Legacy of the Olympic Stadium Amsterdam
International Olympic Academy Olympic Studies
Name: Module: Professor:
Lea van Breukelen M.1.2. Modern Olympic Games I. Jobling
The Olympic Games of 1928 were organised in Amsterdam. The Games in Amsterdam1 had many scoops, rituals and events, which are now permanent in the Olympic programme. It was the first time that the Games were organised in a compact format. The accommodations were only a walking distance away from each other. In 1928 the Olympic fire was introduced for the first time, Greece got the honour to be the head of the international parade and women could participate in the track and field programme. Compared to the Olympic Games today, the Games in 1928 were endearing of charm and simplicity. But the organisation of the Games was so good that the president of the American Olympic Committee, Douglas McArthur, in his official report spoke of a model for the future. In many ways the Olympic Games of 1928 in Amsterdam were a model for the future, but what about the legacy of the Olympic Stadium? Olympic legacy In almost every Olympic City some kind of legacy2 can be found, like stadiums, buildings, monuments, galleries, museums, street names, souvenirs and other memorabilia. Now days there is much more discussion about the post use of the stadiums, because it’s such a waste of money to use a brand new and expensive stadium for just 16 days. The International Olympic Committee, according to the Olympic Chapter3, has the role to promote a positive legacy from the Olympic Games to host cities and countries. The Games need to leave more behind than just 16 days of competition and Olympic Spirit. The impact of the Olympic Games on the host city is enormous. That is why the hosting cities start to put more emphasis on the legacies because cities use the Games as a catalyst for urban development. Olympic Stadium 1928 International Olympic Committee president Pierre de Coubertin4 had clear ideas about Olympic venues: “A place meant for the development of humankind should be in harmony with that splendid purpose. It must have good proportions, a cheerful character, and a composition of delicate, clean lines felicitously put together in harmony with it’s surroundings or standing out in stark contrast against the horizon”. In 1910 Pierre de Coubertin shared his ideas in the pamphlet Une Olympie Moderne. The architecture of a complex for the Olympic Games should express the Olympic idea.
1 Pauw, R. & Visser, J. Model for the Future. Rotterdam: De Buitenspelers. 2 Cashman, R. Olympic Legacy in an Olympic City: Monuments, Museums and Memory. Fourth International Symposium for Olympic Research. Retrieved 29-‐11-‐2011 http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/ISOR/ISOR1998m.pdf 3 International Olympic Committee. Factsheets, legacies of the Olympic Games, update January 2010. (2010) 4 Pauw, R. & Visser, J. Model for the Future. Rotterdam: De Buitenspelers.
Jan Wils was the architect, from the School of Berlage, of the Olympic stadium and understood the vision of the IOC president. His ambition was to express the international fraternisation and equality of sports in his design. The Stadium was build from a concrete construction and over 2 million bricks were used. The Stadium was characterised by the Marathon Tower, it was called the Marathon Tower because of the height of about 42 meters. The Stadium had 31,600 seats, not 40,000 seats as Wils promised in the first place. But it seemed that this number of seats was enough because the Stadium was sold out completely only five times. Jan Wils won a gold medal for his design at the Art Olympiad. Olympic Stadium after the Olympic Games After the Olympic Games there were plans to renovate the Stadium for a larger capacity. In 1928 the FIFA, International Federation of Association Football, announced a new tournament: the Football World Cup5. Again history was written in the Olympic Stadium to host the first FIFA World Cup in 1930. Ironically the final of the World Cup was the same final as the Olympic final in 1928, Argentina against Uruguay. International football became really popular in the Netherlands and the interest in tickets for matches was overwhelming. For the football clash between The Netherlands and Germany in 1931 the Dutch football federation received over 140,0006 ticket requests. But the decision to expand the Stadium was made when football club Feijenoord in Rotterdam announced to build a stadium, De Kuip, with a capacity for 65,000 spectators. Again it was Wils to double the number of seating in the Olympic stadium. Although Wils got critics about the new Stadium, the spectators and administrators were satisfied because of the capacity for 60,000 spectators. Although De Kuip was the most modern stadium, the Olympic Stadium was, besides the De Kuip, still used for international football matches. The Olympic Stadium became the football stadium of Amsterdam. The Stadium became the home front of the football clubs Blauw-‐Wit Amsterdam, AFC DWS and later the merger club FC Amsterdam. In the sixties Ajax started to play their great European Cup matches in the Olympic Stadium. The most legendary match, the international breakthrough for Ajax and Johan Cruyff, was the “Fog Match” against Liverpool. Ajax beat the famous Liverpool F.C. with 5-‐1 although thick fog was hanging over the field, spectators could hardly see anything. Another great match was the European Cup final of 1962 between Benfica and Real Madrid. In 1992 Ajax won the UEFA Cup in the Stadium and played their last match in 1996. In the season 1995 and 1996 the American Football Club Amsterdam Admirals played their matches in the Stadium. 5 Olympisch Stadion. The Football World Cup started in Amsterdam.
Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://olympischstadion.nl/en/53_news/?news_id=1081 6 Pauw, R. & Visser, J. Model for the Future. Rotterdam: De Buitenspelers.
The Olympic Stadium saved and reduced. In the early nineties the great history of the Olympic Stadium seemed to have devastating ending. The mayor of Amsterdam Van Thijn wanted to demolish the Stadium because of the building of a new stadium: the Amsterdam ArenA. Not only because of the new stadium, but also because of the bad reputation and image of the Olympic Stadium. The local residents were fed up with the riots of the football fans. Van Thijn wanted to use the space to build 1850 new apartments. But Piet Kranenberg7, a member of the Olympic Stadium management since 1986 and former senior executive of Amstel brewery, negotiated many times with municipality of Amsterdam and launched many alternative proposals. He said: “A country that respects itself does not demolish an Olympic Stadium”. In 1991 there finally was a small breakthrough as the Minister of Culture, Hedy D’Ancona, placed the Olympic Stadium on the list of Monuments. If Kranenberg could prove that he could exploit the Stadium, it could be saved. Architect Andre van Stigt made a renovation plan and for this renovation 24 million Guilders (11 million Euro’s) were needed. The collection of the last 5 million Guilders was a problem. So Piet Kranenberg started a rescue operation. In total, 20,000 people paid money for the renovation of a monument; this is a sign that many people in the Netherlands had a huge sympathy for the Stadium. The money was used for the renovation of the Stadium. Architect Andre van Stigt pulled down the high-‐rise stand and gave the Stadium the same look as in 1928. In 2000 the renovation was completed. New start BPF Bouwinvest, estate investments, and Stichting Olympisch Stadion Amsterdam (Foundation Olympic Stadium Amsterdam) became the owners of the Olympic Stadium. In 20048 the Stichting Exploitatie Olympisch Stadion Amsterdam (Foundation Exploitation Olympic Stadium Amsterdam) was founded by the Foundation Olympic Stadium Amsterdam and Netherlands Olympic Committee*Nederlandse Sport Federatie (Netherlands Sports Confederation). Foundation Olympic Stadium Amsterdam became responsible for the development of professional and recreational sports, Olympic education and the presentation of Dutch sport heritage. 7 Geschiedenis. Piet Kranenberg overleden. Retrieved 26-‐11-‐2011 http://www.geschiedenis24.nl/nieuws/2009/juni/Piet-‐Kranenberg-‐overleden.html
8
Stichting Exploitatie Olympisch Stadion Amsterdam(October 2008). Businessplan.
Since the renovation the Olympic Stadium was used more often for events and as a training facility. Athletics and the Olympic Stadium have an important connection. In 19999 the merger Athletic club Phanos, former club of Olympic champion Fanny Blankers-‐Koen, started to train in the Olympic Stadium. So from that moment the Stadium was used everyday by athletes. Not only for professional or talented athletes, but also little kids started to train in a Stadium full of athletic history. Every year Phanos host the Dutch Athletics Championships and the Amsterdam Open, an international athletics contest in the Europe Athletisme Promotion circuit, in the Olympic Stadium. One of the major events every year is the Amsterdam Marathon. The Stadium is used as the start and finish location. This year the marathon had 35,00010 participants from 80 different countries. In 2016 the Stadium will host the European Athletic Championships. In May 2012 the European Championships Archery take place in the Stadium and is one of the last qualifying moments for the London 2012 Olympics. Olympic education is an important topic for the Olympic Stadium. In 2005 the Olympic Experience opened in the Olympic Stadium. The Olympic Experience is a museum about the Dutch sport history and the Olympic Games. It’s not only used as a museum but also as a public centre for presentations and meetings. The Olympic Experience is also a very popular place for kids to celebrate their birthday parties with friends. In the main entrance, the Marathon gate, the Wall of Fame with all the names of the Dutch Olympic gold medallist. The Wall of Fame is a permanent tribute to the Dutch Olympic champions. After every Summer and Winter Games, the Wall of Fame gets an update with the names of the new gold medallists. For each Olympic Games an Olympic education kit is developed in collaboration with NOC*NSF. The education kit for the Games of Vancouver was digital and free to use for all the primary schools in The Netherlands. For high schools and universities there are guided tours in the Stadium. There are around 30 to 40 school sport days for primary schools, around 10,000 participants in total, and projects like the Koala Games (a sport day for kids with a learning disability) and an Athletic day for kids. Another major event is Mission Olympic. Mission Olympic, started in 2003, is a sport tournament for high schools all over The Netherlands. The best high schools can join the finals in the Olympic Stadium. In 2011 27011 high school and 150.000 teenagers participated in Mission Olympic. 9 Phanos. Historisch overzicht van Phanos. Retrieved 29-‐11-‐2011 http://www.phanos.org/index.php?cat=mijnphanos&id=historie.
