(Base jumping) Ten Stadiums That Could Squeeze in 100,000 People
No commentsBy Patrick Omari
This article looks at ten of the largest stadiums in the world. All of these stadiums have enough room to seat at least 100,000 specators.
The imposing Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea was built in 1989 and can seat a jaw-dropping 150,000 people. Resembling a blossom flower, it has 16 arches arranged in a ring. In 1995, a a crowd of 190,000 people crammed in for a professional wrestling event. It is not the only large stadium in Pyongyang - the Kim-Il Sung Stadium, with a capacity of 70,000, also resides there.
Located in Salt Lake City, a district of Kolkata in India, is the Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Stadium of the Indian Youth (also known as Salt Lake Stadium). The stadium was built in 1984 and boasts a capacity of 120,000 over a 3-tier construction and is mainly used for football and athletics events.
Beaver Stadium is the home of the Penn State Nittany Lions and is located at the Pennsylvania State University. Assembled in its current location in 1960 with a capacity of just 46,284, Beaver Stadium went through numerous expansions until its most recent expansion in 2001 which brought it to its current capacity of 107,282. This makes it the largest stadium in North America.
The Michigan Stadium is an American Football ground of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is nicknamed “The Big House” and was built in 1927. It had an original capacity of 72,000 which has gradually increased to 106,201 due to various expansions, the second largest American Football stadium. It was the largest but the capacity was reduced by 1,300 to accommodate more disabled fans. A very popular stadium, it has incredibly not had a sub-100,000 attendance since 1975.
The Azteca Stadium is located in Mexico City has an official capacity of 105,000 (originally 114,465) people. Used mostly for American Football matches, it is the home of the Mexico national team and Mexican club team America. It is the only stadium ever to host two World Cup final matches, in 1970 and 1986. It was the backdrop for the ‘Hand of God’ goal and the ‘Goal of the Century’ both scored by Diego Maradona.
The Maracana Stadium (officially the Jornalista Mario Filho stadium) is a football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest stadium in South America. It is difficult to pinpoint the stadium’s exact capacity (it seats about 90,000 but also had an official attendance of 199,500 for the 1950 World Cup Final) but recent figures suggest they work to a safe capacity of 103,045. Owned by the State Government, it is mostly used by the biggest football clubs in Rio de Janeiro including Flamengo, Botafogo and Fluminense.
Ohio Stadium is the home of the Buckeyes American Football team at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. It has numerous nicknames including ‘The House Harley Built’, ‘The Horseshoe’, or simply ‘The ‘Shoe’. Originally built in 1922 (having undergone numerous renovations over the years since then) the stadium officially holds 102,329, regularly achieving attendances of over 100,000 at Buckeye games. It also often hosts music concerts, when the stadium can seat up to 110,000.
The Neyland Stadium is another American Football stadium that primarily serves as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team in Knoxville, Tennessee. While its current capacity stands at 102,037, the stadium did in fact hold 104,079 until a 2006 renovation when executive seating was installed. Over the years Neyland Stadium has been used to host large conventions and numerous NFL exhibition games.
The Bukit Jalil National Stadium lies 20km south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the National Sports Complex. Built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, construction work began in 1992 and was completed 3 months ahead of schedule. The stadium holds 100,000 and is now the home of the Malaysian football team and hosts a variety of sporting and non-sporting events, most notably the AFC Asian Cup 2007.
Melbourne Cricket Ground was built in 1853 with the first game of cricket played on 30 September 1854. Until the 1970s, up to 130,000 people could be crammed into the stadium - however renovations and safety regulations have since restricted the capacity to its current 100,000. The stadium was the centerpiece of the 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Dublin Airport Hotels and Airparks Cardiff and Cardiff Airport Parking.
The 2009 Ski Season is Just Around the Corner
By Roger Munns
As winter approaches in Europe, the US and Canada skiers and winter-sports enthusiasts around the globe are getting ready for the upcoming ski season. The 2009 ski season is expected to be busier than the 2008 season, despite economic worries. For many, an extended ski vacation is more appealing than any beach vacation. Over the last 5 years, several studies have shown that more families are enjoying a yearly ski vacation. Children are learning to ski at a younger age and family ski vacations help encourage the love of sports among families and children.
Family Ski Vacations
Ski resorts around the world offer discount ski packages for large groups and families. Some of the most popular resorts include Andorra, Mont Blanc, Vail and Okemo. Family friendly ski resorts often offer added special events for children and teens. Okemo ski resort in Vermont boasts features like ‘excellent kids programs’ and ‘kids six and under ski free.’
Adventurous families with children under the age of six could benefit greatly from the free ski passes. Parents should be the primary judge as to whether their child is ready to strap on skis. The instructor may also offer their opinion if they fear potential injury to the child. Children under the age of 14 and adults just learning to ski are often encouraged to wear a helmet. Helmets go a long way in protecting new skiers from injuries.
