| Athens
Olympic Stadium "Spyros Louis" |
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What
follows is a presentation of the fully upgraded Athens Olympic Stadium.
You may also view three more related pages, loaded with information and pictures: - The pre-2004 Olympic Stadium, from 1982 to 2002 - The plans and models by Calatrava for the upgrading of the Olympic Complex - A photographic journal of the works that transformed the Olympic Complex |
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Almost
all photographs featured on this page (except for three) are presented
in smaller size. You may enlarge any of them by simply clicking on
it.
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| Capacity: 68,079 (all seated) |
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Location:
The stadium is located in Maroussi, a northern suburb of Athens (9
km from the city centre, 22 km from the airport). It is part of the
Athens Olympic Sports Complex (AOSC, better known from its Greek initials
as OAKA).
Access by: Car - Exit the city centre to the north via Kifissias Avenue and just follow the roadsigns to "OAKA". If you come from the Attiki Odos ring road, use exit 11 ("Kifissias - Ol. Stadium"). |
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Bus
- Use X14 from Syntagma Square in central Athens. It will take you
directly to the Olympic Stadium. Allow at least 30', although this
can vary a lot.
Metro - It is a 25' ride from the city centre ("Omonia"). Use line 1 and get off at "Irini". From there it is a 10' walk through the Olympic Complex to the stadium. |
| Built in: 1982 - from 2002 until 2004 it was extensively upgraded for the Olympic Games |
| Record attendance: 75,263 (Olympiacos CFP vs Hamburger SV - on 3/11/1983) |
| Home of: AEK Athens FC (Football League) |
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More
data: The Athens Olympic Stadium (in Greek: Olympiako Stadio
Athinas or simply OAKA) is officially named after Spyros
Louis. He was the first winner of the Marathon at the inaugural Olympic
Games of the modern era (Athens, 1896). If you want to read historic
data about the stadium, have a look at the relevant page.
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Here, in contrast, we focus on the new look of the stadium and the
whole Olympic Complex (click on the photo below for an enlarged
image). This transformation was the result of the implementation
of the architectural study
by Santiago Calatrava. First of all... some numbers!
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| The two giant arcs have a total span of 304m and a maximum height of 72m... the roof has a total weight of 19,000 tons... 5,000 polycarbonate panels were used for the roof, which covers an area of 25,000 sq m... the west arc was assembled 72m from its final position and the east 65m - both later slid into place... the roof is designed to withstand winds up to 120 km/h |
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Thirty-four entrance gates provide access to the stands. Odd gate
numbers (1 to 35) lead to the lower and even numbers (2 to 34) to
the upper tier. There are no gates numbered 18 and 36, since the two
video-scoreboards are located in their place. Additionally, the stadium
features 16 VIP boxes. If you want to get inside the Olympic Stadium,
click on the next icon!
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The
stadium is not the only thing to be marvelled at the Olympic Complex.
The Velodrome
is equally impressive with its stunning roof (145m long, 106m wide,
45m tall). And, of course, there is the Agora: the arcade, the lakes,
the moving Wall of Nations are all magnificent.
Find below various photographs of the Agora that were all shot during the 2004 Olympic Games. You may see any of them in full size simply by clicking on it. |
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The
three photos that follow were shot during the Opening Ceremony of
the Olympic Games. A magic night, both for those that witnessed it
live in the stadium and the global TV audience.
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It
should finally be noted that the Athens Olympic Stadium hosted the
Super Special Stage of the 2005 Acropolis Rally. It was the first
time in history that a WRC Super Special Stage was carried out inside
a stadium. The event's success was extraordinary, as you may see below.
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| The Athens Olympic Stadium "Spyros Louis" is owned by the Greek State. |
| The
first aerial photo comes from the official website of the Athens2004
Organizing Committee The second space image of the Olympic Complex comes from the website of Digitalglobe |
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