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07 June, 2004
In 2004, the Olympic Games are returning to their ancient birthplace and the city of their revival. Athletes from all nations will unite in Greece to engage in noble competition. The Athens Olympic Games will combine history, culture and peace with sports and Olympism. The people of Greece will host unique Games on a human scale, inspiring the world to celebrate Olympic values.
• The 2004 Olympic Games will showcase the modern, dynamic energy of a European capital city and the rich history of both the ancient Games, born in Greece 2,500 years ago, and the modern Olympic Games, revived in Athens in 1896.
• The Marathon will be run on the original route, cycling will take place in the historic city centre around the Acropolis, archery will take place in the Panathinaiko marble stadium, where the first Modern Olympic Games took place, and shot put will take place at the ancient stadium of Olympia – the first competition there in 1600 years and the first women’s competition ever.
The Olympic Games
• 13-29 August 2004
• 28 sports
• 35 competition venues
• 301 medal ceremonies
• 72 Olympic training facilities throughout Greece
• 10,500 athletes and 5,500 team officials
• 202 National Olympic Committees (NOC’s) - (199 in Sydney)
• 45,000 volunteers
• More than 21,500 media representatives: 16,000 broadcasters, including AOB and 5,500 photo/written press
• 4 billion TV viewers
• 5.3 million ticketed spectators
The Paralympic Games
• 17-28 September 2004
• 19 sports
- 15 common with the Olympic Games
- 4 only in the Paralympic Games
• 20 Olympic venues
• More than 550 medal ceremonies
• 28 training facilities
• 4,000 athletes and 2,000 team officials
• Approximately 140 National Paralympic Committees (NPC’s) - (123 in Sydney)
• 15,000 volunteers
• 3,000 media representatives
• ATHENS 2004 is the first Organising Committee responsible for organising both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• For the first time in Paralympic history, the participation fee for Paralympic athletes will be eliminated. There will be athletes from approximately 140 countries - a new Games record.
• The Greek government has introduced new legislation on accessibility of public buildings, and non-compliance of this legislation will result in penalties.
• ATHENS 2004, in cooperation with the local Chambers, developed the “ERMIS – accessible choice” programme. Ermis aims to upgrade existing facilities in Greek businesses in view of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, making them accessible to all citizens, in Athens and the four Olympic Cities (Thessaloniki, Heraklio, Patra, Volos). With simple, inexpensive conversions the enterprises enlisting in the programme will become accessible to people who face mobility difficulties. The ERMIS programme as well the “Guide of Accessible Businesses” are made possible through the generous support of VISA International, ATHENS 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games Sponsor. ATHENS 2004 has published its Business Accessibility Guide for the ‘Ermis – Accessible Choice’ project.
• ATHENS 2004 (Education and Training Department) is promoting audiovisual material, which will raise the public awareness of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and brief people with vision and hearing impairments on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This material is distributed through associations representing people with vision and hearing impairments.
• The goal of ATHENS 2004 is to bring everyone close to the Games and simultaneously illustrate the many equal opportunities to be a part of this great athletic event.
• ATHENS 2004 and the "Athenaeum Intercontinental" and "Ledra Mariott" Hotels signed an agreement, in order to host the International Paralympic family-, at Paralympic Games-time.
• Three hundred fully accessible buses (with ramps and a “kneeling feature”) will provide transport for approximately 4,000 Paralympic Games athletes (of which 1,800 are wheelchair users) to the Paralympic Village, training sites, the Olympic competition venues and other destinations. ATHENS 2004 and ETHEL signed an agreement on 2 March 2004.
