Atatürk Olympic Stadium
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| Full name | Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadyumu |
|---|---|
| Location | Başakşehir, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Owner | Turkey |
| Executive suites | 34 |
| Capacity |
80,597 (2002–2005) 76,092 (2005–present) |
| Record attendance | 79,414 (Galatasaray–Olympiacos, 31 July 2002) |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | 2 x 80m² |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 28 November 1997 |
| Built | 1997–2002 |
| Opened | 31 July 2002 |
| Renovated | 2005 |
| Construction cost |
$140 million ($186 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | Michel Macary Aymeric Zublena |
| Tenants | |
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İstanbul BB (2007–2014) Galatasaray S.K. (2003–2004) Turkey national football team Beşiktaş J.K. (2013–2016) |
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The Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Turkish: Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı, pronounced [aˈtaˌtyɾc]) located in İkitelli, a district in the western outskirts of Istanbul, is the largest-capacity stadium of Turkey. The stadium is named after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. Its construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2002. It was built for Turkey's failed bid for the 2008 Olympic Games that were ultimately awarded to Beijing. It cost about 140 million USD.
With its 76,092 (all-seater) capacity and Olympic size, it was granted the "5-star sports complex" title by the UEFA in 2004, enabling it to host the finals of UEFA events. The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final between Milan and Liverpool was played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 25 May 2005. The stadium is also certified by the IAAF and IOC as a first-class venue for track and field, and has hosted several European athletic competitions.
Süper Lig football team Istanbul BB used the venue as their home ground until they moved to the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium in 2014. Galatasaray played its home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium during the 2003–2004 football season, due to the renovation of their own venue, the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, and this was criticized by other teams. Galatasaray eventually returned to Ali Sami Yen for the 2004–2005 season, but played 2006–2007 UEFA Champions League group stage matches at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Sivasspor also played some of its Süper Lig home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium due to the bad weather conditions in their original hometown stadium. Beşiktaş used the arena in the 2013-14 season to play most of their home games, with the reasoning being the same as Galatasaray's, with their own ground, the Vodafone Arena, scheduled to undergo renovation.
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