Estadio Olímpico Universitario

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Olímpico Universitario
nickname =


location = AV. Insurgentes Sur S/N, Col. Ciudad Universitaria CP: 43000, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal
broke_ground = August 7th 1950
opened = November 20th 1952
owner = Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
operator = U.N.A.M.
surface = Grass
construction_cost =
architect = Augusto Perez Palacios
Jorge Bravo
Raul Salinas
tenants = Club Universidad Nacional
Pumas Dorados de la UNAM
seating_capacity = 63,186

Estadio Olímpico Universitario is a stadium located in Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City. It was built in 1952 and at that time was the largest stadium in Mexico. This stadium has a capacity of 63,186. During the 50s and the 60s this stadium was used mostly for college American football matches between the largest Mexican public universities: UNAM and IPN. From the late 1950s it was used for football matches, some American football matches and athletics contests. It resembles a volcano, due to it being built in a volcanic stone surface.

The Olímpico Universitario hosted the Olympic Games; for the event the seating capacity was increased from 70,000 to 83,700 spectators to cover the IOC requirements for an Olympic stadium [http://www.aafla.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v2.pdf#xml=http://www.aafla.org:8080/verity_templates/jsp/search/xmlread.jsp?k2dockey=/mnt/docs/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v2.pdf@aafla_pdf&serverSpec=localhost:9900&querytext=] . It was the location of the track & field competitions, certain association football matches, the arrival of the marathon and the opening & ending ceremonies. This was the Olympics in which Tommie Smith and John Carlos protested against the treatment of black people in the USA by performing a black power salute during the medal ceremony for the 200m. The stadium also hosted several games of the Football World Cup 1986.

Now it is the home stadium of American football team Pumas Dorados de la UNAM and the football team Pumas de la Universidad.

During the final matches of the Mexican football league between Club America and UNAM Pumas in 1984 the authorities of the UNAM Pumas allowed more spectators into Estadio Olímpico Universitario than the capacity allowed for the building. During the attempt of the fans to get to the pitch in one of the access tunnels (the tunnel number 29) a number of people got stuck and died of suffocation.

This sport facility is part of the Ciudad Universitaria ("University City"), the main campus of the largest and most prestigious university of Latin America, UNAM.

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=&ll=19.331656,-99.191834&spn=0.005482,0.008827&t=k&hl=en Google Maps satellite photo]