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Olympic Stadium
	UEFA
Former names	See previous names
Location	Velyka Vasylkivska str. 55, Kyiv, Ukraine
Public transit	Olimpiiska and Palats Sportu, Kyiv Metro
Owner	Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine
Capacity	50,000 (1941); 47,756 (1949); 100,062 (1967); 82,893 (1999); 70,050 (2011)
Record attendance	102,000 (Dynamo Kyiv-Bayern Munich, 16 March 1977)
Field size	105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	12 September 1923; 101 years ago
Renovated	1967, 1999, 2011
Expanded	1966, 1978
Construction cost	₴3,968–4,365 million
Architect	L. I. Pilvinsky (1923); Mykhailo Hrechyna (1936–41); GMP (Germany) (2008–2011)
General contractor	Kyivmiskbud
Tenants
	Soviet Union national football team (1969–1990); Ukraine national football team (1994–present); Dynamo Kyiv (1953–1978; 1980–2007; 2011–2022); Shakhtar Donetsk (2020–2023) Major sporting events hosted; 1980 Summer Olympic football tournament; UEFA Euro 2012; 2018 UEFA Champions League Final;
Website
	nsc-olimpiyskiy.com.ua/en/

The Olympic Stadium (also known as Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex; Ukrainian: Національний спортивний комплекс "Олімпійський", romanized: Natsionalnyi sportyvnyi kompleks "Olimpiiskyi" [nɐt͡sʲiɔˈnalʲnei̯ spɔrˈtɪu̯nei̯ ˈkɔmpɫeks ɔlʲimˈpʲii̯sʲkei̯]) is a multi-use sports and recreation facility in Kyiv, Ukraine, located on the slopes of the city's central Cherepanova Hora (Cherepanov Hill), Pecherskyi District. The Olympic National Sports Complex Stadium is the premier sports venue in Ukraine and the sixteenth largest such venue in Europe.^[7] Although it is often used by FC Dynamo Kyiv for football matches, it is technically not the football club's home stadium. Since May 2020, the stadium has also been used for the home matches of Shakhtar Donetsk due to the war in Donbas. The complex beside its stadium also features several other sports facilities and is designed to host the Olympic Games (the stadium hosted some football matches at the 1980 Summer Olympics).

Following extensive renovation, including the construction of a new roof, the stadium was reopened on 9 October 2011 with a performance by Shakira, and had its international inauguration with a 3–3 friendly draw by Ukraine against Germany on 11 November 2011. It hosted the final of the UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final.

History

After Ukrainian independence in 1991, the stadium was given national status in 1996 and renamed again as the "Olympic" National Sports Complex. Kyivans still commonly refer to it as the Tsentralny (Central) or Respublykanskyi stadion (Republican Stadium); the nearby metro station "Olimpiiska" is also called "Respublykanskyi Stadion".

In 1997–99, the stadium was renovated again in accordance with FIFA guidelines, and its capacity was reduced to 83,450. The stadium continued to serve as the home territory of Dynamo, with the Lobanovsky stadium serving as a training ground. Sometime after 1998, major changes took place, as it was no longer efficient to keep and maintain the stadium as a club ground. Dynamo decided to reconstruct the Lobanovsky Dynamo Stadium as its primary ground, because match attendances rarely exceeded 10,000 spectators. Since that time, Olympic has been used primarily for football international matches, and it was lent to FC Dynamo Kyiv for high-profile home games when a high attendance was expected. However, it is not the official home ground of Dynamo or any other Kyiv club, as they all have smaller home stadiums and training bases. The stadium is an official home ground of the Ukraine national football team and was the official venue of the Ukrainian Cup final until 2008. In 2008, the stadium underwent a major reconstruction in preparation for the continental championship.

During the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election, the debate between then-incumbent Petro Poroshenko and eventual winner Volodymyr Zelenskyy was held in the Olympic Stadium.^[8]

Previous names

For most of its history, the stadium was known as the Republican Stadium.

1923–1924: Leon Trotsky Red Stadium
1924–1935: Red Stadium
1936–1938: Stanislav Kosior Republican Stadium
1938–1941: Republican Stadium
1941: Nikita Khrushchev Republican Stadium (50,000 capacity in 1941)
1941–1943: All-Ukrainian Stadium (Occupation by Nazi Germany)
1943–1962: Nikita Khrushchev Republican Stadium (capacity reduced to 47,756 in 1944)
1962–1979: Central Stadium (100,062 capacity in 1967)
1980–1996: Republican Stadium
1996–present: Olympic National Sports Complex^[9] (83,450 capacity in 1999; reduced to 70,050 in 2011)

1980 Summer Olympics

During the 1980 Summer Olympics, three Group C and three Group D matches, as well as a quarter-final, were scheduled at the stadium, for a total of seven games. In the first of these matches (held on 20 July 1980), East Germany tied with Spain by a scoreline of 1–1. The sole quarter-final (held on 27 July 1980) saw East Germany beat Iraq with a record-breaking score of 4–0 on the way to their third title.

