Athens Olympic Velodrome

Last updated
Athens Olympic Velodrome
Athens velodrome.JPG
Athens Olympic Velodrome
Athens Olympic Velodrome
Location Marousi, Athens, Greece
Coordinates 38°02′24″N23°46′49″E / 38.0401°N 23.7804°E / 38.0401; 23.7804
Capacity 5,250
Field size250 m (820 ft) track
SurfaceAfzelia hardwood
Construction
Opened1991
Renovated2004
Closed2023(Temporarily)
Reopened2024

The Athens Olympic Velodrome is a velodrome stadium that is located in Marousi, Athens, Greece, at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. The venue, which have the capacity for 5,250 people, but only 3,300 seats were used due to the security measures available for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and the 2004 Summer Paralympics. It has distinctive twin roofs, covering the stands on each side.

Contents

History

The Velodrome was originally between 1989 and 1991 as an outdoor venue to host the 1991 Mediterranean Games. However, the original planning for the 2004 Summer Olympics did not include any renovations to the velodrome or even a roof.But as soon after the Atlanta Games in 1996, the UCI found that the weather conditions interfered directly in the tests, it was decided that from Sydney 2000, the Olympic tests would have to be in covered velodromes and there was a need for a general reform in the place that lbe gave a more modern track and a controversial ceiling in order to host the track cycling events at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and track cycling events at the 2004 Summer Paralympics. The project was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava who added a roof to harmonize with the Olympic Stadium and the projected swimming outdoor pools ceiling. The track, made of Afzelia wood, is 250 metres (820 ft) long and 7.5 metres (25 ft) wide. Reconstruction of the stadium was completed on May 30, 2004, and it was officially re-opened on July 30, 2004.

In September 2023 the venue was shut down due to the findings of a study that showed that the roof was not meeting the safety requirements. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1896 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Athens, Greece

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad and commonly known as Athens 1896, were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had been created by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, the event was held in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Athens, Greece

The 2004 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad and officially branded as Athens 2004, were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes compete, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries, with 301 medal events in 28 different sports. The 2004 Games marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance, and also marked the first time Athens hosted the Games since their first modern incarnation in 1896 as well as the return of the Olympic games to its birthplace. Athens became one of only four cities at the time to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games on two occasions. A new medal obverse was introduced at these Games, replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since 1928. The new design features the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens rectifying the long-running mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Summer Paralympics</span> Multi-parasport event in Sydney, Australia

The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was the last time that the Summer Paralympics were organized by two different Organizing Committees. In this edition, a record 3,801 athletes from 120 National Paralympic Committees participated in 551 events in 18 sports, and until the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, it was the second largest sporting event ever until that date held in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. Sydney was the eighth city to host the Olympics and the Paralympics on same venues at the same year, and the first since Barcelona 1992 that they were organized in complete conjunction with the Olympics. They were also the first Paralympic Games outside the Northern Hemisphere and also in Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Summer Paralympics</span> Multi-parasport event in Athens, Greece

The 2004 Summer Paralympics, the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece from 17 to 28 September 2004. 3,808 athletes from 136 countries participated. During these games 304 World Records were broken with 448 Paralympic Games Records being broken across 19 different sports. 8,863 volunteers worked along the Organizing Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athens Olympic Sports Complex</span> Sports facility

The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens Spiros Louis 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Stadium (Athens)</span> Part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex

The Olympic Stadium of Athens "Spyros Louis" is a sports stadium in Marousi, in the north section of Athens, Greece. With a total capacity of 75,000, it is the largest sports venue in Greece. It is a part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex (OAKA) and is named after the first modern Olympic marathon gold medalist in 1896, Spyros Louis. The stadium served as the main stadium during the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Paralympics, including the opening and closing ceremonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre</span> Swimming center in Athens, Greece

The Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre is a complex at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Marousi, Athens, Greece, consisting of two outdoor pools and one indoor pool, that was built for the 1991 Mediterranean Games. It was refurbished and expanded for the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Paralympics. The larger of the two outdoor pools, which seats 11,500 spectators, hosted swimming and water polo events. The smaller pool, which hosted synchronized swimming, had the capacity for 5.300 people. The indoor pool also hosted the water polo, diving and the swimming during the Paralympics had capacity for another 6.300 persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall</span> Sports facility in Athens, Greece

The Nikos GalisOlympic Indoor Hall of O.A.C.A. is a part of the Spyros Louis Olympic Athletic Center of Athens, was completed in 1994 and is the largest indoor venue in Greece. It was used for sporting events at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The venue is located in Marousi, in the northern section of Athens. During its construction, it was considered to be one of the biggest and most modern indoor sports arenas in all of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct</span> Sports and entertainment precinct

