What I can see

It was the Olympic Indoor Weightlifting Arena of Nikea, which hosted the sport of weightlifting at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. Its total area is 24,453 square metres and today houses rooms, laboratories and offices of the University of Piraeus. The interior space has been configured accordingly and includes 20 rooms and 4 equipped laboratories.

What I can't see

It was built as an Olympic venue with a capacity of 5,200 spectators, a central arena of 1,200 square metres and two auxiliary training rooms. The space was flexible and with excellent acoustics. This also allowed its relatively easy conversion into a university space. The Greek weightlifter Pyrros Dimas won his 4th medal (bronze) here, after the golds in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), and Sydney (2000). After the Olympics, the arena hosted fencing matches and a television studio. Although it was given to the University of Piraeus a few years after the Olympic Games, many years passed for its utilisation. The building was built on a former quarry site, which many contractors wanted to encroach on, while it was intended for green and recreational space.

Info

• Address: Kyra tis Ro and Dimitras St.

Bibliography