43-million euro renovation plan announced for 2004 Olympic Stadium

The government has announced a 43-million euro plan to transform Athens’ 2004 Olympic Stadium into an “Olympic Park”, which will provide training facilities for athletes as well as serve as a recreational outlet for local residents.

Announcing the plans at a special event in the stadium on Tuesday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said every visitor to the stadium Greeks should feel pride and nostalgia in remembering the 2004 Games.

However, the Games were followed by “disappointment that very important facilities were abandoned”, he added.

He said the 43-million euro budget to overhaul the complex would come from the EU-backed 2021-2026 Recovery and Resilience Facility.

“Our aim is to balance the budget in three years and for revenue to start coming in by the fifth year,” the premier noted.

The initial stages of the revamp will see the central stadium made more energy efficient and repairs made to the central roof. Also in line for renovation are the indoor gym, the velodrome, the tennis courts and stadium’s landscaping.

The new Olympic Park of Athens is expected to attract more of the 20,000 people that currently visit it weekends, Mitsotakis said.

The project, he added, is one of the 10 large-scale plans included in the government’s recovery plan, Greece 2.0.

[ANA-MPA]