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Olympisch Stadion. TCA Amsterdam Marathon live on Eurosport. Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://olympischstadion.nl/en/53_news/?news_id=1453
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Mission Olympic. Information. Retrieved 28-‐11-‐2011 http://www.missionolympic.nl/missionolympic/
Besides as a sport stadium the Olympic Stadium is also a popular office area. In the catacombs various companies are located, like a restaurant, a running shop, a fitness centre, and sport broadcaster Eurosport. One of the best well-‐known companies that is located in the Stadium is the Johan Cruyff Foundation. This is the foundation of football star Johan Cruyff, his foundation supports games and sports projects for kids, giving special attention to children with a disability. Not only sport is important in the Olympic Stadium also culture plays an important role. Every year on the 4th of May, Memorial Day, there is a Memorial for all the athletes that passed away during World War II. In 2009 the Olympic Stadium participated for the first time in the Museum Night Amsterdam. One night a year around 45 museums in Amsterdam open their doors from 19:00 to 02:00 and organise special tours and performances. Every year the Olympic Stadium is part of the Open Monument Day, on that day there are free guided tours in and around the Stadium. Each year there are many charity events; the biggest charity events are the Open Day of the Johan Cruyff Foundation and the National Gala for disabled sports. Return of the Games in the Olympic Stadium? A hundred years after the first Olympic Games in Amsterdam, the NOC*NSF (Netherlands Olympic Committee*Netherlands Sports Confederation) want to bring the Games back to the Netherlands. The idea to host the Olympic Games again is elaborated in the Olympic Plan 202812. The potential host cities Amsterdam and Rotterdam are enthusiastic, but more important the Dutch cabinet supports the Olympic Plan 2028. In 2016 the country has to be Olympic-‐proof and then NOC*NSF will decide to make an actual bid. Amsterdam, the biggest city in the Netherlands, has been involved in the Olympic Plan from the start. In 2008 the City Council of Amsterdam decided to support the plans of the NOC*NSF. In addition Amsterdam formulated its own plan for sport, with key recommendations to encourage sport at school, to make sport accessible for everyone, to support amateur clubs and to invest in sport in public space. An important area is the ‘Olympic Sport Axis’. This is a zone extending from the Olympic Stadium to the Sport Parks in the Amsterdamse Bos, a woodland recreation area. Along this route there are sport facilities at national and international levels like the Frans Otten Stadium, Europe’s largest indoor squash centre, the multi indoor complex Sporthallen Zuid and de Bosbaan rowing course. The Wagener Stadium, located in the Amsterdamse Bos, is the national hockey centre. Because of this Olympic ambition, the Olympic Stadium is back in the spotlights of the Dutch sports world.
12 Gemeente Amsterdam Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordening. De Olympische Spelen van 1928. (2009)
In cooperation with the Physical Planning Department13 of Amsterdam and two architects a design was developed for a temporary extension of the Stadium. This extra capacity is only needed for big sport events and can be removed right after the events. The architects designed two kinds of extension models. The first model is a compact extension unit with 2,000 seats. Several of these units can be placed and by adding seven units the capacity to host the Football World Cup is realised. The second model is a temporary ring and this ring can create 40,000 to 60,000 extra seats for an Olympic event. Keep the spirit alight In 2008 the Foundation Exploitation Olympic Stadium Amsterdam announced their new goals and mission. The goal is to have at least 12 large public events a year and recreational sports through the whole year. The mission divided in three themes14: •
Activities in the Olympic Stadium: a ‘professional’ sport experience.
