White City Stadium
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| Location | White City, London, England |
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| Coordinates | 51°30′49″N 0°13′39″W / 51.51362°N 0.22740°WCoordinates: 51°30′49″N 0°13′39″W / 51.51362°N 0.22740°W |
| Capacity | 93,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1907 |
| Opened | 1908 |
| Closed | 1984 |
| Demolished | 1985 |
| Tenants | |
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1908 Summer Olympics 1934 British Empire Games 1934 Women's World Games Queens Park Rangers F.C. (1931-1933, 1962-1963) London Highfield (1933) White City Rebels (British League) (1976-1978) Greyhound Racing Association (1926-1984) |
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White City Stadium (originally The Great Stadium) was built in White City, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics and is often seen as the precursor to the modern seater stadium and noted for hosting the finish of the first modern distance marathon. It also hosted swimming, speedway and a match at the 1966 World Cup, before the stadium was demolished in 1985. It was the first Olympic Stadium in the UK. From 1927 until 1984 it was the premier venue for greyhound racing hosting the English Greyhound Derby.
Designed by the engineer J. J. Webster and completed in 10 months by George Wimpey, on the site of the Franco-British Exhibition, this stadium with a seating capacity of 68,000 was opened by King Edward VII on 27 April 1908 after the first stanchion had been placed in position by Lady Desborough on 2 August 1907. The cost of construction was £60,000. Upon completion, the stadium had a running track 24 ft wide (7.3 m) and three laps to the mile (536 m); outside there was a 35-foot-wide (11 m), 660-yard (600 m) cycle track. The infield included a swimming and diving pool.
Many events of the 1908 Olympics were at the stadium itself (except for several football games hosted at Shepherds Bush Green), whereas nowadays there are many arenas. The Olympic rugby union final between Australia and Great Britain was held in the stadium on 26 October 1908 and events such as archery and gymnastics took place at White City, while some others took place at Queens Club. Swimming was held at White City, in a 100-yard pool dug in the infield. The position of the finish line for the marathon in the 1908 Summer Olympics is commemorated by a marker in the plaza that now stands there. The distance of the modern marathon was fixed at these Games and calculated from the start of the race at Windsor Castle to a point in front of the royal box. The medal table for the 1908 Summer Olympics is also listed on a nearby wall.
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