The Olympic Stadium was designed in functionalistic style by the architects Yrjö Lindegren and Toivo Jäntti. Construction of the Olympic Stadium began in 1934 and it was completed in 1938, with the intent to host the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were moved from Tokyo to Helsinki before being cancelled due to World War II. It hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics over a decade later instead. The stadium was also to be the main venue for the cancelled 1943 Workers' Summer Olympiad. It was the venue for the first ever Bandy World Championship in 1957. The stadium was completely modernized in 1990–1994 and also renovated just before the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. In 2006 an American TV series, The Amazing Race 10, had one of its episodes ending at The Olympic Stadium Tower. As a task, teams had to do a face-first rappel down the Helsinki Olympic Tower. Since March 2007, a Eurasian eagle-owl has been spotted living in and around the stadium. On June 6, 2007, during a Euro 2008 qualifying match, the owl delayed play by ten minutes after perching on a goalpost. The owl was later christened Bubi and was named as Helsinki's Resident of the Year. The 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympic Games hosted in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium was the main motif for one of the first Finnish euro silver commemorative coins, the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympic Games commemorative coin, minted in 2002. On the reverse, a view of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium can be seen. On the right, the 500 markka commemorative coin minted in 1952 celebrating the occasion is depicted.
Features
The stadium's spectator capacity was at its maximum during the 1952 Summer Olympics with over 70,000 spectator places. Nowadays the stadium has 40,600 spectator places. During concerts, depending on the size of the stage, the capacity is 45,000–50,000. The tower of the stadium, a distinct landmark with a height of, a measurement of the length of the gold-medal win by Matti Järvinen in javelin throw of 1932 Summer Olympics, is open for visitors and offers impressive views over Helsinki. It is possible to see into the adjacent Telia 5G -areena. A Youth Hostel is located within the Stadium complex.
Future
Major renovation work at the stadium started in the spring of 2016. During renovation all the spectator stands will be covered with canopies and the field area and the tracks will be renewed. It will also offer extended restaurant areas and more indoor sport venues. The projected cost of the renovation is currently 261 million euros, which is 50 million more than the original projected cost. The Finnish state and the City of Helsinki are the funders of the renovation.
