Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the Olympic Training Center at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex this morning, where upgrade projects are part of broader interventions exceeding 62 million euros at OAKA. The Prime Minister, accompanied by Deputy Sports Minister Giannis Vroutsis, toured the facilities and was briefed by OAKA General Manager Konstantinos Chalioris on completed and ongoing projects. He also had the opportunity to speak with athletes training for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and their coaches. Among them were world champion long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou and his coach George Pomaski, as well as pole vaulter Emmanouil Karalis.
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“I am particularly pleased with the comprehensive efforts to upgrade our sports infrastructure, 20 years after the 2004 Olympics. It’s very encouraging to see our champions express satisfaction with the improved training conditions. There is still more to be done, and we always take into account the feedback from our athletes on facility specifications and improvements.
However, we must remember that OAKA is fundamentally a venue for mass sports. We want to attract even more people. You mentioned 18,000 to 20,000 visitors a day. When we repair the open fields and enhance the entire area, I believe this number will rise significantly. Our goal is to realize the original vision for OAKA: to be the central hub for both championship and amateur sports, a vision that was somewhat lost during the crisis years.
Recent efforts, including granting the indoor facility to Panathinaikos, investing in tennis courts amid the boom in racket sports, and significant upgrades to the swimming pool, are pivotal. Further investments will transform OAKA into the dream facility we’ve all envisioned as athletes. Congratulations to everyone involved,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
At OAKA, projects worth over 62 million euros have been completed or are underway, primarily funded by the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
These projects include the reconstruction of the Olympic Training Center to Olympic sports specifications, an energy upgrade for OAKA, targeted restorations of building facilities, the construction of a Multipurpose Sports Center and climbing walls with accompanying infrastructure, the replacement of track surfaces in the central stadium, auxiliary fields, and the indoor Olympic Training Center, as well as the reformation of the surrounding area.
Additionally, a strategic and operational plan and a sustainability study for OAKA are nearing completion. The goal is to develop the Olympic complex into a sustainable, modern urban destination for sports, culture, and entertainment.