Matches at the 1980 Summer Olympics

Date	Time	Team	Result	Team	Round	Attendance
20 July 1980	12:00	East Germany	1–1	Spain	Group C	100,000
22 July 1980	12:00		1–0	Algeria		70,000
24 July 1980	12:00		5–0	Syria		80,000
21 July 1980	12:00	Iraq	3–0	Costa Rica	Group D
23 July 1980	12:00		0–0	Finland		40,000
25 July 1980	12:00		1–1	Yugoslavia
27 July 1980	12:00	East Germany	4–0	Iraq	Quarter-finals	48,000

Euro 2012

On 18 April 2007, Poland and Ukraine were chosen by UEFA to co-host the finals of Euro 2012,^[10] with the Olimpiyskiy Stadium set to host the final.^[11] The reconstruction of the stadium involved the demolition and rebuilding of the lower tier, a completely new west stand with a two-level press box, luxury boxes between the two tiers, the addition of a 13-storey high-rise building to the west (to house the Sheraton Kyiv Olimpiysky Hotel), and the addition of a new roof (of unique design) covering the entire seating area. The capacity of the stadium after the reconstruction is 70,050. Reconstruction began on 1 December 2008, when the winner of a tender was announced.^[12] It was scheduled to be finished in 2011. The stadium was officially opened by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on 8 October 2011.^[13]

The three Group D matches involving Sweden, a quarter-final, and the final were scheduled for here (with the other matches in Group D being played at the Donbass Arena). In the first match, Ukraine beat Sweden by a scoreline of 2–1. The final, held on 1 July 2012, saw Spain defeat Italy by the record-breaking score of 4–0 on the way to their third title.

Matches at Euro 2012

Date	Time	Team	Result	Team	Round	Attendance
11 June 2012	21:45	Ukraine	2–1	Sweden	Group D	64,290
15 June 2012	22:00	Sweden	2–3	England		64,640
19 June 2012	21:45	Sweden	2–0	France		63,010
24 June 2012	21:45	England	0–0 (a.e.t.) (2–4 (p))	Italy	Quarter-finals	64,340
1 July 2012	21:45	Spain	4–0	Italy	Final	63,170

2018 UEFA Champions League

The 2018 UEFA Champions League final was played in the Olympic Stadium between Real Madrid and Liverpool on 26 May 2018.^[14]

UEFA Champions League finals
Season	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Attendance
2017–18	Real Madrid	3-1	Liverpool	61,561^[14]

Concerts

When international music superstars or bands come to Kyiv, their concerts are often held in this stadium, as it is the biggest in Ukraine and one of the biggest in Europe. Artists who have performed here include George Michael and Shakira.

The Rolling Stones were scheduled to perform at the stadium on 25 July 2007 as part of their A Bigger Bang Tour, but the concert was moved to Warsaw, Poland because of political crisis and early parliament elections in Ukraine.

On 25 July 2012 a concert of the bands Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kasabian and The Vaccines was held in the stadium.^[15]

Madonna performed a concert at the stadium on 4 August 2012 as part of her The MDNA Tour. 31,022 people visited her show.

Depeche Mode performed at the stadium on 29 June 2013 during their The Delta Machine Tour, in front of a crowd of 36,562 people.

Famous Ukrainian rock-band Okean Elzy performed in the stadium their 20 anniversary on 21 June 2014, with an attendance of 71,045 people. The band again performed here on 18 June 2016 as part of their 2016–2017 world tour.

