An Olympic Stadium steeped in history

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Kyiv’s Olympic Stadium is the venue for the final of Euro 2012. In the build up to the prestigious tournament it has been completely rebuilt.

The stadium is a focal point for the main events in the history of Ukraine. Euronews reflects on those moments with the help of the prominent Ukrainian sports commentator Valentyn Shcherbachov and retired football star Volodymyr Muntyan.

“The area where the stadium is now was where the second all Russian exhibition was held, it is here too that the first Olympic Games of Russia took place. Those games attracted over 600 athletes from all over Russia. Football was also part of the event,” explained Valentyn Shcherbachov.

“Then in 1913 an idea began to take shape to build a stadium on this spot. It was a huge area with several pavilions, a sports field and a wooden stand for VIP guests to watch. The other spectators stood and watched from the slopes. This is the first place where football was played in Ukraine and where the first arena was located,” he added.

After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the new regime gave the green light for a stadium to be constructed on the site. Red Army chief Lev Trotsky got involved in its construction by ordering his soldiers to build the stadium.

“Then under Soviet rule, the area was expanded and what was called ‘Red Stadium’ was opened. Following the next renovation, the stadium got a new name – Central Stadium, and increased its capacity to 50,000 spectators. The inauguration took place on June 22, 1941. Then the war started,” said Valentyn Shcherbachov.

Axis troops invaded Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, in 1941. During the occupation the stadium hosted some minor matches between local teams and those made up of German troops.

“Historically this was a very important stadium. In my opinion, it shouldn’t have been changed. The new stadium had to be built in a different place,” Valentyn Shcherbachov opined.

Perhaps the proudest memory in the history of the Olympic Stadium was 1975 and the final of the European Super Cup. Volodymyr was in Dynamo Kyiv’s midfield when they beat Bayern Munich.

“The first leg was played, if I am not mistaken in autumn in Germany, which we won one-nil. We then beat them two-nil here in the second leg. We outplayed Bayern in the Olympic Stadium to win the cup,” recalled Volodymyr Muntyan.

Five years later the stadium was the venue for a number of football matches in the 1980 Olympic Games which were held in Russia.

Sergiy Demidov, the stadium’s director at the time, told euronews: “The Olympics of 1980 opened the window to the West. It was a very important event for Ukraine and for the former Soviet Union, because at that time a lot of tourists and sports fans from different countries came here.

“For the first time it was a chance for Ukrainians to mix and listen to the visitors, people from the outside world and that has led to where we are today and how we live. So the games in a way had this political significance for the benefit of Ukraine, which is now independent,” Demidov explained.

In the years after the 1980 Olympics many important and historical events have been staged in the stadium.

Following the renovations it was inaugurated last autumn in a glittering show which reflected the history and pride of Ukraine.

After a test match between Ukraine and Germany the Olympic stadium was inaugurated and it is now set to host the final of the 2012 European Championship on July 1.

More about: Football, History, Kyiv, Ukraine, Sport, UEFA Euro 2012

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