Velodrome Stadium

Velodrome is the home stadium of the Olympic Marseille football club, which is one of the twenty most visited stadiums in the world. Originally intended for cycling competitions, it is now used exclusively for football matches.

Built for the 1938 World Cup, the Velodrome stadium was opened in 1937 with the Olympic Marseille friendly with the Italian Turino, in which the French won. During World War II, the stadium served as a warehouse for French military equipment and was later used by the German and American armies.

Before the European Championships in 1984, the bike lanes were removed at the stadium, and already by the World Cup-98, its capacity was significantly increased - up to sixty thousand seats instead of forty. The stands of the "Velodrome" were named after famous residents of Marseille - athlete Jean Buan, cyclist Victor Ganet, boxer Ray Grassi and historical figure, Chevalier Rose, who saved people during the plague of 1720.

Currently, the stadium is undergoing a grandiose reconstruction associated with the holding of Euro 2016. It is planned to build a visor over the stands, increase the number of seats by another 10 thousand, modern arrangement of the adjacent territory, the use of renewable energy sources and a unique system for collecting rainwater.