The Greek authorities have taken the decision to close the largest sports stadium in the country due to concerns over the structural stability of its steel dome, which is an iconic architectural landmark built for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
The Olympic Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 70,000, is a popular venue for major sporting events and concerts, including the UEFA Champions League and the sold-out concert of Guns N’ Roses held this summer.
According to stadium officials, all activities at the venue would be halted indefinitely after a recent study found that the roof of the Olympic Stadium and that of the nearby cycling track, which is the only one in the country, “did not meet the legally permitted levels of static adequacy.”
Both venues are part of the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (OAKA), which is Greece’s largest sporting complex, covering an area of 250 acres.
The OAKA hosted the 2004 Games but has been in a deteriorating state since then.
The soccer club Panathinaikos has been using the stadium for their home European games in the 2023-24 season, having played against Spain’s Villarreal last month.
Sports Minister Yiannis Vroutsis, after meeting with sports officials, including the Hellenic Olympic Committee on Sunday, called the decision to shut down the facilities “painful” and stated that efforts were being made to find the best solution for “where the heart of Greek sports beats.”
He was expected to announce later on Monday where the games and activities would be housed in the meantime.
The Olympic stadium, which was originally built in 1982, is renowned for its impressive dome, designed by the award-winning Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who also designed New York’s Ground Zero transport hub.
The conservative government, which won a second four-year term in July, has faced criticism for the deteriorating state of the Olympic complex.
It had promised to revamp the facility in 2021 and had ordered the study into the state of its facilities.
In a video on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Stefanos Kasselakis, the recently elected leader of the leftist Syriza opposition, called the dome “the symbol of a country that is collapsing on all levels; a state that leaves everything and everyone to their fate.”
Nevertheless, in a news briefing on Monday, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis defended the government, stating that “the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which decided to assess these facilities … is the one being reproached by the opposition.”
