Olympic Indoor Hall

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
Coordinates	38°02′16″N 23°47′05″E / 38.037862°N 23.784676°E / 38.037862; 23.784676
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
Greek National Basketball Team Panathinaikos Athens

O.A.K.A. Indoor Hall plan

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.

Construction

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.

2004 Athens Summer Olympics

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.

Basketball use

OAKA Indoor Hall.

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]

Musical events

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.

References

1. ^ Stadia.gr Olympic Sports Hall.
2. ^ 2004 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. pp. 273, 329, 346.
3. ^ PR N°58 - Meeting of the FIBA Central Board in Chicago. FIBA.com
4. ^ Germany basketball clinches Olympic berth.

External links

• Olympic Athletic Center of Athens Official Site
• OAKA Indoor Hall
• Olympic Indoor Hall Info And Pictures At Stadia.gr

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

Coordinates: 38°02′16″N 23°47′05″E / 38.037862°N 23.784676°E / 38.037862; 23.784676