Olympic Sports Complex

Athens

IN SHORT

The return of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Greece was received with great excitement around the world, however, there was also great anxiety because the existing facilities was far from adequate and the city lacked experience with constructing such large-scale projects. Calatrava only received the commission on October 2001 and in addition to these difficulties and delays, rumors of catastrophic failures, including fears of a terrorist attack persisted throughout the construction and continued until the last days leading up to the opening ceremonies. This turned the Athens Olympics into the most costly and security-conscious games in modern history. On August 13, 2004, however, anxiety gave way to celebration when the Olympic torch reached the Olympic Stadium, designed by Calatrava, and the 2004 Games officially began with an athletes’ parade and a jubilant gala opening ceremony under Calatrava’s arched structure. The return of the Olympics to Athens, and the most successful Paralympic Games that followed it, were unanimously declared a success, and a major contribution to this success was Calatrava’s architecture.

YEAR

2001 - 2004

ADDRESS

Λεωφ. Ολυμπιονίκου Σπύρου Λούη
Marousi 151 23
Greece

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