Aerosmith were scheduled to perform at the stadium on 2 July 2014 as part of their Global Warming Tour. However, the concert was cancelled due to the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Year	Date	Main act(s)	Opening act(s)	Tour / Concert name	Attendance	Additional notes
2011	8 October	Shakira	Ani Lorak Gaitana Taisia Povaliy	The Sun Comes Out World Tour	60,000
2012	25 July	Red Hot Chili Peppers Kasabian The Vaccines		"Tuborg Greenfest 2012"	Near 40,000	Rock festival
2012	4 August	Madonna	~~Sebastian Ingrosso~~ DJ Kirill Doomski	The MDNA Tour	31,022	Absolute box office record in Ukraine – $4,893,317
2013	29 June	Depeche Mode		The Delta Machine Tour	36,562 / 38,640
2014	21 June	Okean Elzy		20 years together	More than 70,000
2014	2 July	~~Aerosmith~~		~~Global Warming Tour~~		Cancelled due to Russian invasion of Ukraine
2016	18 June	Okean Elzy	SINOPTIK	Bez mezh	More than 85,000	Absolute record audience in Ukraine
	6 July	Red Hot Chili Peppers The Kills Nothing but Thieves The Hardkiss		U-Park Festival		Rock festival
	8 July	Muse Hurts Poets of the Fall My Vitriol ШАNA		U-Park Festival		Rock festival
2017	19 July	Depeche Mode		Global Spirit Tour	30,803
2017	23 September	Andrea Bocelli			12,000
2018	24 August	Okean Elzy
	31 August	Imagine Dragons		Evolve World Tour
	30 September	Enrique Iglesias		All The Hits Live (Enrique Iglesias)
2019	16 June	Kiss		End of the Road World Tour

Adjacent infrastructure

Transportation

The stadium is located right in the centre of Kyiv on the right bank of the River Dnipro. The stadium can be approached mainly by either Velyka Vasylkivska Street or Lesi Ukrainki Boulevard. Both streets' southern ends connect to the European route E95, which is known at that part of the city as Druzhby Narodiv Boulevard. However the main arena of the complex does not have a direct access to the mentioned streets and can only be reached through several smaller streets such as Fizkultury, Saksahanskoho, Shota Rustaveli, Esplanadna Streets and Hospitalny Lane.

There are several subway stations on the Kyiv Metro located within walking distance: "Olimpiiska" (~300 metres (0.19 miles)) and "Palats Sportu" (~400 metres (0.25 miles)). These are usually closed during matches. It is possible to use other nearby stations Klovska, Zoloti Vorota, Teatralna, Palats "Ukrayina". In December 2010, Kyiv City State Administration renamed the subway station "Respublikansky Stadion" as "Olimpiiska".^[16]

Sports facilities

National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport
House of Football
Palace of Sports (indoor arena)
Bannikov Stadium (Viktor Bannikov training complex)
Atlet track and field training complex

Tourist attractions

Hotels: Rus, President Hotel, Sheraton
Kyiv Fortress National Park

Hospitals

References

^ "Кабінет Міністрів України – Уряд ліквідував Державний концерн "Спортивні арени України" у зв'язку з неефективним господарюванням". kmu.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). 28 May 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ "Колесніков вважає, що півмільярда доларів на стадіон – це адекватно". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ Kyivmiskbud's owner is Pechersk Raion State Administration of Kyiv city
^ Great history of NSC "Olimpiyskiy"
^ Official facts and figures Archived 12 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Kopanyi-Myach.info – Літопис українського футболу". kopanyi-myach.info. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ "The 10 Largest Sports Stadiums in Europe". WorldAtlas. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ Walker, Shaun (19 April 2019). "Ukraine's presidential rivals trade insults in raucous stadium debate". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
^ "Great history of NSC "Olimpiyskiy" – Оfficial site of NSC "Оlimpiyskiy"". nsc-olimpiyskiy.com.ua. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ Poland and Ukraine host Euro 2012 – BBC News, 18 April 2007 Accessed: 28 August 2007
^ Ukraine Government Portal Archived 11 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine 25 June 2007 Accessed: 28 August 2007
^ V, Mark. "Olimpiysky, the Olympic Stadium from Kiev, Ukraine". Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ "Kyiv opens host stadium for Euro 2012 final". Kyiv Post. 9 October 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Full Time Report Final – Real Madrid v Liverpool" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
^ "Concert Archives-Red Hot Chili Peppers / The Vaccines / Kasabian". Concert Archives.
^ "У Києві станцію метро присвятили НСК "Олімпійський"". 14 December 2010. Archived from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

External links

Journal of reconstruction «Olympic» NSC
Fairytales about logotypes of «Olympic» NSC
Atmosphere and Pictures from Olimpiyskiy
Archive photos and documents. upl.ua
(in Ukrainian) Financial overview of construction (article)
(in Russian) Location of the stadium on the META maps
Web cameras:

Events and tenants
Preceded by Ernst-Happel-Stadion Vienna	UEFA European Championship Final venue 2012	Succeeded by Stade de France Saint-Denis
Preceded by Millennium Stadium Cardiff	UEFA Champions League Final venue 2018	Succeeded by Wanda Metropolitano Madrid