Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (, formerly known as the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc or Barcelona Olympic Stadium) is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition in the city (and Barcelona's bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics, which were awarded to Berlin), it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The stadium has a capacity of 55,926 (67,007 during the 1992 Olympics), and is located in the Anella Olímpica, in Montjuïc, a large hill to the southwest of the city which overlooks the harbour.

In 2001 the stadium was renamed after the former president of the Generalitat de Catalunya Lluís Companys i Jover, who was executed at the nearby Montjuïc Castle in 1940 by the Franco regime.

History
The stadium, designed by architect Pere Domènech i Roura for the 1929 Expo, was meant to host the People's Olympiad in 1936, a protest event against the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, but the event had to be cancelled due the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

In the fifties, the stadium was the centerpiece of the 1955 Mediterranean Games, and in 1957 it hosted the only national football cup final between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol, the two local clubs.

In the seventies the stadium was disused, and the stands deteriorated. When the Spanish Grand Prix and other races were held at the Montjuïc racing circuit, the stadium was used as a paddock for the teams. Due to safety concerns, the 1975 F1 race was nearly boycotted by drivers.

Due to the award of the 1992 Summer Olympics to Barcelona, the stadium was renovated with the involvement of Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti. The stadium was gutted, preserving only the original facades, and new grandstands were built. In 1989 the venue was reinaugurated for the World Cup in Athletics, and three years later it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics competitions of the Olympic Games.

The stadium served as the home of football club RCD Espanyol from 1997 until 2009. The Estadi Olímpic made its final La Liga appearance during the 2008-2009 season, as Espanyol moved to the newly constructed Estadi Cornellà-El Prat.

It also served as the home of the Barcelona Dragons American Football team until 2003. Because the size of the playing surface was slightly shorter than the regulation American Football length, the stadium only had 7-yard end zones, three yards shorter than regulation NFL size.

The stadium also played host to the NFL's American Bowl in 1993 and in 1994. The San Francisco 49ers played the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 1, 1993. The second game was played on July 31, 1994 between the Los Angeles Raiders and the Denver Broncos.

The stadium has since 1990 hosted the Míting Internacional d´Atletisme Ciutat de Barcelona an annual track and field meeting.

In 2010, the stadium hosted the 20th European Athletics Championships.



Sport events

 * 1929: Montjuïc hosted Spain's first official rugby international game against Italy. Spain won 9-0.
 * 1930: Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid.
 * 1933: National football cup final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid.
 * 1934: National football cup final between Valencia CF and Real Madrid.
 * 1935: Boxing match Paolino Uzcudun vs. Max Schmeling
 * 1939: National football cup final between Sevilla FC and Racing de Ferrol.
 * 1944: National football cup final between Athletic Bilbao and Valencia CF.
 * 1945: National football cup final between Sevilla FC and Racing de Ferrol.
 * 1946: National football cup final between Real Madrid and Valencia CF.
 * 1955: II Mediterranean Games.
 * 1957: National football cup final between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol.
 * 1989: IAAF World Cup.
 * 1992: Games of the XXV Olympiad and IX Paralympic Games.
 * 1997: World Bowl V between Barcelona Dragons and Rhein Fire.
 * 1999: The stadium hosted the Euro 2000 qualifying match between Andorra and then world champions France on 9 June 1999.
 * 2003: World Police and Fire Games.
 * 2004: Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Real Zaragoza.
 * 2007-2008: The stadium hosted the Euro 2008 qualifying match between Andorra and England on the 28 March 2007 and also the same fixture on 6 September 2008 for the 2010 World Cup qualifying match.
 * 2009: On Saturday 20 June the Perpignan-based rugby league team, Catalans Dragons lost 12-24 to Warrington Wolves in the first Super League match to be played in Spain, drawing a crowd of over 18,500.
 * 2010: 20th European Athletics Championships.
 * 2011: 2010–11 Heineken Cup quarter-final match between Perpignan and Toulon with a crowd of 55.000.
 * 2012: 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics.

Musical events
The stadium has hosted concerts by many famous artists, including AC/DC, Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Coldplay, Deftones, Fiction Plane, Guns 'N Roses, Michael Jackson, Jean Michel Jarre, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Madonna, Shakira, Metallica, Mudvayne, Pink Floyd, The Police, Prince & The New Power Generation, RBD, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Mavis Staples, Sting, Tina Turner, U2 and Van Halen, among others.

Concerts

 * 1990 (June 13 and 14): Concerts by The Rolling Stones in the framework of their Urban Jungle Tour
 * 1990 (July 25): Concert by Prince in the framework of his Nude Tour, before some 30,000 spectators
 * 1990 (August 1): Concert by Madonna in the framework of her Blond Ambition Tour before more than 60,000
 * 1990 (September 16): Concert by David Bowie, as part of his Sound + Vision Tour before some 30,000 spectators
 * 1990 (October 6 and 7): Concert by Tina Turner, performed on two nights as part of her Foreign Affair Tour
 * 1991 (September 24): Concerts by AC/DC, Metallica, Tesla and Legion in the framework of the Monsters of Rock festival, before some 45,000 spectators
 * 1992 (September 18): Concert by Michael Jackson in the framework of his Dangerous Tour in front of 65,000 spectators
 * 1993 (May 11): Concert by Bruce Springsteen as part of the Human Touch World Tour
 * 1993 (July 5): Concert by Guns N' Roses
 * 1993 (October 6): Concert by Jean Michel Jarre
 * 1995 (June 13): Concert by Bon Jovi with The Pretenders and Van Halen in front of 30,000 people
 * 1997 (September 13): Concert U2 during their Pop Mart tour
 * 1998 (July 20): Concert by The Rolling Stones during their Bridges to Babylon Tour
 * 2003 (May 17): Concert by Bruce Springsteen as part of the The Rising Tour
 * 2003 (June 29): Concert by The Rolling Stones as part of the Licks Tour. The Pretenders acted as openers, 50,000 people attended
 * 2007 (June 21): Concert by The Rolling Stones during their A Bigger Bang Tour" (after cancelling a show the previous year) to 50,000
 * 2007 (June 30): Concert by Mexican pop group RBD during their Tour Celestial to more than 57,000 people
 * 2007 (September 27): Concert by The Police during their Police Reunion Tour before 55,000 spectators
 * 2008 (June 1): Concert by Bon Jovi as part of their Lost Highway Tour to more than 45,000 people
 * 2009 (June 7): Concert by AC/DC, during their Black Ice Tour before some 62,000 spectators
 * 2009 (July 21): Concert by Madonna during the second leg of her Sticky & Sweet Tour to more than 45,000 spectators
 * 2009 (September 4): Concert by Coldplay on their Viva la Vida Tour to more than 63,000 spectators
 * 2009 (December 3): Concert by The Prodigy, promoting their latest studio album Invaders Must Die
 * 2009 (December 4): Concert by Marilyn Manson, presenting his album The High End of Low
 * 2011 (May 29): Concert by Shakira during her The Sun Comes Out World Tour
 * 2011 (July 27): Concert by Bon Jovi as part of their Greatest Hits Tour in front of a crowd of 40000
 * 2012 (May 17 and May 18): Concert by Bruce Springsteen as part of his "WRECKING BALL" World Tour.