Greece

Location

Marousi, Athens, Greece

Capacité

75,000

Opened

1982

Time zone

UTC +02:00 Eastern European Time (EET)

The Olympic Stadium of Athens "Spyros Louis" (Greek: Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο Αθηνών "Σπύρος Λούης", Olympiakó Stádio Athinón "Spýros Loúis") 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.It is the current home ground of Panathinaikos F.C. Built in 1982 for the 1982 European Athletics Championships and the Hellenic Football Federation's host bid for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, it became the national stadium of Greece. In its original iteration, it served as the home ground for football clubs Panathinaikos from 1984 to 2000, Olympiacos from 1984 to 1989 and again from 1997 to 2002, and AEK Athens from 1985 to 1987. Additionally, it became the main venue for athletics, as Greek track rose on the international stage, while it also hosted the Greek national football team. It served as the venue for the 1991 Mediterranean Games and the 1997 World Athletics Championships. As part of the greater construction of the Olympic Sports Complex, the stadium was substantially renovated from 2002 to 2004, to some controversy, highlighted by its trademark roof, designed by Santiago Calatrava. The hosting of the 2004 Olympics and Paralympics became a huge success and was highly lucrative for Greece. After the Games, it hosted Panathinaikos on several occasions from 2005 to 2023 and AEK Athens from 2004 to 2022, while serving as the country's primary sports venue. By the early 2020s, it had become increasingly dilapidated and it was closed on safety grounds in October 2023. Following modifications on the roof, it reopened in May 2024. The Olympic Stadium has hosted three European Cup/Champions League finals, in 1983, 1994 and 2007, the 1987 European Cup Winners' Cup Final and the men's final in the Summer Olympics.