“The Olympic Stadium will host 75,000 spectators, who will attend the exciting athletics events, as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Following an ATHENS 2004 and Ministry of Culture initiative, the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has designed the upgrade of OAKA (Athens Olympic Sports Complex) using innovative and creative ways, including the new roof structure for Olympic Stadium.”


Existing stadium


Calatrava’s design


Construction progress as of November

“According to Calatrava’s design, the existing Olympic stadium will be given a new partial roof to be constructed in a truss system. This impressive steel and laminated glass structure will be held together by edge arches and a central arch, and connected by transversal girders.”


Impressive, but will this be able to hide the fact that it was built 21 years ago for the European championships?

Looks like Olympic venues will take a step backwards in Athens. Can’t see them being better than Sydney’s venues. But that’s only my opinion!


Sources: www.athens2004.com

Very average stadium, venues will only be completed by the start of the olympice. The Greek ethos has reallly created a near on disaster Olympic Games wise, having to work day and night to complete stuff.

Sydney's venues where marvellous, for all sport. Cant wait to watch the games from Athens.

Progress as of December 2003

www.stadia.gr/oaka-new.html has more images and a bit of a blurb.

If they ever finish it in time, it will be great. I think the roof is pretty spectacular.

The news of Athens struggle only make me prouder to be Australian, No way any athens venue will be better than Sydneys equivelant

Yeah I agree, but I also think that Beijing's venues are also going to be awesome and that that will be a *really* amazing Olympiad.

Andrew

Indeed. A pattern seems to be emerging. A poorly organised games with average venues follwed by a well organised games with excellent facilities and so on....

1988 - average
1992 - Good
1996 - Crap
2000 - Good
2004 - Looking crap
2008 - Looks good

Could be some sort of hangover syndrome! Big shoes to fill etc.

Greece won't stand a chance against the mighty Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. They will be a very minor threat if they are going to try and overtake our crown. But I am 100% sure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will wipe the $H1T out of us.

noway will athens be betta then sydney but i also agree with r3d_coin in that the olympics in 2008 in bejing will complety beat sydney 2000

but it would be a good spectacle to watch athens 2004

noway will athens be betta then sydney but i also agree with r3d_coin in that the olympics in 2008 in bejing will complety beat sydney 2000

but it would be a good spectacle to watch athens 2004

What's with the inferiority complex guys. Beijing is 4 years away and you're already claiming it as a raging success, far better than Sydney 2000. This part of the Australian psyche is quite dissapointing since we have proven time after time that Australians put on a event as good, but usually better than anyone else. After all, it's not just the economics and facilities period that determine how good an Olympics or any event is. How fun and relaxed yet completely professional will Beijing feel. My bet is it will fall short on that front at the very least compared to Sydney.

You only really see the professional side of it on television - so how will you be able to judge its fun and relaxed feel if you don't personally attend the Beijing games?

I'm not going to declare the Beijing games a success, I believe it's apples and oranges. Each Olympic games is a reflection of the culture of the country hosting it, and it's up to them to decide what sort of show they put on. The USA put on a commercial wank fest because that's what they do, and the world didn't like it. Bad luck for them, but it's the way they wanted to go about it. Does that make it a poorer games? I think the quality of the Olympics has a hell of a lot more to do with the quality of the sport itself, but to each his own.

I think that all future Olympic Games really need to follow the example set by Sydney 2000 in that all major venues need to be completed by a deadline of 10-12 months before the Games. The IOC should make this a requirement as Athens is looming as the next Montreal. Even Atlanta was finishing its main stadium's temporary bleacher stands the day of the Opening Ceremony.
Its all well and good for the Athens organisers to giggle and say that its a Greek trait to start slowly and finish quick. But this can lead to the cutting of corners as is also a trait in the Greek construction industry illustrated by a large number of rushed dwellings collapsing into rubble over the years, particularly in Athens. And I see it as an extravagant waste of ATHOC's budget to contribute to a roof that is largely window dressing as it is not being built as a weather cover or sunlight blocker for spectators. Its just a grandiose monument, an unnecessary one at that, the only purpose of which is to make a dull looking twenty-something year old stadium look slightly flashy.
Has nothing been learnt from the practicality infused into Stadium Australia. Its roof collects and stores rainwater to be used to water the field (a simple, yet brilliant cost-saving idea) and it also makes use of solar power. Nowhere else, it would seem are these ideas even imitated which is a total shame.
Trust me, in the rush to get things done on time the majority of newly built Athens venues and infrastructure will look rushed and will look less than 'Olympic.'
By the way, if the Beijing venues turn out how they have been planned, I agree that Sydney's venues will at least pale in comparison. The ironic thing is that many of Beijing's major venues have been designed by or will be co-built by Australian firms. Well, we are the experts.

January


January


March

I can just imagine the opening ceremony.

Someone will be speaking and the sounds of construction will be going on.

Athens this is a complete utter joke, you are demoralising the Olympics tradition.