Why was the Colosseum elected as one of the "New Wonders of the World"?

In 2007, the New7Wonders Foundation released a list of the "New Seven Wonders of the World," as voted upon by Internet and telephone users (the New7Wonders Foundation enlisted a panel of experts to choose a list of 21 sites which people could vote on). The Roman Colosseum was among those seven historical sites chosen as a "New Wonder of the World."

While it is impossible to know for sure why each of the people who voted for the Colosseum did so, it is likely that they recognized what a marvel of architecture the Colosseum truly is. The design of all modern sports stadiums is, in some way or another, derived from the architecture of the Colosseum; there is even a stadium—the Los Angeles Memorial Colosseum—based even more directly on the Roman one.

Moreover, the Colosseum is viewed as an iconic location due to the elaborate gladiatorial games which were conducted there. For this reason, numerous movies and video games feature the Colosseum as a location or backdrop.