Ataturk Olympics Stadium in Istanbul

The Atatürk Olympics Stadium is the largest football (soccer) stadium in Turkey. It's located in Ikitelli district of Istanbul, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of the city center. It was built for the purpose of Turkey's Olympics bidding in 3 years time and opened in 2002, around 100 million US dollars were spent for the construction. The stadium is dedicated to the great leader of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The stadium officially has a capacity of 75.145 sports fans, which can go up to 81.000. A total of 669 seats are reserved for the press and 335 for the protocol. There are 558 toilets, 6 elevators, several first aid rooms and a small hospital room, 98 metal detectors, 38 security cameras, VIP rooms, training fields, amphitheaters, meeting rooms, and areas reserved for the fireman and police etc.

Atatürk Stadium is the home of Turkish National Soccer Team, all of their official games are played here. Besides the national team, also Galatasaray football team plays here during some important matches. Champions League final between Milan and Liverpool was played in Atatürk Stadium on 25 May 2005, and UEFA has rated it as a "5-star sport complex". Besides footbal games, some important athletic races are also held in the stadium.