The Seoul Olympic Stadium (formerly romanised as Chamshil) in Seoul, South Korea, was the main stadium built for the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 10th Asian Games. It is currently the centrepiece of the Jamsil Sports Complex in the Songpa-gu District, in the southeast of the city south of the Han River.
The stadium was designed by Kim Swoo Geun. The lines of the stadium’s profile imitate the elegant curves of a Korean Joseon Dynasty porcelain vase. Spectator seats are distributed on two tiers, with the entire structure covered by a retractable roof added after the Olympics. Initially built with a capacity of approximately 100,000, today it seats 69,841.
Prior to its construction, Seoul’s largest venues were Dongdaemun Stadium and Hyochang Stadium. Seating 30,000 and 20,000 respectively, they were too small to attract world-class sporting events. Construction on the new stadium began in 1977 with the aim of staging the Asian Games in 1986. However, when Seoul was awarded the Olympic Games for 1988 in September 1981 , this event became the centrepiece.
The stadium opened on September 29, 1984, and served as the site for the 10th Asian Games two years later, then the Olympics in 1988. However, it was not used to stage a major world event since than. It is currently used as the home stadium of Seoul United FC in the K3 League.
The Olympic Stadium has been occasionally used to host concerts, notable examples being Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Pussycat Dolls, Linkin Park, Metallica, Tommy Lee of Motley Crue. The notable acts include: Nine Inch Nails and Limp Bizkit.
Other Information
- Location : Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Coordinates : 37°30′57.2″N 127°04′21.9″E
- Opened : September 29, 1984
- Owner : Seoul Sports Facilities Management Center
- Operator : Seoul Sports Facilities Management Center
- Surface : Grass
- Construction cost : 1,025 billion won
- Capacity : 69,950 seats
- Tenants : Seoul United (2007-2009)
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