Luzhniki Stadium
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UEFA Category 4 Stadium | |
 | |
| Former names | Central Lenin Stadium (1956-1992) |
|---|---|
| Location |  Moscow, Russia |
| Coordinates | 55°42′57″N 37°33′14″E / 55.71583°N 37.55389°E |
| Capacity | 78,360 (following refurbishment) |
| Record attendance | 102,538 (USSR–Italy, 13 October 1963) |
| Surface | FieldTurf (grass for 2008 UEFA Champions League Final) |
| Opened | July 31, 1956 |
| Tenants | |
| USSR/Russia national football team (1956-present) 1973 Summer Universiade 1980 Summer Olympics 1999 UEFA Cup Final 2008 UEFA Champions League Final 2013 World Championships in Athletics 2018 FIFA World Cup | |
The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex (Template:Lang-ru) in Moscow, or in brief Luzhniki Stadium (Template:Lang-ru), previously called the Central Lenin Stadium (Template:Lang-ru), is the biggest sports stadium in Russia. Its total seating capacity is 78,360 seats, all covered (upgraded). The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, and is located in Khamovniki District of the Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow city. The name Luzhniki derives from the flood meadows in the bend of Moskva River where the stadium was built, translating roughly as "The Meadows".
Its field is used mainly for football games by Torpedo Moscow club, who also own the sports complex, and Spartak Moscow, as well as being one of the home grounds of the Russian national football team. It is also one of the few major European stadia to use an artificial pitch, having installed a FIFA-approved FieldTurf pitch in 2002. The pitch is necessary because regular grass pitches cannot withstand the harsh Russian winters and must be replaced at high cost. However, a temporary natural grass pitch was installed for the 2008 Champions League Final.[1] The stadium is also used from time to time for various other sporting events and for concerts.
Stadium history
The stadium was built in 1955–56 as the Central Lenin Stadium, and was officially opened on 31 July 1956.[2] It was the national stadium of the Soviet Union, and is now the national stadium of Russia.
It was the chief venue for the 1980 Summer Olympics, the spectator capacity being 103,000 at that time. The events hosted in this stadium were the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Athletics, Football finals, and the Individual Jumping Grand Prix.[3]
In 1992, the stadium was renamed the Luzhniki Stadium. An extensive renovation in 1996 saw the construction of a roof over the stands, and the refurbishment of the seating areas, resulting in a decrease in capacity.[2]
The stadium hosted the 1999 UEFA Cup Final in which Parma defeated Marseille in the second UEFA Cup to be played as a single fixture.
The Luzhniki Stadium was chosen by UEFA to host the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final won by Manchester United who beat Chelsea in the first all-English Champions League Final on May 21. Prior to the match some skeptics questioned the state of the pitch and also the ability of Russian authorities to keep order amongst the traveling British fans; however, the match passed incident-free and a spokesman for the British Embassy in Moscow said, "The security and logistical arrangements put in place by the Russian authorities have been first-rate, as has been their cooperation with their visiting counterparts from the UK."[4]
In August 2013 the stadium hosted the World Athletics Championships.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup has been awarded to Russia and the Luzhniki Stadium has been selected by the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid as the venue for the final which will be held on July 8, 2018. The stadium will then join Rome's Stadio Olimpico, Munich's Olympiastadion and London's Wembley Stadium as the only stadia to have hosted the finals of the FIFA World Cup, UEFA's European Cup/Champions League and featured as a main stadium of the Summer Olympic Games.
Other events
The Luzhniki Stadium also hosted the final game of the 1957 Ice Hockey World Championship between Sweden and the Soviet Union, attended by a crowd of 55,000 and setting a new world record at the time. Other events staged include the 1973 Summer Universiade, the 1989 Moscow Music Peace Festival and the inaugural World Youth Games in 1998. Artists such as Michael Jackson (1993 Dangerous Tour), The Rolling Stones, Madonna (2006 Confessions Tour), Metallica (Sick Of The Studio '07 tour), Kino, U2 (2010 U2 360° Tour)[5] have all performed concerts in the stadium. It also makes an appearance in the Russian film Night Watch (Template:Lang-ru), during the power shut-down scene when the power station goes into overload. The stadium is seen with a match taking place, and then the lights go out. New Japan Pro Wrestling, the Japanese professional wrestling promotion, ran a show in 1989 as well. Most recently, Red Hot Chili Peppers played at the stadium on July 22, 2012.[6] The 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens will be held from 28–30 June. It also hosts European games for other football clubs, such as Rubin Kazan, owing to the home stadiums of the respective clubs not meeting UEFA standards.
1982 Luzhniki Disaster
On October 20, 1982, disaster struck during the UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem. 66 people died in the stampede,[7] which made it Russia's worst sporting disaster at the time.
References
- ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=383543&cc=3888
- ^ a b http://www.stadiumguide.com/luzhniki/
- ^ 1980 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. Part 1. pp. 48-51.
- ^ Halpin, Tony (May 22, 2008). "Moscow proud of trouble-free Champions League final". London: The Times. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "U2 in Russia".
- ^ http://redhotchilipeppers.com/tour.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Зайкин, В. (July 20, 1989). "Трагедия в Лужниках. Факты и вымысел". Известия (in Russian) (202). Retrieved February 6, 2012.
External links
- Sports venues completed in 1956
- Sports venues built in the Soviet Union
- Football venues in the Soviet Union
- Athletics (track and field) venues in the Soviet Union
- Football venues in Russia
- Athletics (track and field) venues in Russia
- Olympic stadiums
- Outdoor ice hockey venues in Russia
- IIHF World Championship venues
- Sports venues in Moscow
- FC Torpedo Moscow
- FC Spartak Moscow
- National stadiums
- 1980 Summer Olympic venues
- Olympic athletics venues
- Olympic equestrian venues
- Olympic football venues
- 2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums