The Hellenic Olympic Committee is accelerating upgrade works at two of Greece’s most iconic sports venues, the Panathenaic Stadium and the Athens Olympic Swimming Pool, as it seeks to modernise their infrastructure while preserving and highlighting their sporting heritage.
Work at the Panathenaic Stadium, also known as the Kallimarmaro, is progressing according to schedule, with visible changes emerging across the historic venue.
Workers continue to clean the marble at the stadium’s curved end, or sfendoni, in a demanding restoration process that is gradually restoring the monument’s distinctive appearance.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee expects the marble-cleaning work to finish by September 7, allowing the stadium to be ready for the September 10 Lighting and Handover Ceremony of the Olympic Flame for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
The difference is already striking. The sections that workers have cleaned stand out against the remaining marble, which will undergo the same process in the coming days.
A new athletics track is also taking shape, with approximately 80% of the new synthetic surface already installed.
The upgraded track will provide the Kallimarmaro with a modern competition surface suited to its historic status and international profile, with the venue set to host Diamond League events.
The renovation work at the Panathenaic Stadium has received financial support from Capital Maritime, whose interests are associated with businessman Evangelos Marinakis.
Olympic Swimming Pool rebuilt from the ground up
At the same time, major works continue at the Athens Olympic Swimming Pool as part of the broader plan to upgrade Greece’s sports facilities for current and future generations of athletes.
The project involves renovating the Olympic swimming complex from its foundations.
The renovated facility is expected to become available to Greece’s national swimming and water polo teams in summer 2027.
The National Bank of Greece is supporting the swimming pool renovation.
The two projects represent major investments in Greece’s sporting infrastructure, combining the preservation of historic facilities with modern upgrades designed to support elite competition and future generations of Greek athletes.
