Historians trace the origins of the Olympic Stadium back to the 8th Century BC. The 1896 games in Athens marked the return of the ancient event, centered on the Panathinaiko Stadium, which still exists today. The Olympic Stadium is the centerpiece of any Summer Olympic Games. Traditionally, they are the site of the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the track and field competitions. Given the stupefying economics of holding an Olympics, host cities seek to create architecturally significant multi-use arenas suitable for life after the games have gone (or at least that’s what they promise). Politics aside (well, of course not—the Olympics are politics as well as an advertising mecca, mid-summer entertainment, and oh yes, a test of athletic prowess), we at HuffPost Culture have decided to take a brief look at some of the most striking designs of the modern Olympic era. And yes, this year’s made the cut.
1. Beijing National Stadium
The Bird’s Nest, or more officially the National Stadium was designed for the 2008 Beijing games by the Swiss architecture firm, Herzog & de Meuron, along with the Chinese architect Li Xinggang. The design was inspired by Chinese ceramics, and the stadium’s bowl-like curves and criss-crossing steel beams give the impression of a nest. The dissident Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project, an irony, given the Beijing Olympics role in bringing prestige to the Chinese government.
2. Olympic Stadium Munich
The Olympiastadion was built for the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich by architects Frei Otto, Gunther Behnisch, Hermann Peltz, and Carlo Weber. The centerpiece of the stadium are the sweeping canopies made up of acrylic glass held in place by steel cables. The design was meant to mirror the Alps and offer a light and open counterpart to the 1936 Berlin Olympics which were a showcase for the Nazi Regime. The disaster of the ‘Black September’ attack on the Israeli contingent in the Olympic village erased such hopes and ushered in the high security regime of the summer games to follow.
3. Estadio Olímpico Universitario Mexico City
Estadio Olímpico Universitario is a stadium located in Mexico City that hosted the summer games of 1968. The original stadium opened in 1952 for use as a football arena for matches between American colleges and Mexican public universities. In retrospect this initial use is sadly ironic given that Mexican authorities opened fire on protesting students ten days before the opening ceremonies (the Tlatelolco massacre). The stadium itself, (the site of the famous black power salute by the American medalists, Tommie Smith and John Carlos) was designed to resemble a volcano (presumably not an active one) and was built atop a stone volcanic surface. Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the building-designed by the Mexican team of Augusto Perez, Raul Salinas, and Jorge Bravo Moro-is a mural on the east side of the Stadium by Diego Rivera. The piece called, “The University, the Mexican Family, Peace and Youth Sports,” is an artistic cultural addition to the building of tremendous value.
4. Olympic Stadium Montreal
The Olympic Stadium of Montreal, nicknamed ‘The Big O’ in reference to the doughnut shape of the roof and the ‘O’ of Olympics, and fitting for a games notorious for its astronomical costs. The Stadium was designed for the 1976 games by French architect Roger Tallibert and its retractable roof is its more striking feature. Although the building is cited as a masterpiece of organic modern architecture, the structure has suffered considerable damage since its construction. In March, a slab of concrete fell from the roof of the Stadium’s parking facility (the second time a piece of the building has broken off and fallen to the ground). And as usual, politics was never far from the scene: The Republic of China (Taiwan) withdrew after the liberal prime minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau refused to allow the use of that name. Twenty-five African nations withdrew to protest the tour of a South African rugby team in New Zealand earlier that year.
5. Olympic Stadium London
London’s 2012 summer Olympic Stadium began construction in May 2008 and opened in 2011. The architectural firm, Populous (who also designed the new Yankee Stadium, Stadium Australia in Sydney, as well as the soccer stadium in Johannesburg that housed the 2010 World Cup), won the bid for the design. The Stadium is designed to be partially dismantled for use after the games. Located on a diamond-shaped island between two waterways, the design offers spectators a podium that completes a circuit around the Stadium. Bridges connect the structure to the grand park.
