The 2021 Champions League final will be held in Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul on May 29, UEFA confirmed on its website.
The final is between two English clubs Manchester City and Chelsea.
The Atatürk Olympic Stadium is famous for hosting 2005 final between Liverpool and AC Milan.
During the Saturday 29 May 2005 UEFA Champions League final, Liverpool came from 3-0 down at half-time to beat AC Milan on penalties.
The Atatürk Olympic Stadium is the country’s largest stadium and the home of the Turkish national team.
Named in honour of Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Turkey, the venue was opened in 2002 and has held major athletics events – and a U2 concert – as well as being a home for Istanbul clubs Galatasaray (2003/04), İstanbul Başakşehir (2007–14) and Beşiktaş (2013–16).
The stadium was originally intended as host venue for 2020 final. However, the COVID-19 outbreak meant that on 17 June 2020, the UEFA Executive Committee decided to change the venues in line with the decision to stage the closing rounds of the 2019/20 competition in Lisbon, Portugal.
The construction of the stadium, located in the western district of İkitelli, began in 1999 and was completed in 2002.
The $140 million stadium was originally built for Turkey’s failed bid for the 2008 Olympic Games that were ultimately awarded to Beijing, China.
Capacity
It has an 80,000 (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 stadium’s two steel roofs (weighing 2,800 t and 1,300 t) were produced by Tekfen’s Steel Structure Fabrication Plant in Ceyhan, Adana.
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The west roof, designed in the form of a crescent and principally composed of a 1,000 t main beam called mega-truss, is supported by two reinforced concrete shafts with 196 m span.
With its 134 entrances and 148 exit gates, the Olympic Stadium allows 80,000 spectators to evacuate within 7.5 minutes, in case of an emergency. Two annex fields (for warm up / training purposes) are connected directly to the Olympic Stadium with a tunnel.
The Olympic Stadium’s technical infrastructure and design ensure optimal visibility from all stands; a homogeneous sound level (102 decibels) with modern speaker systems, and a 1,400 lux illumination covering all areas of the stadium.
A 42,200 m2 commercial center is situated under the west roof, with a front facade length of 450 m and a total of 6 floors (3 floors below ground level.)
Other facts
Excavation & Backfilling: 3,700,000 m3
Micropiles: 2,240 units
Concrete (cast in-situ): 60,000 m3
Concrete (precast): 11,000 m3
Reinforcement: 7,400 t
Pre-stressing & Cable Stays: 40 t
Steel Structures: 5,400 t
Roofing & Cladding: 52,000 m2
Pavement: 90,000 m2
42,200 m2 commercial / facility building,Amphitheater with 300 seats capacity,
Two elevated car parks with total capacity of 400 vehicles,
36 private-view lodges each fully equipped with a TV set, meeting table, comfortable armchair (s) and a (drink / snack) bar with high bar stools,
Each zone has its own access points, refreshment, first-aid and toilet facilities,
All zone separators comply with the latest international safety standards.
The field inside the athletics track is a Hatko Hybrid grass playing surface.
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