The Olympic stadium was initially completed in March 1999 at a cost of $690 million and was used as host stadium for the 2000 Summer Olympics. It was originally built to hold 110,000 spectators, making it the largest Olympic Stadium ever built and the largest stadium in Australia.
However, after the conclusion of the games, the stadium required reconfiguration in order to make it more functional for a variety of popular sporting events including Rugby and other sports requiring the use of an oval field, such as cricket and Australian Rules football.
Brookfield Multiplex undertook the reconfiguration in 2001, which included the shortening of the north and south wings and the introduction of an athletics track and a movable seating section. Awnings were also added over the north and south stands, offering patrons under cover seating.
These changes reduced the stadium’s capacity from 110,000 to 83,500 for a rectangular field and 81,500 for an oval field. The new multi-sport field meant that 54 per cent of all seats were at least 15 metres closer to the field.
Brookfield Multiplex engineered the stadium to comply with sustainable design principles, including the reduced use of steel materials in the roof structure in comparison to other Olympic stadiums.
The reconfiguration was performed at a total cost of $80 million, leaving Stadium Australia as the second largest stadium in Australia, after the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The reconfiguration work was completed by Brookfield Multiplex in October 2003, in time for the 2003 Rugby World Cup where the stadium hosted the opening game.
