Atatürk Olympic Stadium

Atatürk Olympic Stadium

Full name	Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadyumu
Location	Başakşehir, Istanbul, Turkey
Owner	Turkey
Executive suites	34
Capacity	80,597 (2002–2005) 76,092 (2005–present)
Record attendance	79,414 (Galatasaray–Olympiacos, 31 July 2002)
Field size	105 x 68 m
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	2 x 80m²
Construction
Broke ground	28 November 1997
Built	1997–2002
Opened	31 July 2002 (2002-07-31)
Renovated	2005
Construction cost	$140 million ($184 million in 2024 dollars)
Architect	Michel Macary Aymeric Zublena
Tenants
İstanbul BB (2007–2014) Galatasaray S.K. (2003–2004) Turkey national football team Beşiktaş J.K. (2013–present)

Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Turkish: Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı, pronounced [aˈtaˌtyɾc]) located in İkitelli, a district in the western outskirts of Istanbul, is the largest-capacity stadium of Turkey. The stadium is named after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. Its construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2002. It was built for Turkey's failed bid for the 2008 Olympic Games that were ultimately awarded to Beijing. It cost about 140 million USD.

With its 76,092 (all-seater) capacity and Olympic size, it was granted the "5-star sports complex" title by the UEFA in 2004, enabling it to host the finals of UEFA events. The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final between Milan and Liverpool was played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 25 May 2005. The stadium is also certified by the IAAF and IOC as a first-class venue for track and field, and has hosted several European athletic competitions.

Süper Lig football team Istanbul BB used the venue as their home ground until they moved to the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium in 2014. Galatasaray played its home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium during the 2003–2004 football season, due to the renovation of their own venue, the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, and this was criticized by other teams. Galatasaray eventually returned to Ali Sami Yen for the 2004–2005 season, but played 2006–2007 UEFA Champions League group stage matches at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Sivasspor also played some of its Süper Lig home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium due to the bad weather conditions in their original hometown stadium. Beşiktaş used the arena in the 2013-14 season to play most of their home games, with the reasoning being the same as Galatasaray's, with their own ground, the Vodafone Arena, scheduled to undergo renovation.

Design and construction

Istanbul Atatürk Olympic Stadium was originally conceived for the city's 2008 Olympic Games bid.

The stadium's two steel roofs (weighing 2,800 t and 1,300 t) were produced by Tekfen's Steel Structure Fabrication Plant in Ceyhan, Adana. The west roof, designed in the form of a crescent and principally composed of a 1,000 t main beam called mega-truss, is supported by two reinforced concrete shafts with 196 m span.

With its 134 entrances and 148 exit gates, the Olympic Stadium allows 80,000 spectators to evacuate within 7.5 minutes, in case of an emergency. Two annex fields (for warm up / training purposes) are connected directly to the Olympic Stadium with an underground tunnel.

The Olympic Stadium's technical infrastructure and design ensure optimal visibility from all stands; a homogeneous sound level (102 decibels) with modern speaker systems, and a 1,400 lux illumination covering all areas of the stadium.

A 42,200 m2 commercial center is situated under the west roof, with a front facade length of 450 m and a total of 6 floors (3 floors below ground level.)

Facts

• Excavation & Backfilling: 3,700,000 m3
• Micropiles: 2,240 units
• Concrete (cast in-situ): 60,000 m3
• Concrete (precast): 11,000 m3
• Reinforcement: 7,400 t
• Prestressing & Cable Stays: 40 t
• Steel Structures: 5,400 t
• Roofing & Cladding: 52,000 m2
• Pavement: 90,000 m2
• 42,200 m2 commercial / facility building,
• Amphi-theatre with 300 seats capacity,
• Two elevated car parks with total capacity of 400 vehicles,
• 36 private-view lodges each fully equipped with a TV set, meeting table, comfortable arm chair(s) and a (drink / snack) bar with high bar stools,
• Each zone has its own access points, refreshment, first-aid and toilet facilities,
• All zone separators comply with the latest international safety standards.

Renovation

2005 UEFA Champions League Final

The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final game between AC Milan and Liverpool F.C. was played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium.

From 2002 to 2005 the stadium had a capacity of 80,597 (all-seater). This was later reduced to 76,092 (all-seater) by removing the seats from where it was not possible to see the entire pitch, prior to the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final game between AC Milan and Liverpool F.C., which was played on 25 May 2005.

Concerts

U2 360° Tour

On 6 September 2010, the renowned Irish rock band U2 gave a concert at the stadium which reportedly attracted 54,278 fans, as a part of their U2 360° Tour, the opening act of which was performed by the group Snow Patrol.

Records

Attendance Records

Rank	Attendance	Date	Game
1	79,414	31 July 2002	Galatasaray SK – Olympiacos CFP
2	77,512	22 September 2013	Beşiktaş JK – Galatasaray SK
3	72,059	25 May 2005	AC Milan – Liverpool F.C.
4	71,334	21 September 2003	Galatasaray SK – Fenerbahçe SK
5	71,230	12 September 2006	Galatasaray SK – FC Girondins de Bordeaux
6	66,300	13 August 2003	Galatasaray SK – PFC CSKA
7	65,110	19 March 2015	Beşiktaş JK – Club Brugge KV
8	63,324	26 February 2015	Beşiktaş JK – Liverpool F.C.
9	62,620	9 August 2003	Galatasaray SK – Diyarbakırspor
10	60,747	29 August 2013	Beşiktaş J.K. – Tromsø IL

See also

• List of football stadiums in Turkey
• Istanbul bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics

External links

• Official website
• Stadium Guide Article
• World Stadiums Article

Preceded by Arena AufSchalke Gelsenkirchen

UEFA Champions League Final Venue 2005

Succeeded by Stade de France St-Denis