Litany of woes for Montreal’s Olympic Stadium

MONTREAL — The Quebec government has announced Montreal’s Olympic Stadium will have a new roof by 2023. The facility and its roofs have had a checkered history since the stadium was opened in July 1976. Some examples of the problems that have occurred over the years:

August 1986: Explosions and fire in unfinished tower interrupt Expos game. Nobody injured but game is rescheduled.

April 1987: Kevlar roof completed and installed.

June 1989: Roof lining rips during tractor pull, forcing evacuation of about 8,000 people.

June 1991: Roof tears during wind storm, leaving hole of 30 metres by 15 metres.

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September 1991: Fifty-five-tonne beam crashes to the ground, closing stadium for 94 days. No one hurt.

August 1992: Riot erupts at Guns N’ Roses concert when lead singer Axl Rose ends concert after just 55 minutes. Eight of 300-odd police officers called to the scene receive minor injuries amid clashes with rock-and bottle-throwing rioters who use everything from uprooted street lamp to metal barriers to smash windows.

January 1994: Interior wall collapses. No one hurt.

January 1998: Ice damages stadium roof, sending snow and water onto floor and forcing cancellation of two Rolling Stones concerts.

May 1998: Kevlar roof sold for $1 to company specializing in research and development of industrial machinery. Fixed roof installed.

January 1999: Section of roof tears and rains down pieces along with ice and snow on 200 people preparing for an auto show. Five people slightly injured.

November 2006: Stadium’s costs are paid in full. Total cost: $1.47 billion.

April 2012: Concrete slab falls from ceiling of underground parking facility. Nobody injured.

November 2017: Michel Labrecque, president of the Olympic park, says the current roof has 8,000 tiny holes, most of which are about the size of a dollar coin.

The Canadian Press