Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Centre
Encyclopedia
The Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Center (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

: Αθλητικό Κέντρο "Σπύρος Κυπριανού") also known as Palais des sports is the biggest and the most imposing multi dynamic indoor athletic arena in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

. It is named after the late president of Cyprus Spyros Kyprianou
Spyros Kyprianou
Spyros Achilleos Kyprianou was one of the most prominent politicians of modern Cyprus. He served as the second President of the Republic of Cyprus from 1977 to 1988....

.

This project was conducted by the Cyprus Sports Organisation and was constructed north of the city of Limassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...

 near Polemidia
Polemidia
Polemidhia is a town located in the Limassol District of Cyprus, adjacent to the town of Limassol.The town is made up of two units :*Kato Polemidhia and the smaller*Pano Polemidhia...

 and by the side of Limassol - Troodos road
B8 road (Cyprus)
The B8 is a main road of Cyprus. It connects the city of Limassol and the Troödos mountainous region. Although it's a very well maintained road, many accidents have occurred on it especially on a big bend near the village of Moniatis locally referred as the "turn of death"...

. Construction of the project began in late 2002 and was completed at the end of 2005 at a total cost of approximately CY£8.5 million.

The centre already hosted major sports events like the FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...

 all-star game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...

 in 2006 and 2007. It also played host to the Cyprus Rally
Cyprus Rally
The Cyprus Rally is a rallying competition held yearly in Cyprus since 1970. The event is run by the Cyprus Automobile Association and is based in the city of Limassol . It is run on the winding roads of the nearby mountains of Troödos. It was part of the FIA's World Rally Championship from 2000...

 headquarters in 2005 and 2006. The arena itself hosted the media and rally organisers while the parking lot was the area for the competing WRC teams.

The arena hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the sixth Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which is the world's largest song contest for children. It was held at the "Spyros Kyprianou" Athletic Centre in Lemesos, Cyprus and hosted by Alex Michael and Sophia Paraskeva. It was won by the Georgian trio...

. The shuttle of the centre can host more than 6,255 spectators and at least 42 wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...

spots. Moreover, the centre is used especially for the sport events of local schools in Limassol greater area.

External links

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