Greek authorities have taken the decision to close down the nation's largest sports stadium due to concerns regarding the stability of its iconic steel dome, a prominent architectural feature constructed for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
The Olympic Stadium, boasting a capacity of 70,000 seats, regularly hosts major sporting events and has been a venue for the UEFA Champions League matches and sold-out concerts like the recent Guns N' Roses performance during the summer.
Stadium officials announced on Friday that all activities at the stadium would be suspended indefinitely following a study that revealed the stadium's roof and that of the country's sole cycling track in close proximity did not comply with legally permitted levels of structural integrity.
Both venues are located within the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (OAKA), Greece's largest sports complex spanning 250 acres, which served as the host site for the 2004 Olympic Games but has since deteriorated.
The soccer club Panathinaikos had been utilizing the stadium for their home European matches in the 2023-24 season, including a match against Spain's Villarreal last month.
Following discussions with sports officials, including the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Sports Minister Yiannis Vroutsis expressed the "painful" decision to close the facilities and emphasized that efforts were underway to find an alternative solution for hosting sports events.
Vroutsis was expected to announce later on Monday the interim locations for games and activities.
Originally constructed in 1982, the Olympic stadium's renowned dome was designed by the acclaimed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who also created the transportation hub at New York's Ground Zero.
The conservative government, which secured re-election for a second four-year term in July, has faced criticism for the deteriorating condition of the Olympic complex. The government had pledged to refurbish the complex in 2021 and had commissioned the study to assess the state of its facilities.
In a video posted on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Stefanos Kasselakis, the recently elected leader of the leftist Syriza opposition, described the dome as "the symbol of a country that is collapsing on all levels; a state that leaves everything and everyone to their fate."
During a news briefing on Monday, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis defended the government's actions, stating, "The government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which made the decision to evaluate these facilities, is the one being criticized by the
