| O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall | |
|---|---|
| O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall | |
| Full name | O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall |
| Location | Athens Olympic Sports Complex, Maroussi, Athens, Greece |
| Opened | 1995 |
| Renovated | 2002-2004 (Olympic Games) |
| Owner | Greek Government |
| Operator | OAKA S.A. |
| Surface | Parquet |
| Capacity | Gymnastics: 17,600 Basketball: 18,500 (fan seating) 18,800 (with media seats) 19,250 (with media and VIP seats) |
| Tenants | |
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Panathinaikos Athens |
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The O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall (also known simply as the Indoor Hall or the Olympic Sports Hall) which is part of the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (O.A.C.A.) "Spiros Louis" (in Greek: O.A.K.A.), was completed in 1995 and was the largest indoor venue in use for sporting events at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. It is located in the suburb of Maroussi. It is considered to be one of the biggest and most modern indoor sports arenas in all of Europe. In Greece it is known as the O.A.K.A. Indoor Hall and/or the O.A.K.A. Olympic Sports Hall.
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It is notable for the distinctive A-frame roof that features four huge pillars, each 35 meters tall that stand 108 meters apart from each other. According to the Greek Ministry of Sports, it is the largest indoor sporting arena of its kind in the world. The arena is also constructed in a unique way so that an abundant amount of natural light comes into the arena during the day.[1]
The arena seats up to 17,600 for gymnastics events, although only 12,500 seats were made publicly available for the gymnastics at the 2004 Olympics. It seats 19,250 for basketball games, which includes 18,500 seats for the fans, 300 seats for media members, and 450 seats for VIPs.
The arena was used for artistic gymnastics and trampolining, and also hosted the finals of the basketball matches at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[2] Renovation of the building for the Olympics was completed on June 30, 2004, and it was officially reopened on August 10, 2004, shortly before the beginning of the games.
The Indoor Hall is the regular home court for the Greek A1 League professional basketball club Panathinaikos Athens, as well as the home court for Maroussi Athens for European cup matches. AEK Athens also plays home games at the arena when they have European cup matches. It is also the primary home court of the Greek National Basketball Team.
On May 4 and 6, 2007, the Indoor Hall hosted the Euroleague 2006-07 season Final Four, the semifinal and final rounds of Europe's principal pro club competition in basketball, which saw hometown favorite Panathinaikos win the title.
On December 9, 2007, FIBA announced that the Olympic Indoor Hall was selected as the host of the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament.[3] At the qualifying tournament, hosts and favorites Greece, alongside with the German and Croatian national basketball teams, qualified for the final 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament.[4]
On May 18 and 20, 2006, the Olympic Indoor Hall hosted the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, that was held in Athens after Greece's victory at the Song Contest in 2005. There were 15,000 seats available for spectators, both for the semifinal and the grand final. Also, Jennifer Lopez, Bjork, Beyoncé, Roger Waters, Aloha from Hell, Tokio Hotel, Helena Paparizou, Sakis Rouvas among others have performed there.On early 2011 Anna Vissi performed a benefit concert with the support of Panathinaikos F.C.
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Olympiahalle Munich |
EuroBasket Final Venue 1995 |
Succeeded by Palau Sant Jordi Barcelona |
| Preceded by SkyDome Toronto |
FIBA World Championship Final Venue 1998 |
Succeeded by Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis |
| Preceded by Sazka Arena Prague |
Euroleague Final Four Venue 2007 |
Succeeded by Palacio de Deportes Madrid |
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