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Olympic Stadium (Athens)
Encyclopedia
The Olympic Stadium "Spiros Louis" , is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex
. It is named after the first modern Olympic marathon race winner in 1896
, Spiros Louis.
in Athens
, the stadium was originally designed in 1979 and built in 1980–1982. It was completed in time to host the 1982 European Championships in Athletics
. It was inaugurated by the President of Greece
, at the time Konstantinos Karamanlis, on 8 September 1982. It also hosted several events of the 1991 Mediterranean Games
and the 1997 World Championships in Athletics
, sought in order to prove that it was capable of hosting major sporting events after the failure of Athens to win the 1996 Summer Olympics
.
It was extensively renovated in time for the 2004 Summer Olympics
, including a roof designed by Santiago Calatrava
that was added atop the sidelines. The roof was completed just in time for the opening of the Games, and the stadium was then officially re-opened on 30 July 2004. It hosted the athletics
events and the football
final at the 2004 Summer Olympics. It also hosted the opening ceremony
on 13 August 2004, and the closing ceremony on 29 August 2004. The stadium's attendance was reduced to 71,030 for the Olympics, the initial capacity was some 75,000, though only 56,700 seats were made publicly available for the track and field events and slightly more for the football final. The turf system consists of natural grass in modular containers which incorporate irrigation and drainage systems.
on 3 November 1983.
It hosted the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final
on 23 May between AC Milan
and Liverpool
, which was won 2–1 by Milan, the 1994 Final also won by Milan, the 1983 Final
as well as the 1987 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final.
The stadium played host to Amnesty International
's Human Rights Now! Benefit Concert on 3 October 1988. The show was headlined by Sting and Peter Gabriel
and also featured Bruce Springsteen
& The E Street Band
, Tracy Chapman
, Youssou N'Dour
and George Dalaras
.
P!nk
was scheduled to perform during her I'm Not Dead Tour
on 19 July 2007, but she cancelled the show, due to illness.
U2
performed in front of a crowd of 82,662, during their 360° Tour
on 3 September 2010, making it the highest attended concert ever held in Greece.
Pyx Lax performed also in front of a crowd of about 80,000, during their reunion tour in 13 July 2011. It was the highest attended greek-band-concert.
Bon Jovi
performed during their Bon Jovi Live Tour on 20 July 2011. The show was successful and almost sold out.
Athens Olympic Sports Complex
The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens "Spiros Louis" or OACA , is a sport facilities complex located at Marousi, northeast Athens, Greece...
. It is named after the first modern Olympic marathon race winner in 1896
1896 Summer Olympics
The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first international Olympic Games held in the Modern era...
, Spiros Louis.
History
Located in the area of MarousiMarousi
Marousi , alternative forms: Maroussi, Amarousion, and Amaroussion, is a suburban city NE of Athens, Greece. The Athens Olympic Sports Complex, the largest sports complex in Greece, is also located here; its main street is Kifisias Avenue, and also contains four ISAP train stations and two of the...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, the stadium was originally designed in 1979 and built in 1980–1982. It was completed in time to host the 1982 European Championships in Athletics
1982 European Championships in Athletics
The 13th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 September to 12 September 1982 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Field:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
. It was inaugurated by the President of Greece
President of Greece
The President of the Hellenic Republic , colloquially referred to in English as the President of Greece, is the head of state of Greece. The office of the President of the Republic was established after the Greek republic referendum, 1974 and formally by the Constitution of Greece in 1975. The...
, at the time Konstantinos Karamanlis, on 8 September 1982. It also hosted several events of the 1991 Mediterranean Games
1991 Mediterranean Games
The 11th edition of the Mediterranean Games were held in Athens, Greece fromthe 28th of June to the 12th of July 1991. Eighteen nations competed in 24 different sportingevents.- Pre-Mediterranean Cup :...
and the 1997 World Championships in Athletics
1997 World Championships in Athletics
The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 198 participant nations...
, sought in order to prove that it was capable of hosting major sporting events after the failure of Athens to win the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
.
It was extensively renovated in time for the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, including a roof designed by Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zürich, Switzerland. Classed now among the elite designers of the world, he has offices in Zürich, Paris, Valencia, and New York City....
that was added atop the sidelines. The roof was completed just in time for the opening of the Games, and the stadium was then officially re-opened on 30 July 2004. It hosted the athletics
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put...
events and the football
Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...
final at the 2004 Summer Olympics. It also hosted the opening ceremony
2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games was held on August 13, 2004 at the Olympic Stadium in Maroussi, Greece, a suburb of Athens. 72,000 spectators attended the event, with approximately 15,000 athletes from 202 countries participating in the ceremony as well...
on 13 August 2004, and the closing ceremony on 29 August 2004. The stadium's attendance was reduced to 71,030 for the Olympics, the initial capacity was some 75,000, though only 56,700 seats were made publicly available for the track and field events and slightly more for the football final. The turf system consists of natural grass in modular containers which incorporate irrigation and drainage systems.
Major events
It has been used at various times as a home ground by the three major football clubs of the Athens area, AEK Athens, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos Piraeus. The record attendance for a football match has been 75,263 in a clash between Olympiacos and HamburgHamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
on 3 November 1983.
It hosted the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final
2007 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2007 UEFA Champions League Final was an association football match between A.C. Milan of Italy and Liverpool F.C. of England on 23 May 2007 at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece. The showpiece event was the final match of the 2006–07 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the UEFA...
on 23 May between AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, which was won 2–1 by Milan, the 1994 Final also won by Milan, the 1983 Final
1983 European Cup Final
The 1983 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, on 25 May 1983, that saw Hamburg of Germany defeat Juventus of Italy 1–0. A single goal from Felix Magath eight minutes into the game was enough for Hamburg to claim their first European Cup title.-Match...
as well as the 1987 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final.
The stadium played host to Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
's Human Rights Now! Benefit Concert on 3 October 1988. The show was headlined by Sting and Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
and also featured Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
& The E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
, Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
, Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax, a type of music...
and George Dalaras
George Dalaras
George Dalaras , also possibly spelled as Yorgos or Giorgos Dalaras, is a Greek singer. He is of international fame and has recently been selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. He was born in Nea Kokinia, Piraeus. His father was Loukas Daralas, a singer of rebetiko.-Early...
.
P!nk
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
was scheduled to perform during her I'm Not Dead Tour
I'm Not Dead Tour
The I'm Not Dead Tour was the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter Pink, in support of her fourth studio album I'm Not Dead. The tour reached Europe, North America. Australasia, and Africa and Asia.-About the tour:...
on 19 July 2007, but she cancelled the show, due to illness.
U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
performed in front of a crowd of 82,662, during their 360° Tour
U2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
on 3 September 2010, making it the highest attended concert ever held in Greece.
Pyx Lax performed also in front of a crowd of about 80,000, during their reunion tour in 13 July 2011. It was the highest attended greek-band-concert.
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
performed during their Bon Jovi Live Tour on 20 July 2011. The show was successful and almost sold out.
Gallery
External links
- Official site
- Olympic Stadium (Athens)
- Athens Olympic Stadium "Spyros Louis" – Many photos and detailed history stadia GR
| Venue in European competitions |
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