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Explosion at Swedish stadium blunts Olympic hopes
August 25, 1997
Web posted at: 8:06 a.m. EDT (1206 GMT)GOTHENBURG, Sweden (CNN) -- An explosion rocked the main sports stadium in the western Swedish city of Gothenburg early Monday, the latest in a series of attacks that have jeopardized the country's bid for the 2004 Olympics.
Police said the blast went off about 2 a.m. (0000 GMT) at the players' entrance to the Ullevi Stadium. No one was injured. The roof to a tunnel used by players to run onto the sports field collapsed.
There were no suspects and no claims of responsibility, police said.
The stadium would host the Olympic soccer championship if Sweden wins the right to host the Summer Games in 2004.
Series of bombings
It was the ninth attack on a sports facility in Sweden since the spring. All of the others have occurred in the Stockholm area.
On August 8, a bomb destroyed parts of the 85-year-old Olympic Stadium in Stockholm. A little-known group calling itself We Who Built Sweden has claimed responsibility for that attack, complaining that hosting the Olympics would be a misuse of public money.
The group published a series of threats last year against Gothenburg and Stockholm, attacking the national government for failing to solve social problems.
"(Monday's bombing) in Gothenburg is unfortunate, but doesn't change our plans," said Goeran Laangsved, the chairman of the Stockholm Olympics candidacy committee.
The International Olympic Committee votes on a site for the 2004 Summer Games on September 5, and Stockholm is one of the candidate cities.
The others are Rome; Athens, Greece; Cape Town, South Africa; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The 1995 World Athletics Championships were held in the stadium, which regularly hosts top-level soccer games. Singer Michael Jackson performed there last week.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Svenska CNN - Kšpcentrum i Gšteborg avspŠrrat efter bombhot - August 14, 1997
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