The stadium is nicknamed “The Big O” a reference to both its name and to the doughnut – shape of the permanent component of the stadium’s roof; “The Big Owe” name has also been used to reference the astronomical cost of the stadium and the 1976 Olympics as a whole.
The building’s design is cited as a masterpiece of Organic Modern architecture. Taillibert based the building on plant and animal forms, aiming to include vertebral structures with sinewy or notables, while still following the basic planes of Modern architecture.
The Olympic swimming pool is located under this tower. An Olympic velodrome was situated at the base of the tower in a building similar in design to the swimming pool.
The stadium is the largest by seating capacity in Canada. After the Olympics, it became the home of Montreal’s professional base ball Canadian foot ball Games.
It currently serves as a 56, 040 – seat multipurpose facility for special events (e.g. concerts, trade shows), and continues to play off and Grey Cup games hosted by the Montreal Alouettes. The Montreal Impact also use the stadium on occasion when a larger capacity venue outdoor play in the spring months.
The tower incorporated into the base of the stadium, called the Montreal tower, is the tallest inclined tower in the world at 175 meters.
The Olympic Stadium holds the record for a soccer game attendance in Canada. At the 1976 Summer Olympics soccer final, 72,000 people witnessed East Germany’s 3 – 1 win over Poland.
For the first time since the Olympic games, a natural grass field was installed in the stadium for the Montreal Impact match versus AC Milan on June 2, 2010.