OAKA, Athens Olympics Sports Complex:
• Olympic Stadium (Athletics/Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Football Men’s Finals)
• Olympic Tennis Centre (Tennis)
• Olympic Indoor Hall (Basketball Final, Artistic Gymnastics and Trampoline)
• Olympic Aquatic Centre (Aquatics)
• Olympic Velodrome (Cycling)
Helliniko Olympic Complex:
• Olympic Softball centre (Softball)
• Olympic Baseball Centre (Baseball)
• Olympic Hockey Centre (Hockey)
• Indoor Hall 1 (Basketball prelims, Handball finals)
• Indoor Hall 2 (Fencing)
• Olympic Canoe/Kayak Centre (Canoe/Kayak Slalom)
Athens Centre:
• Panathinaiko Stadium (Archery, marathon end)
• Cycling road race (Cycling)
Faliro Coastal Zone Complex:
• Olympic beach Volleyball Centre (Beach Volleyball)
• Sports pavilion (Handball prelims, Taekwondo)
Coastal Zone:
• Peace and Friendship Stadium (Volleyball)
• Agios Kosmas Sailing Centre (Sailing)
• Vouliagmeni Olympic Centre (Triathlon, cycling timing trial)
Schinias and Marathonas area:
• Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre (Rowing, Canoe/Kayak flatwater racing)
• Marathon start (Marathon)
Markopoulo:
• Olympic Shooting Centre (Shooting)
• Olympic Equestrian Centre (Equestrian)
Goudi Olympic Complex:
• Goudi Olympic Hall (Badminton)
• Olympic Modern Pentathlon Centre (Modern Pentathlon)
Galatsi Olympic Hall: (Table Tennis, Rhythmic Gymnastics)
West Attica:
• Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall (Weightlifting)
• Ano Liossia Olympic Hall (Judo, Wrestling)
• Parinitha Olympic Mountain Bike Venue (Cycling)
• Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall (Boxing)
Football in Olympic Cities around Greece:
• Pampeloponnisiako Stadium, Patra preliminaries
• Panthessaliko Stadium, Volos preliminaries
• Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki preliminaries
• Pankritio Stadium, Heraklio preliminaries
• Karaiskaki Stadium, Athens Women’s Finals
Olympia Stadium: Shot put (Men’s + Women’s)
• The roof will have 500 permanent and 2,000 temporary spotlights. During Games-time 5,000 kilowatts will be needed to illuminate the Olympic Stadium (amount that corresponds to the number of kilowatts needed to illuminate an airport or a small town of 2,000 people).
• It is designed to withstand an earthquake with an acceleration of 24% (up to 8 Richter).
• The University of London at Ontario, Canada used a model of the roof to perform wind tunnel tests. The roof will withstand a 120 km per hour wind speed.
• 15 special cranes were transferred to Athens from abroad to lift the different parts of the arches.
• Rainwater will be collected at each arch and be transferred at the four bases of the roof creating a spectacular waterfall at a specially designed space next to the stadium.
• Each of the two arches weighs approximately 9,000 tons.
• The sliding of the roof of the Olympic Stadium started on May 10 and completed on June 4.
• The sliding of the roof took place in two phases: first, the west arch was moved 71 metres using special tracks and then the east arch was moved 60 metres the same way and was connected on top of the Olympic Stadium.
• The sliding speed was 5,70 metres per hour.
• The residential section of the Olympic Village is complete. Landscaping and work on the International Zone infrastructure is underway.
• The Olympic Village will house 16,000 athletes and team officials during the Olympic Games and 6,000 during the Paralympic Games.
• There will be 366 buildings, consisting of 2,292 apartments with 8,814 rooms and 17,428 beds, covering 1.240.000 m2.
• The distance from the Olympic Village to the centre of Athens is 21.5 km, covered in approximately 27 minutes and to Olympic Stadium (OAKA) is 14.3 km, covered in 18 minutes.
• The overall budget for the construction of the Olympic Village amounts to €240m - the largest Olympic project.
• There are 16 square metres available to every athlete - making the Athens Olympic Village the most spacious village ever.
• For the first time, training sites (on the Dekeleia grounds) and recreation camps will be right next door to the Olympic Village.
• 60% of the routes in the Olympic Village are for pedestrians.
• Upon completion of the Games, the Worker’s Housing Organisation (OEK) will take over the Olympic Village to provide affordable housing for 10,500 people (2,500 families).
