Athens’ Olympic Stadium set to reopen ahead of Coldplay gigs

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has revealed that Athens’ Olympic Stadium will reopen by April after it was closed in October last year due to safety concerns.

The stadium was forced to temporarily close after a study found that the metalwork in the venue’s roof does not meet the legally required standard. Issues were also found on the roof of the nearby Athens Olympic Velodrome.

Events at both venues, which were used during the 2004 Olympic Games, were suspended with immediate effect. The 70,000-seat Olympic Stadium is used by Super League football club Panathinaikos for its European matches and also serves as a major concert venue.

The defects were found after a study was carried out as part of a renovation contract between venue operator OAKA, Greece’s Ministry of Sports and the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (TAIPED). A second study was carried out to investigate the issue more thoroughly.

In a post on Facebook, Mitsotakis confirmed that the stadium will reopen “from the end of March or mid-April at the latest”. Ongoing maintenance at the stadium has seen 5,000 polycarbonate panels removed from the roof.

British band Coldplay is scheduled to host two concerts at the stadium on June 8 and June 9, and these are set to go ahead as planned. Some 122,000 tickets have been bought for the two concerts, 40,000 of which are from overseas fans.