misleading. For most of the stadia described herein
the primary and most trusted sources were the Official Reports
produced by the local Olympics Committees and available on
the Olympic.org website.
There was one exception. After the Antwerp Summer
Games of 1920 the local committee went bankrupt. Nothing
comparable to the other Official Reports was ever produced,
and detailed and reliable information on the stadium was
remarkably hard to find.
I must therefore record my gratitude to Hertfordshire
Libraries and particularly the staff of Bishop’s Stortford library,
who finally managed to track down a copy of a definitive
Belgian book on the 1920 Games, in Canada! This proved to
be invaluable, as Chapter 10 will, I hope, illustrate.
Special thanks also to “Jen’s Red Pen”, my daughter
Jenny’s proofreading service.
DAVE PARKER
August 2018
