Olympic Stadium (Montreal)

Olympic Stadium

The Big O
Olympic Stadium Location in Montreal Show map of Montreal Olympic Stadium Location in Quebec Show map of Quebec Olympic Stadium Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Address	4545 Pierre-de-Coubertin Avenue
Location	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Coordinates	45°33′29″N 73°33′07″W / 45.558°N 73.552°W / 45.558; -73.552
Public transit	Pie-IX, Viau
Owner	Régie des Installations Olympiques (Government of Quebec)
Capacity	Permanent capacity: 56,040 (1992–present)[1] 1976 Summer Olympics: 73,000 (1976–1992) Baseball: 49,757 (1992–present)[2] Soccer: 61,004[3] Football: 66,308[4]
Record attendance	78,322 (Pink Floyd, July 6, 1977)
Field size	Foul Lines: 99 metres (325 ft) (1977), 101 metres (330 ft) (1981), 99 metres (325 ft) (1983) Power Alleys: 114 metres (375 ft) Centre Field: 123 metres (404 ft) (1977), 123 metres (405 ft) (1979), 123 metres (404 ft) (1980), 122 metres (400 ft) (1981), 123 metres (404 ft) (1983) Backstop: 19 metres (62 ft) (1977), 20 metres (65 ft) (1983), 16 metres (53 ft) (1989)
Surface	Grass (1976 and June 2, 2010) AstroTurf (1977–2001, 2005–06) Defargo Astrograss (2002–03) FieldTurf (2003–2005) Team Pro EF RD (2007–2014) Xtreme Turf by Act Global (2014–2022) FIFA Quality Pro (2023–) [5]
Construction
Broke ground	April 28, 1973
Opened	July 17, 1976 April 15, 1977 (baseball)
Construction cost	C$ 770 million C$ 8.95 billion (2023 – including additional costs, interest and repairs)
Architect	Roger Taillibert[6]
Tenants
Montreal Expos (MLB) (1977–2004) Montreal Alouettes/Concordes (CFL) (1976–86, 1996–97, part-time 1998–2013) Montreal Manic (NASL) (1981–83) Montreal Machine (WLAF) (1991–92) CF Montréal (MLS) (2012–present, select games)
Website
Parc Olympique Quebec

Olympic Stadium^[1] (French: Stade olympique) is a multi-purpose stadium in Montreal, Canada, located at Olympic Park in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of the city. 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 disparagingly referred to as "The Big Owe" in reference to the high cost of its construction and of hosting the 1976 Olympics as a whole.^[7]

The stadium is one of 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 2012. 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.^[1] The capacity is expandable with temporary seating. CF Montréal (formerly known as Montreal Impact) of Major League Soccer (MLS) has used the venue when demand for tickets justifies the large capacity or when the weather restricts outdoor play at nearby Saputo Stadium in the spring months.

The stadium has not had a main tenant since the Expos left in 2004. Despite decades of use, the stadium's history of numerous structural and financial problems has largely branded it a white elephant.

Incorporated into the north base of the stadium, inclined at 45°, and not completed until a full decade after the stadium's opening, is the Montreal Tower. At 165 metres (541 ft) it is the world's tallest inclined tower. The stadium and Olympic Park grounds border Maisonneuve Park, which includes the Montreal Botanical Garden, adjacent to the west across Sherbrooke Street (Route 138).