Olympic Athens

Updated: 2004-06-29 09:13

The Olympic look of Athens

Athens is being transformed into the host city for the 2004 Olympic Games. An extensive programme of interventions for the aesthetic upgrading of the city, along with the creation of the Olympic Celebration sites, will enhance the Games experience for visitors and residents alike. Moreover, the festive Olympic ambience of the capital will spill to other regions of Greece to ensure the entire country will embrace the spirit of the Games.

The Olympic Look of the City will operate at:

Selected Olympic Celebration sites in the greater Athens area.

Along primary Olympic transport and pedestrian routes.

Designated landmarks and high profile areas of Athens.

Other regions, such as Olympia, Thessaloniki, Volos, Herakleion and Patras, as well as municipalities around Greece that will be involved in the franchised Olympic Celebration sites programme.

The Programme Catch the Light - 7 Routes through Athens will complement the city’s Olympic Look, intensifying the atmosphere of celebration of the 2004 Olympic Games.

Olympic Celebration Sites

Strategically placed to facilitate accessibility, the Olympic Celebration sites will be equipped with amenities, information and ticket booths, shading structures, entertainment and live video coverage of the Games to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all. It is envisaged that 10 sites will initially be proposed, including the Faliron waterfront, the Harbour of Piraeus and the Zappeion, which was built for the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896.

At the entrance of the Olympic Celebration sites, architectural elements will act as landmarks. Festive banners, to be placed along primary Olympic transport and pedestrian routes, highway plantings, Olympic Rings on landmarks and the use of special lighting will enhance the Olympic identity of the city and will visually link the disparate venues and sites.

Upgrading the Greater Athens Area

Organising unique Olympic Games is a significant opportunity for improving the quality of life in this 3,000 - year old, bustling modern metropolis. An extensive Urban Regeneration Programme is now underway:

To develop and construct new pedestrian roads

Re-design open public areas

Increase the city's green areas

Improve building facades and illumination

Remove all illegal advertising boards.

This project, implemented by the Department for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works, also foresees the upgrading of the coastal area and the embellishment of the historic centre.

The Olympic Legacy for the Host City

Buildings which have been an integral part of city life have been restored to their old glory: the Municipal Market, the Town Hall, the industrial complex of Gazi. Α programme of further restorations is in progress. Run by the Municipality of Athens, the programme includes:

Μaintenance of sculptures and monuments

Improvement of the city's main road axles and the inner city's road network

The Athens 2004 Olympic Games will combine modern infrastructure with unique historic, cultural and social aspects and will leave a lasting legacy to the city and the entire world.