Fisht Olympic Stadium

Concept and Construction stage

The architectural concept of the stadium was developed by a group of expert from Moscow, Great Britain and Switzerland. They approved a project similar to the images of a shell and a snowy peak. The prototype of the stadium was Mount Fisht, the western peak of the Main Caucasian Range, whose name was given to the stadium. Translated from the Adyghe language, "fisht" means "white head".

The construction of Fisht was in, started in 20,,10. In honor of the launch of a large-scale project, a symbolic capsule with the message "Believe in your strength, and together we will win" was laid in the foundation of the stadium. The stadium was completed in 2013. During the Olympic Games, the facility accommodated 40,000 spectators.

Post-Olympic reconstruction

After 2014, the stadium was closed for reconstruction to prepare for the matches of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. During the work, a huge amount of activities were carried out in accordance with the requirements of the organizers of the World Cup, which greatly influenced the appearance of the arena.

The most significant and noticeable change was the dismantling of the central part of the roof. Now the roof of the stadium consists of two lateral translucent structures, which consist of so-called "pillows" inflated with air. Due to the fact that the roof of the stadium is translucent, on the days of matches and other events, an architectural lighting system is launched, which at night “paints” the roof of the stadium in all the colors of the rainbow.

Temporary structures were also dismantled - buildings for scenery and artists. In their place, permanent and temporary stands were erected, capacity of the stadium increased from 40 to 45 thousand seats, two multimedia screens were installed, the premises under the stands were converted into stands, offices and hospitality areas.

There is also a football field with natural grass. Such coverage is a prerequisite for holding football matches at a professional level. During the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, instead of a field, there was a stage that went three meters deep. After the reconstruction, this space was filled with the life support systems of the field: drainage, irrigation, ventilation, as well as heating, the pipes of which cover almost 32 kilometers.

Football life

The new football life has begun in March 2017, when Stadium was inaugurated on the match between the Russian national team and the Belgian national team.

In the summer of 2017, Russia hosted the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. During the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, the Fisht Stadium hosted four matches: three group matches and one playoff match. The teams of Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, and Cameroon played at the stadium.

In 2018, Russia hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the first time. Sochi was one of 11 cities that hosted the World Cup. During the World Cup, Fisht Stadium hosted six matches - four group matches and two playoff matches. Teams from Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Panama, Germany, Sweden, Australia, Peru, Uruguay, Portugal, Croatia, and Russia played at the stadium.

Now Stadium Fish is the Sochi football club home arena.

In February 2020, for the first time, the Fisht Stadium hosted a European Rugby Championship match between Russia and Spain.

Olympic Games

Fisht Stadium was built as part of the Program for the development of Olympic venues and the development of the Sochi city as a winter resort. On February 7, 2014 the Opening Ceremony of the XXII Olympic Winter Games took place, which symbolically began at 20:14 Moscow time and lasted for almost three hours. In the thematic show "Dreams about Russia" they examined the history of the formation of the Russian state. 40,000 spectators are visualized directly at the Fisht stadium, and another 3 billion people are broadcasting around the world.

The closing ceremony of the Olympic Games was held at the Fisht Stadium on February 23, 2014. The main theme of the show was Russian culture through the eyes of a European. At the ceremony, the Olympic flag was handed over to the President of Pyeongchang, South Korea, where the XXIII Winter Olympic Games were held in 2018.

The opening ceremony of the first XI Winter Paralympic Games in the history of Russia took place on March 7, 2014.

The closing ceremony of the Paralympic Stadiums was held at Fisht on March 16 under the motto "Achieving the Impossible".