Athens Olympic Sports Complex
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OACA | |
 | |
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| Full name | Olympic Athletic Center of Athens "Spiros Louis" |
|---|---|
| Location | Marousi, Athens. Greece |
| Owner | Greek Government |
| Construction | |
| Renovated | 2000–2004 (Olympic Games) |
| Architect | Santiago Calatrava (Revamping) |
| Website | |
| https://oaka.com.gr/ | |
The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens Spiros Louis (Greek: Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών "Σπύρος Λούης", Olympiakó Athlitikó Kéntro Athinón "Spýros Loúis") or OACA (OAKA)), is a sport facilities complex located at Marousi, in the north section of the city. The complex consists of five major venues as well as other supplementary sport facilities.
The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens has hosted the Mediterranean Games in 1991, the World Championship in Athletics in 1997 as well as other important athletic and cultural events. The most significant event the Athens Olympic Sports Complex has hosted, was the Olympic Games. OACA was the main venue for the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. The complex was revamped for the games under a design produced by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
Venues
[edit]Spyros Louis Athens Olympic Stadium
[edit]The stadium, built in 1982 and extensively refurbished for the games in 2004, including the addition of a roof, hosted the athletics events and the soccer final, as well as the Opening Ceremony on August 13, 2004 and the Closing Ceremony on August 29, 2004.The venue also hosted the same events during the 2004 Summer Paralympics.
Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall
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The Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall (also known simply as the Indoor Hall) was completed in 1995, and was the largest indoor venue in use for sporting events at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. It is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, in the suburb of Maroussi. The arena was used for artistic gymnastics and trampolining and also hosted the finals of the basketball matches at the games. On May 18 and 20, 2006, the Olympic Indoor Hall hosted the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, that was held in Athens after Greece's victory at the Song Contest in 2005.
Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre
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Athens Olympic Velodrome
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Athens Olympic Tennis Centre
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Transportation to and from the venue
[edit]The Athens Olympic Sports Complex can be reached by Metro [stations "Neratziotissa" and "Irini" of Metro Line 1 (Green Line)], by suburban train (Proastiakos station "Neratziotissa"), or by direct bus lines [A7 (Stournari – Kifissia), 602 (N. Ionia – Kalogreza – Panormou Metro Station), 550 (P. Faliro – Kifissia).
Legacy
[edit]While it was reported in 2008 that almost all of the Olympic venues utilized for the 2004 games, including certain facilities in the Sports Complex such as the velodrome and tennis center, have fallen into varying states of dereliction or disrepair, all of the facilities in the Athens Olympic Sports Complex are still in use today.[1]
The table below illustrates how the Athens Olympic Sports Complex facilities are used today:
| Facility | Olympics use | Current use |
|---|---|---|
| Spyros Louis Athens Olympic Stadium (OAKA) | Opening and closing ceremonies, track and field, football | Home pitch for Panathinaikos FC (football; Greek Super League, UEFA Champions League), Greece national football team (some matches), international football competitions (e.g. the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final);[2] track and field events (e.g. IAAF Athens Grand Prix[3]), concerts |
| Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall | Basketball, gymnastics | Home court for Panathinaikos B.C.[4] (Greek BasketBall League, EuroLeague); Greece men's national basketball team (Acropolis Tournament), International basketball competitions (e.g. the EuroLeague Final of Athens 2007, Eurovision 2006, and the 2008 FIBA Olympic Men's Basketball Qualifying Tournament,[5]) Concerts |
| Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre | Swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo | Domestic and international swimming meets,[6][7][8] public pool[9] |
| Athens Olympic Tennis Centre (The Main Court) | Tennis | Domestic and international tennis matches,[10][11] Status Athens Open[12] |
| Athens Olympic Velodrome | Cycling | Domestic and international cycling meets[13] |
References
[edit]- ^ "After The Party: What happens when the Olympics leave town". London: Independent.co.uk. 2008-08-19. Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (2007-05-23). "BBC SPORT | Football | Europe | AC Milan 2-1 Liverpool". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Athens Grand Prix 2008". Tsiklitiria.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Panathinaikos Bc::::Εδρα::::". Paobc.gr. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "2008 - FIBA Olympic Qualifier Tournament for Men". Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ "Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών". Oaka.com.gr. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών". Oaka.com.gr. 2008-03-22. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών". Oaka.com.gr. 2006-07-16. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Ελλάδα: Σβησμένα φώτα στις ολυμπιακές εγκαταστάσεις". E-tipos.com. 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών". Oaka.com.gr. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Athens Tennis Academy". Athenstennisacademy.gr. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "April 17–25 at O.A.K.A." Status Athens Open. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ "Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών". Oaka.com.gr. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
Sources
[edit]- 2004 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. pp. 201, 207, 227, 231, 242, 273, 303, 324, 329, 346, 409.
External links
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Media related to Athens Olympic Sports Complex at Wikimedia Commons- Official site
- Olympic Indoor hall info and pictures at stadia.gr
38°02′19″N 23°47′09″E / 38.03861°N 23.78583°E
