Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

What about NHL arenas? Maple Leaf Garden became a Loblaws and Sports Facility for Ryerson (Toronto Met U). The Forum became a weird cinema and entertainment venue. Rexall was abandoned and is about to get demoed. Civic Centre and Aberdeen Pavilion in Ottawa were temporary as they were never meant to be NHL arenas. Any others? I think Vancouver's is still around.

An absolute travesty that we let MLG and The Forum wilt away to nothing. They should have been preserved. They'd make incredible bank playing 'Heritage' games at retrofitted heritage arenas.

Originally Posted by esquire

Isn't this the fate of quite a few Olympic Stadiums, though? Not many of them are in heavy, regular use. Montreal's was probably one of the most frequently used for its first 25+ years until the Expos left.

• 1968: Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City. Built in 1950 for the 1955 Pan American Games. Hosted the 1968 Olympics. Hosted matches for the 1986 World Cup. Has been the home of UNAM Pumas football since opening.
• 1972: Olympiastadion in Munich. Build for these Olympics. Hosted Bayern Munich from 1972-2005. Hosted matches for the 1974 World Cup, including the Final, and 1988 European Football Championships, including the Final. Hosted the 2002 and 2022 European Athletics Championships. Hosted the Champions League Final in 1979, 1993, and 1997.
• 1976: Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Hosted the Expos from 1977-2004 and the Alouettes at various stretches. Hosts occasional soccer matches. Used as a venue for the 2015 Women's World Cup.
• 1980: Luzhniki in Moscow. Previously the Soviet National Stadium and built in the 50s, renovated for the Olympics. Hosted matches for the 2018 World Cup and the 2008 Champions League Final. Frequently used for Russia NT matches and still one of the largest stadiums in Europe.
• 1984: Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. Built in the 20s, home to USC Football. Has hosted more events than anyone could possibly list off, including most recently NASCAR races. Will be used for the 2028 Olympics.
• 1988: Olympic Stadium in Seoul. Hosted the Asian Games in 1986 and the 1988 Olympics. No major sporting events since then but frequently hosts large concerts. A soccer team has played there since 2015, and Korea's NT likes to poke around.
• 1992: Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. Originally built in the 20s. ECD Espanyol played here from 1997-2009 and it has hosted the European Athletics Championships and World Junior Athletics Championships. FC Barcelona will be playing here for 2023-2024 due to renovations at Camp Nou
• 1996: Olympic Stadium in Atlanta. Reconstructed into Turner Field for the Atlanta Braves between 1997-2016. Reconstructed again in 2017 for Georgia State University sports.
• 2000: Olympic Stadium in Sydney. Has hosted rugby since 1999 and was the Rugby World Cup Final stadium in 2003. Hosted the AFC Asian Cup final in 2015 and will be the Final venue for the 2023 Women's World Cup.
• 2004: Olympic Stadium in Athens. Originally built in 1980 to host the European Athletics Championships. Hosted the 1994 Champions League Final and the 1997 World Athletics Championships. Hosted the 2007 Champions League Final and has hosted various Greek football teams since, including the National Team.
• 2008: Olympic Stadium in Beijing. Built for 2008 Olympics and used again for the 2022 Olympics. Hosted the 2015 World Athletics Championships. Used occasionally by Chinese football NTs.
• 2012: Olympic Stadium in London. Built for these Olympics. Has hosted West Ham United since 2016. Hosted matches for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Hosted the 2017 World Athletics Championships.
• 2016: Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. One of the most famous football stadiums in the world. Estadio Olimpico was built in 2007 for the Pan American Games and hosted athletics and football for the 2016 Olympics. Botafogo host their matches here.
• 2020: Olympic Stadum in Tokyo. The old stadium used for the 1964 Olympics was demolished for this building. The Japanese rugby and football teams occasionally play out of here.
• 2024: Stade de France in Paris. The opening and closing ceremonies won't be held in a stadium but in two different locations: the opening ceremonies on the River Seine and the closing ceremonies at the Jardins du Trocadero.
• 2028: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium.

The majority are used fairly regularly. I'd say only Seoul has a weaker track record than Montreal. Going back further than I have opens up buildings like Estadio Olimpico in Rome, Olympiastadion in Berlin, and the original Wembley in London...