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Russia show how to convert an Olympic stadium

Russia has shown the proper way to convert a former Olympic stadium into a permanent home for football.

The Luzhniki Stadium has finished its renovation works ahead of the 2018 World Cup finals.

Russia’s national stadium, which holds 81,000 spectators, is now read for the tournament, where it will host seven matches including the final. The construction works have cost over £300million to convert.

Reconstruction of Russia 2018’s main venue started immediately after the World Championships in Athletics that took place in the summer of 2013. During the process, the Luzhniki was converted into a purely football stadium. The running track disappeared, along with the columns around the upper tier that interrupted sight lines, and the stands became less steep. A viewing platform was installed just beneath the roof of the stadium and the ceiling itself was transformed into a giant media façade.

“It is the least expensive stadium of such a class in the world,” Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has previously said about the venue. The Luzhniki is the most iconic stadium in Russia, having been initially opened in 1956 and was used during the 1980 Olympics.

Before and after photos. Can you spot the difference?

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

10 comments on “Russia show how to convert an Olympic stadium

  1. Looks impressive. We can do this too once UK Athletics moves to the Alexander Stadium and we’re free to rip up the running track! All in good time, chaps. 🙂

    • With you all the way, Buddy. Sadiq will see sense once the athletics spend for the Birmingham games kicks in and will gift us the stadium. Once we don’t need the retractable seating, we can modify it to slope it down to edge of the pitch. Maybe even introduce a standing area. It’ll add a couple of thousand extra seats that will pay for the work.

  2. All very nice and comfy , except that our stadium is rented and permanent conversion is not on the Agenda .. if the Athletics was to move to ; for example , Birmingham, then all is possible … With Money . It may happen one day but don’t hold your breath .

  3. You’re quite right, Kevin. Some of us choose to live in hope! With the arrival of the new White Hart Lane, Palace’s plans for Selhurst Park and Chelsea’s redevelopment, we could soon be the runt of the litter, and I doubt S&G will want that. Buying the ground would be the first step, and would be an enormous asset.

    • G+S would never buy that stadium,why on earth would they buy it then pay to make it a football stadium when it is free for them now

  4. Could it be done at the London Stadium though with the Stadium itself on a small island as would have to dig deeper down to achieve this. might have to divert the river?
    Seem to remember the site was contaminated and a massive clean up process might be needed again?
    Front row gets wet as it is so an even bigger roof would be needed.

  5. The Russians know what they’re doing…. even their hooligans are better than ours these days. Anyone going to WC will need their brains examined.

  6. i can see this eventually taking us to a 100k stadium by taking fans closer to the pitch, but i will probably stay up in the gods with my £200 season ticket and £100 for the kids thanks very much.

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