Organise events and activities in and around the Stadium so the Olympic stories will come alive. Demonstrations of new or upcoming sports and cooperation between institutions that are related to sport like universities, companies and media. •
Icon of the Dutch Olympic sport.
Champions and highlights are honoured and celebrated by cherishing the Olympic Stadium as a unique monument. •
Inspiration through sport
Share the Olympic philosophy through Olympic education and encourage participating in a sport. The Olympic Stadium has the ambition to become the icon of the Dutch Olympic Sport and a national centre for professional athletics. To make room for these ambitions the Stadium needs to renovate and expand. To make these ambitions to reality the campaign ‘Keep the spirit Alight15’ was founded in 2010. A team of ambassador with Olympic champions like Yvonne van Gennip, Ellen van Langen and Nicolien Sauerbreij are the supporters of this campaign. Before this campaign the Stadium didn’t have any sponsors and it still doesn’t get any contribution from the government. The most important plans are compromised to the modernisation in media, hospitality, safety and the overall Olympic experience. 13 Archello. Temporary extension Olympic Stadium Amsterdam. Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://www.archello.com/en/project/temporary-‐extension-‐olympic-‐stadium-‐amsterdam
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SESAM. Businessplan. (October 2008).
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Olympisch Stadion. De toekomstplannen van het Olympisch Stadion. Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://olympischstadion.nl/en/53_news/?news_id=1268
One of the ambitions is already completed. A couple of months ago 22,00016 new seats were placed in the Stadium. This was a complicated project because of the monumental status, the functionality of the Stadium and the requirements of international sports federations, there are guidelines to be followed when it comes to use of colour and unequal measurements. These kinds of modernisations will make the Stadium more suitable for big events. Conclusion Just like the organization in 1928, the legacy of the Olympic Stadium can be used as a model for the future. After eighty years the Olympic Stadium still has a prominent role in the national, and with the organisation in 2012 of the European Championships Archery and the European Athletic Championships in 2016, even in the international sports world. The Olympic Plan 2028 brought the Olympic Stadium back in the spotlights in the Dutch sports world. The Olympic Stadium has the ambition to be the icon of the Dutch Olympic Sport and a national centre for professional athletics. The Olympic Stadium Amsterdam must keep the spirit alight because it’s a great model for the future. The post use of the Olympic Stadium is true Olympic legacy and is an example that Olympic venues can be used for so many different projects instead of just using it only for 16 days during the Olympic Games.
16 Olympisch Stadion. New seats for Olympic Stadium.
Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://olympischstadion.nl/en/53_news/?news_id=1268 29 November 2011
References Books R. Pauw & J. Visser. Model for the Future. Rotterdam: De Buitenspelers. Readers SESAM. Businessplan. (October 2008). Gemeente Amsterdam Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordening. De Olympische Spelen van 1928. (2009) International Olympic Committee. Factsheets, legacies of the Olympic Games, update January 2010. (2010) Internet Archello. Temporary extension Olympic Stadium Amsterdam. Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://www.archello.com/en/project/temporary-‐extension-‐olympic-‐stadium-‐amsterdam Geschiedenis. Piet Kranenberg overleden. Retrieved 26-‐11-‐2011 http://www.geschiedenis24.nl/nieuws/2009/juni/Piet-‐Kranenberg-‐overleden.html Olympisch Stadion. De toekomstplannen van het Olympisch Stadion. Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://olympischstadion.nl/en/53_news/?news_id=1268 Olympisch Stadion. New seats for Olympic Stadium. Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://olympischstadion.nl/en/53_news/?news_id=1268 29 November 2011 Olympisch Stadion. TCA Amsterdam Marathon live on Eurosport. Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://olympischstadion.nl/en/53_news/?news_id=1453 Olympisch Stadion. The Football World Cup started in Amsterdam. Retrieved 27-‐11-‐2011 http://olympischstadion.nl/en/53_news/?news_id=1081 Mission Olympic. Information. Retrieved 28-‐11-‐2011 http://www.missionolympic.nl/missionolympic/ informatie Phanos. Historisch overzicht van Phanos. Retrieved 29-‐11-‐2011 http://www.phanos.org/index.php?cat=mijnphanos&id=historie. Cashman, R. Olympic Legacy in an Olympic City: Monuments, Museums and Memory. Fourth International Symposium for Olympic Research. Retrieved 29-‐11-‐2011 http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/ISOR/ISOR1998m.pdf