The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a series of sports stadiums and venues, located in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated around 3 km east of the Melbourne central business district, located in suburbs of Melbourne and Jolimont, near East Melbourne and Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neo Phaliron Velodrome</span>

The Neo Phaliron Velodrome was a velodrome and sports arena in the Neo Faliro District of Piraeus, Greece, used for the cycling events at the 1896 Summer Olympics held in Athens. The property was donated by the Athens-Piraeus train company to the Hellenic Olympic Committee. It became the home of two football clubs which expanded into more sports: Ethnikos Piraeus (1923) and Olympiacos CFP (1925).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Valley VeloPark</span> Velodrome in Stratford, London, England

Lee Valley VeloPark is a cycling centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London, England. It is owned and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, and it was opened to the public in March 2014. The facility was one of the permanent venues for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunc Gray Velodrome</span> Building in Sydney, Australia

The Dunc Gray Velodrome is an Australian velodrome located at Bass Hill approximately 5 kilometres north west of the Sydney suburb of Bankstown. The cycling venue for the 2000 Summer Olympics, the Dunc Gray Velodrome was opened on 28 November 1999 with an opening ceremony which included performances by local talent Darren Sharp and other community groups. The Velodrome is named after Dunc Gray, the first Australian to win a cycling gold medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleeman Sports Complex</span> Sporting and entertainment facility located in Brisbane, Queensland

The Sleeman Centre is a sporting and entertainment facility located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Located on Old Cleveland Road in the suburb of Chandler, the Centre is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of Brisbane's CBD and is home to an aquatic Centre, velodrome, sports arena, gymnastics training hall, gymnasium, and auditorium. The centre offers a range of services to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barra Velodrome</span>

The Barra Velodrome was a track cycling venue located in Barra da Tijuca, in western Rio de Janeiro, and was one of three venues constructed as part of the City of Sports Complex for the 2007 Pan American Games, where it hosted track cycling and speed roller skating events. The venue was initially slated to host cycling events for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but was instead demolished in favour of the replacement Rio Olympic Velodrome, after the International Cycling Union (UCI) deemed the venue unsuitable for the games. The Olympic Aquatics Stadium now occupies the former site of the velodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Olympic Velodrome</span> Velodrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Rio Olympic Velodrome, officially the Velódromo Municipal do Rio, is a velodrome located in the Barra Olympic Park sports complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Built as a replacement for the former Barra Velodrome, the venue hosted track cycling events during the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Paralympics. Following the conclusion of the games, the velodrome is now a part of the Olympic Training Center and now houses the Rio Olympic Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velo Sports Center</span> Velodrome in Carson, California, U.S.

The VELO Sports Center is a velodrome located in Carson, California, United States. It is currently the only cycling track of its kind located in the United States. Formerly known as the ADT Event Center or LA Velodrome, it opened in 2004 on the California State University, Dominguez Hills Campus, part of the Dignity Health Sports Park complex. The facility is owned and operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics</span>

For the 2004 Summer Olympics, a total of thirty-five sports venues were used. Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, which used venues such as Panathinaiko Stadium and the city of Marathon for which the long-distance race would be named. From the end of the 1896 Games until the late 1970s, Greece underwent numerous political changes that included the Balkan Wars, two World Wars, a civil war, and a military coup that resulted in a junta that lasted from 1967 to 1974. A change in democracy in 1975 resulted in Greece's admission into the European Economic Community in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karaiskakis Stadium</span> Football stadium in Piraeus, Attica, Greece

The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, commonly referred to as the Karaiskakis Stadium, is a football stadium in Piraeus, Attica, Greece, and the home ground of the Piraeus football club Olympiacos. It is named after Georgios Karaiskakis, a military commander and national hero of the Greek War of Independence, who was mortally wounded in the area.

The cycling competitions of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo featured 22 events in five disciplines. The 2020 Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barra Olympic Park</span> Sports complex for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games

The Barra Olympic Park, originally the City of Sports Complex, is a cluster of nine sporting venues in Barra da Tijuca, in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The park, which served as the Olympic Park for the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Paralympics, was originally built for the 2007 Pan American Games, consisting of three venues. The complex was later expanded to nine venues for the Olympics, two of which are temporary structures, and became the site of the Olympic Training Center.

References

  1. Newsroom, Newsit (2023-09-29). "Έκλεισε το Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο και το Ποδηλατοδρόμιο λόγω προβλημάτων στατικότητας στο στέγαστρο Καλατράβα". NewsIT (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-10-04.