A stadium (pl.: stadiums or stadia)[1] is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.[2][3]
Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event at the ancient Greek Olympic festival was the race that comprised one length of the stadion at Olympia, where the word "stadium" originated.[4]
Most of the stadiums with a capacity of at least 10,000 are used for association football. Other popular stadium sports include gridiron football, baseball, cricket, the various codes of rugby, field lacrosse, bandy, and bullfighting. Many large sports venues are also used for concerts.
- ^ Stadia is the Latin plural form, but both are used in English. Dictionary.com
- ^ Nussli Group "Stadium Construction Projects"
- ^ Bale, John (1993). "The Spatial Development of the Modern Stadium". International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 28 (2–3). SAGE Journals: 121–133. doi:10.1177/101269029302800204.
- ^ Young, David C. (2008). A Brief History of the Olympic Games. John Wiley & Sons. p. 20. ISBN 9780470777756.