Olympic Stadium ( Amsterdam ) The Olympic Stadium ( Dutch : " Olympisch Stadion " ) was built as the main stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam . The first event at the stadium was the start of the 1928 Olympic hockey tournament on 17 May 1928 . When completed , the stadium had a capacity of 31 , 600 . Following the completion of the rival De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam in 1937 , the Amsterdam authorities increased the capacity of the Olympic Stadium to 64 , 000 by adding a second ring to the stadium . AFC Ajax used the Olympic Stadium for international games until 1996 , when the Amsterdam Arena was completed . In 1987 the stadium was listed as a national monument . Renovation started in 1996 , and the stadium was refurbished into the original construction of 1928 . The second ring of 1937 was removed , reducing capacity to 22 , 288 , and the stadium was made suitable for track and field competitions again . Since 2005 , the stadium is home to a sports museum , the Olympic Experience Amsterdam . It is no longer used as a football stadium . Architecture and design . The Olympic Stadium was designed by architect Jan Wils , and is one of the finest examples of Amsterdamse School architecture , complementing the surrounding neighbourhood designed by H . P . Berlage . The design won the Olympic gold medal in the architecture competition at the 1928 Olympics . The concrete second ring that was added in 1937 to the north and south wing of the stadium was also designed by Jan Wils . Development history . The original plan of Jan Wils consisted of an extension of the Harry Elte stadium that was situated next to the current Olympic Stadium . This plan was rejected as the municipal government of Amsterdam had planned an important urban development programme in that area , and wanted to demolish the stadium as soon as possible . The second plan was almost fully executed , and consisted of a new Olympic Stadium that was situated more westward . In January 1926 , the Amsterdam municipal government , the National Olympic Committee and the NV Nederlandsch Sportpark — the owner of the Harry Elte stadium — reached an agreement ; after the Olympic Games of 1928 , the Harry Elte stadium would be demolished and the NV Nederlandsch Sportpark would be the owner of the Olympic Stadium . Starting in January 1926 , the area in which the stadium was to be built was elevated by means of 750 , 000 cubic metres of sand . This phase was completed in October of that year and in the same month the construction of the pile foundation began . On 18 May 1927 , the ceremonial first stone was placed by Prince Hendrik . Some two million stones would follow . Characteristics . The football pitch measures 114 by 75 metres . The athletics track around it is 8 metres wide and has a perimeter of 400 metres . The cycle track around the athletics track was 9 metres wide had a perimeter of 500 metres . It also hosted the equestrian jumping , field hockey , and gymnastics events . The capacity of the stadium is subject to controversy as the exact capacity was kept secret to press and public during the Games to evade the remark that the stadium ' s capacity was only marginally bigger than the Harry Elte stadium . It is said that two configurations could be set up in the stadium ; one with 21 , 537 seats and 12 , 618 standing rooms ( 33 , 255 total ) and one with 16 , 197 seats and 25 , 236 standing rooms ( 41 , 433 total ) . After the Games the NOC admitted that the capacity of the stadium was somewhere near 31 , 600 . Additional seats could be added on the cycle track , which would increase the capacity with 5 , 900 . The 1928 Olympics introduced the idea of the Olympic Flame . The flame burned for the first time ever in a tall tower , known as the Marathon tower , adjacent to the Olympic Stadium . In the top of the Marathon tower , four balconies are situated which were used during the Games by horn blowers . Above these balconies four speakers from Philips were attached , from which results and messages were broadcast into the Olympic area , a novelty at the time . The bowl on top which carried the Olympic flame was known to Amsterdammers as " the ashtray of KLM pilots " . A permanent Olympic flame burning during the tournament was also an Olympic first . 1996 renovation . In 1987 the city government announced plans to demolish the stadium . The stadium was saved , however , when it was listed as a national monument . Renovation started in 1996 , and the stadium was refurbished into the original construction of 1928 . The second ring of 1937 was removed , and the stadium was made suitable for track and field competitions again . The original bicycle track was also removed to enable the use of the space beneath the seats for offices . The stadium was reopened by the Prince of Orange on 13 May 2000 . In 2007 , the area around the stadium was renovated as part of larger urban renewal project covering the entire Olympic area . North of the stadium 969 houses were completed in 2008 . In the same year , the islands in the river Schinkel to the west of the stadium were suited with tennis fields and football pitches , an athletics track and a park . The Stadionplein square in front of the stadium is also to be renovated , which is expected to begin in 2010 . Two new bridges were also built around the stadium : to the south there is a new bridge suitable for all traffic , the Na Druk Gelukbrug , and to the Schinkel islands in the west there is a cyclists and pedestrian bridge , called Jan Wilsbrug . Use after the Olympic Games . The stadium hosted several international matches of the Dutch national football team , the first one being the game against Uruguay ( 0 – 2 ) during the Summer Olympics on 30 May 1928 . The last one was a friendly on 6 September 1989 against Denmark ( 0 – 2 ) . After the Olympics , the stadium was used regularly for various sporting events , including athletics , speedway , field hockey and cycling . The 1954 Tour de France , for example , started outside the stadium . However , it was football that remained the most popular . It was both the home ground of Blauw Wit FC and BVC Amsterdam ( later merged into FC Amsterdam ) , while AFC Ajax used the stadium for games in which the crowd was expected to exceed the capacity of its own De Meer Stadion , or for midweek games which required the use of floodlights , with which the De Meer was not initially suited . Ajax continued this arrangement until the completion of the Amsterdam ArenA in 1996 . The Amsterdam Admirals played their inaugural season in the World League of American Football in 1995 , and the 1996 season , at the stadium , prior to moving to the Amsterdam ArenA . The stadium will host the 2016 European Athletics Championships . Because of this , an athletics track was added to the plan for the nearby Park Schinkeleilanden at the last moment . The athletics track in that nearby park , which could be a warming up track when using the main track in the Olympic Stadium for racing , was opened in 2008 . The stadium also serves as the start and finish of the Amsterdam Marathon , held every October . The stadium is also a tourist attraction . Tourists especially come from the Netherlands , Germany , Greece , Belgium , and Canada , and tours are available in Dutch , German , Greek , English and French . Famous games . Famous games , apart from the Olympic Games , include :