Olympic Stadiums

Winter Olympics Stadium, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
29th March 2016

Sarah:  The 1936 Winter Olympics were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen; a small town in the most beautiful location on the German-Austria border. The stadium is still used for ski competitions today, and a trip on the cable car gives amazing views over the arena. There is an interesting museum documenting the dark side of the games; they were held whilst Hitler was in power, and the photographs of the Nazi memorabilia and ceremonies are incredibly sobering.
 
 







Olympic Stadium, Munich
29th March 2016

Sarah: On a recent holiday to Germany I visited a couple of Olympic Stadiums. The first was in Munich from the 1972 summer games. At the time, the design of the stadium was revolutionary and it still looks impressive today. The games were over-shadowed by the awful Munich massacre in which eleven Israeli athletes and coaches were taken hostage and killed.


 
Copperbox, London
2nd October 2013

Sarah: Ellie and I were invited along to the Badminton Grand Prix held in the Copperbox arena in the Olympic Park. It was strange being back in the park a year on and seeing how much everything had changed. No wild flowers or big purple foam hands here anymore. Hopefully when the park is finished it will feel a bit more special again. The Copperbox is a lovely venue. Thet had made lots of changes to make it suitable for the badminton, including blacking out the light from the roof. The colourful chairs were a particular highlight.


 
 
Aquatics Centre, London
6th September 2012
Sarah: Ellie and I went to the Aquatics Centre for a morning session of heats which were packed with world records. It was great to see inside another venue, and I really liked the industrial feel of this one. It was so hot and humid inside, and we were seated high up in the benches. The atmosphere was great, and we saw loads of GB athletes qualify for the finals that night. 




Olympic Stadium, London 
4th September 2012
Sarah:  My Mum and I went to the Paralympics and spent ages exploring the Olympic Park. I had no idea how big it is, so luckily we got there a few hours before the evening session and spent the afternoon wandering round and exploring. It was great to see all the venue and all the wildflowers and little touches round the park make it feel really special. After seeing it on the TV and getting so caught up in the Olympics and Paralympics, it was really strange to finally be in the stadium. A lot has been said in the press about the atmosphere, but it was truly incredible. The stadium was packed, with the crowd going nuts for every event. When David Weir took to the track and won his gold, the noise was deafening; I've never heard anything like it. 

 


Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam
22nd August 2012

Sarah: Ellie and I recently had a short holiday in Amsterdam where we spent lots of time planning our sporting plan of action. While we were there we went to a concert at the Olympic stadium, which we both found really exciting. Alas, we didn't get to run on the track but it was amazing to be there. The stadium housed the 1928 Olympics; the first to introduce the idea of the Olympic flame, which burned for the very first time in the cauldron at the top of the tower.



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