The Marian Spychała Speedway Stadium (Polish: Stadion im. Mariana Spychały w Opolu), formerly known as the Stadion Kolejarz, is an 8,000-capacity motorcycle speedway stadium located in Opole, Poland. The venue is used by the speedway team Kolejarz Opole, who compete in the Team Speedway Polish Championship.
Location and Specifications
The stadium is situated at Wschodnia 2, 45-233 Opole, Poland. Its coordinates are 50°39′35″N 17°57′36″E. The venue has a total capacity of 8,000 spectators. The speedway track measures 321 metres (0.199 miles) in length, a dimension that has been in place since 1988.
History
The stadium was originally built before World War II and featured an athletics track. During the war, the stadium—which could hold 2,600 spectators, including 600 seated—was destroyed. It was subsequently rebuilt as a speedway stadium in 1957.
The venue underwent an expansion in 1960, adding 5,000 seats and 3,000 standing areas. It became the home of Kolejarz Opole in 1961.
On 2 July 2015, the stadium was renamed in honour of Marian Spychała, a former rider and prominent team manager for Kolejarz Opole.
Notable Events
On 18 April 2022, the stadium hosted the Golden Helmet (Polish: Złoty Kask) event, which was won by world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik. During the event, Zmarzlik broke the track record with a time of 59.39 seconds.
The 2023 European Pairs Speedway Championship was held at the track. The Golden Helmet was also hosted at the stadium in 2023 and 2024.