Other family friendly ski resorts include five of Colorado’s most popular resorts: Aspen/Snowmass, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Crested Butte and Winter Park. Each of the five offers special incentives for families. Ski lessons for beginners, intermediate or even advanced skiers could help ensure fewer injuries occur on the slopes.
Some instructors suggest an instructional session each ski season to help keep all who share the slopes up to date on the latest updates in ski technologies. Newer styles of ski boots and skis often make a significant difference in comfort as well as speed and ski style.
Learn to Ski
Non-skiers-turned-skiers emerge year after year. Several ski resorts are promoting ski instruction for the 2009 ski season. Ski instruction is a good choice for beginners as well as advanced skiers. Instructors often cover the basics of first aid as well as stretches and ski-related information. Each resort offers a different level of instruction.
To achieve the best ski education, aim for a school that focuses attention on a small class size. Six to eight people per group allows the instruction more one-on-one time per new skier. Special family instructional lessons are often available on request.
Multi-Lingual Ski Resorts
Not all skiers speak English, Spanish or even French. Some of the most popular ski resorts are now fully multi-lingual. Of course, it is always advantageous when traveling to different countries, to speak the language. However it is no longer a requirement in some areas. Multi-lingual ski instructors are available in most ski resorts. If you are not fluent in the local language, you may have the option to request instruction by a ski instructor that speaks your native language.
Information for skiing this winter in both Andorra and France is available with yourandorra.com
A snow report for Andorra and a map of Andorra are there for skiers with a choice of accommodation in Andorra hotels
Visit yourandorra.com also for the latest news on Andorra holidays
Sportswear to Streetwear - The Life and Death of the Tracksuit
By Patrick Omari
The name tracksuit was conceived in the 1920s when the Great Britain Olympic Team’s Dr Oliver Johnson Schofield coined the phrase to describe his training kit of a two-piece lightweight suit. This would be worn over his shorts and vest to retain body warmth during vital training periods while preparing for the Olympic Games.
Throughout their early years, tracksuits continued to be used solely for sportswear purposes, as depicted in the famous athletic film Chariots of Fire, set in 1924. The tracksuit shown on screen consists of a grey, crew-neck sweatshirt and jogging bottoms as worn by the British Olympic Team at the Paris games.
As the soft, light two-piece suit proved ideal for athletes and sportsmen and women, adidas began producing them for the leisure market in the early 1960s. Although, adidas made the tracksuits for mass market, they continued to be used primarily for sportswear well into the 1970s.
The 1970s was a period of crazy fashions and changing cultures. Glam-rock, disco, punk to name but a few. People would wear the tracksuits in an attempt to stand out from these groups, probably hoping for a positive response to the bright colours and shiny material.
If the 1970s was the birth of the leisure-wear tracksuit, then the 1980s was its teen years as times were-a-changing. The tracksuit was going through some major image changes, and people were noticing them a lot more. Tracksuits began to make waves in the sea of fashion and a lot of people were dipping their toes in for a try.
In the 80s, tracksuits got into the hip-hop crowd and began staying out late and mixing it up hippity-hoppity stylee. They became involved with street folk like Run DMC and the Beastie Boys, often paired up with ice-white trainers with fat laces. The tracksuit was changing, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
As the tracksuit approached its adulthood, it was continuing to mix with the sportswear crowd but would often be found moonlighting in hip-hop videos and on the youths of the era. Kids hanging on street corners could afford the clothes that their rap heroes were wearing, making the tracksuit an affordable fashion accessory. Tracksuits were cool and everybody wanted to be seen with them, much like Corey Feldman in the 80s.
Tracksuits hit their peak of appeal in the late 80s but would continue to accept minor roles into the 90s and 00s, again much like Corey Feldman. In the 90s, the tracksuit began to lose its mass appeal and was often looked at as an unattractive girlfriend that you feel guilty being seen with. Due to this drop in popularity, less and less people were wearing them or just wearing them indoors where other people wouldn’t see them.
Individually, the tracksuit top or tracksuit bottoms are not deemed as bad as wearing the complete two-piece. In recent years in Britain, certain members of society choose to wear tracksuit bottoms with shoes and sometimes a button-collar shirt. This should never be condoned, encouraged and certainly not applauded as it is a terrible sight whatever decade you live in.
As the tracksuit approaches its old-age, it will continue to mix things up, often in a negative way. However, it could be the subject of a dramatic re-birth and could once again rule the fashion world. Let’s hope it does for the good of the world. Tracksuits may be hitting a mid-life crisis but it has plenty of life in the old dog yet. Much like the hat, the tracksuit can adapt and evolve to extend its life for a good few years yet.
Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Luton airport parking, Airparks Luton and Heathrow hotels.
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Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 8:25 am and is filed under sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
