Olympisch Stadion

In 1928 Amsterdam hosted the games of the IX Olympiad. Evidence of those games remains in the form of the Olympisch Stadion, built just for the occasion, and the tiny museum inside. With an original capacity of over 31,000, Olympic Stadium seems small by modern standards. In 1937 seating was increased to over 64, 000 when a second level was added, however the latest renovations  (1996) reduced the stadium to its current capacity of 22,000. It is now used mostly for track and field events.

Over the years, Olympic Stadium has hosted events in track and field (the introduction of the 400 meter track became the international standard), field hockey (India won its first-ever gold medal in men’s field hockey in the ’28 Olympics—and the next five!), cycling (the ’54 Tour de France began here!) and football (home to several important “football” clubs including AFC Ajax, which last used the stadium in ’96). Perhaps the most famous football match ever played at Olympic Stadium was the 1962 European Cup final in which Benifica bested Real Madrid 5-3.

The 1928 Olympics saw the debut of the Olympic flame, a staple of every games since. (The torch—used to light the flame—was first introduced in the ’36 Berlin games.) For the first time the parade of nations began with Greece and ended with the host nation. Even Tarzan (Hollywood’s Johnny Weissmuller) won two gold medals in swimming. The ’28 games was the first Olympiad in which women participated in track and field events (despite the protests of the French president who cited the possible negative impact on the child-bearing capabilities of female athletes!) The Amsterdam games featured 2,883 athletes (2,606 men/277 women) from 46 countries. (Compare those tallies with 2012 London games: 204 “Olympic committees” and 10,000 athletes!)