Montreal Olympic Stadium
| Stade olympique | |
| The Big O | |
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| Address | 4545 Pierre-de-Coubertin Avenue |
|---|---|
| Location | Montreal, Quebec |
| Coordinates | 45°33′29″N 73°33′07″W / 45.558°N 73.552°WCoordinates: 45°33′29″N 73°33′07″W / 45.558°N 73.552°W |
| Owner | Régie des Installations Olympiques (Government of Quebec) |
| Capacity | Permanent capacity: 56,040 Baseball: 45,757 Soccer: 61,004 Football: 66,308 Concert: 78,322 |
| Field size |
Foul Lines – 325 feet (99 m) (1977), 330 feet (101 m) (1981), 325 feet (99 m) (1983) Power Alleys – 375 feet (114 m) Centre Field – 404 feet (123 m) (1977), 405 feet (123 m) (1979), 404 feet (123 m) (1980), 400 feet (122 m) (1981), 404 feet (123 m) (1983) Backstop – 62 feet (19 m) (1977), 65 feet (20 m) (1983), 53 feet (16 m) (1989) |
| Surface | Grass (1976 and June 2, 2010) AstroTurf (1977–2001; 2005–06) Defargo Astrograss (2002–03) FieldTurf (2003–2005) Team Pro EF RD (soccer; 2007–July 2014) Xtreme Turf by Act Global (FIFA U20 Women's World Cup; July 2014–current) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 28, 1973 |
| Opened | July 17, 1976, 41 years ago April 15, 1977 (Baseball) |
| Construction cost |
C$ 770 million C$ 1.47 billion (2006 – including additional costs, interest and repairs) |
| Architect | Roger Taillibert |
| Tenants | |
|
Montreal Expos (MLB) (1977–2004) Montreal Alouettes (CFL) (1976–86, 1996–97, part-time 1998–present) Montreal Manic (NASL) (1981–83) Montreal Machine (WLAF) (1991–92) Montreal Impact (MLS) (2012–present, select games) |
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| Website | |
| Parc Olympique Quebec | |
Olympic Stadium (French: Stade olympique) is a multi-purpose stadium in Canada, located at Olympic Park in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal. Built in the mid-1970s as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics, it is nicknamed "The Big O", a reference to both its name and to the doughnut-shape of the permanent component of the stadium's roof. It is also called "The Big Owe" to reference the astronomical cost of the stadium and the 1976 Olympics as a whole.
The stadium is the largest by seating capacity in Canada. After the Olympics, artificial turf was installed and it became the home of Montreal's professional baseball and football teams. The Montreal Alouettes of the CFL returned to their previous home of Molson Stadium in 1998 for regular season games, but continued to use Olympic Stadium for playoff and Grey Cup games until 2014 when they returned to Molson Stadium for all of their games. Following the 2004 baseball season, the Expos relocated to Washington, D.C. to become the Washington Nationals. The stadium currently serves as a multipurpose facility for special events (e.g. concerts, trade shows) with a permanent seating capacity of 56,040. The capacity is expandable with temporary seating. The Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer (MLS) use the venue on occasion, when larger capacity is needed or when the weather restricts outdoor play at nearby Saputo Stadium in the spring months.
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