Greece’s top sports facility, the Olympic Stadium in Athens, will be shut down with immediate effect after a study raised concerns over its huge glass-and-metal roof, stadium officials said Friday.
The Athens Olympic Athletic Center (OAKA) in a statement said that the roof of the stadium, and that of the nearby Velodrome “do not meet the regulatory permitted levels of static adequacy”.
“Based on the above…all sports and cultural activities at the central stadium and the velodrome are suspended as of today,” the statement said.
A second study will be carried out to confirm the findings, the stadium said.
The 69,600-seat stadium, originally built in 1982, was this season used by Panathinaikos for UEFA Europa League matches.
The Athens club played Spain’s Villarreal at the Olympic Stadium on September 21, and were scheduled to host French side Rennes on October 26.
The stadium also hosts athletics and music events, most recently a Guns N’ Roses concert in July.
The 9,000-tonne glass and metal roof over the Olympic Stadium was designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
Construction of the roof cost 256 million euros (270 million dollars), 30 million euros more than initially budgeted.
Greece is more affected by seismic activity than any other European country.
Source: AFP
