Winter Olympic ski jump doubles up as football stadium

Winter Olympic ski jump doubles up as football stadium

Why deal with just one issue when you can kill two birds with one stone?  

Ahead of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, officials in South Korea needed to build a ski jump stadium for athletes and spectators alike to enjoy during the Games.

And when they came to planning the Alpensia Ski Jump stadium, they cottoned on to an unusual but incredible idea. 

The landing area for ski jump is about the same dimensions as a standardised football pitch.

With the South Korean skiing season running from November to March and the football season from March to late November, they realised they could build a single 11,000-seater stadium to cater for both sports.

That means supporters of Gangwon can cheer on their team from one end of the ground while eyeing up a spectacular ramp at the other.

It should have been a positive for the club, who have played at five different stadiums since being founded in 2008.

The problem is that Alpensia is, as reported by the Guardian, not the most accessible of locations. Only 50,000 people live in Pyeongchang County, where it is located. 

There is little in the way of transport to the stadium and even less when it comes to facilities — only a restaurant or two to cater to supporters.

Even more damagingly, the pitch was in a bad condition when it was first laid and has not improved particularly since.

While it is nice to look at, it is not as functional as any of the other stadiums Gangwon have played at. At least the view works out for any fans in attendance