• The Olympic Village will be in full operation for 34 days, on a 24-hour basis. The Official Opening of the Olympic Village is on the 30th of July 2004 and the Official Closing is on the 1st of September 2004.
• The staff that will work in the Olympic Village during Games Time will be 10.500.
• The Olympic Village consists of the International and the Residential Zone. The Residential Zone, with the housing units, is further divided in 6 coloured zones with ancient Greek names:
- Blue -> Andromeda
- Orange -> Orion
- Green -> Centaurus
- Red -> Callisto
- Purple -> Pegasus
- Grey -> Cassiopeia
• The Olympic Marathon Race will follow the original ancient route, taken by the herald who announced Athens’ victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.
• The race will start at 18:00, giving thousands of spectators the opportunity to enjoy the course of one of Athletics’ most exciting events.
• The Men’s Olympic Marathon Race will take place on the final day of the competition schedule (Sunday, 29 August) and the Women’s Olympic Marathon Race will take place on Sunday, 22 August. They will start from Marathonas (East Attica) and will end at the Panathinaiko Stadium instead of the Olympic Stadium in order to follow the Original Course and honour ancient Greek history.
• The projects for the road widening and remodelling from the start of Marathon to Pallini, the pedestrian walks, and the irrigation system are underway.
• The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the Radio and Television Commission of the IOC, together with the Athens Olympic Broadcasting Commission and the rights-holding broadcasters and the IOC Executive Board, unanimously accepted the proposal of ATHENS 2004 for both the men’s and women’s Shot Put Event to be held in the Ancient Olympia Stadium, in the cradle of the Olympic Games.
• It is a historical decision that promotes Ancient Olympia as part of the uniqueness and authenticity of the Olympic Games of Greece. Olympia offers a unique opportunity for the Olympic Games and their history to become widely known, for them to be revived in the places where they were born.
• This event will mark the first time in its history that Olympia has hosted women as competitors – or even as spectators. Women were banned from the site, for religious reasons, in ancient times.
• The Men’s and Women’s Shot Put event will be held in Ancient Olympia on 18 August 2004. The qualifying event will take place in the morning and the final phase in the afternoon.
• 32 women and 32 men athletes will participate, along with 64 accompanying persons, coaches, trainers, one technical delegate, one international judge and 13 national judges. They will all be hosted in the International Olympic Academy guesthouses. There is the ability for catering and also a modern stadium that is going to be used as training and warm-up facility.
• 100 members of the Olympic Family will fly to Olympia and return to Athens on the same day.
• 150 press journalists, 50 photo reporters, 40 members of AOB and 100 representatives of the rights-holding broadcasters will get accreditation for the Ancient Olympia Stadium. The new conference centre of the International Olympic Academy will be used as a press conference area and a work area for media representatives.
• There will be no tickets for the Shot Put Event. ATHENS 2004 will issue a total of 15,000 free passes for spectators, of which 7,500 will be given to people that have already purchased tickets for the 20th and 24th of August for the Olympic Stadium. 2,500 tickets will be given to sponsors, National Olympic Committees and other beneficiaries of that category. 5,000 tickets will be provided through the local self-government agencies. In any case, if there is greater demand, there will be a lottery for these free passes.
• The Shot Put Event will be performed in Ancient Olympia without any visual intervention to the competition ground, without any, even prefabricated, temporary structures and grandstands, without any electronic boards and artificial lighting.
• Greece welcomes over 14 million tourists each year and is among the world’s top 15 tourism destinations (World Tourism Organisation, June 2002).
• Athens accommodation capacity continues to grow.
• Hotels
- During Games time, in the Greater Athens area, there will be over 30,000 rooms available (approx. 61,000 beds) for visitors and spectators in all the categories of hotels.
- 17,000 rooms have been secured for the Olympic Family in the greater Athens area.
- Hotels in the four Football Venue Cities (Volos, Thessaloniki, Patra and Heraklion) have been selected.
- A major programme is underway to upgrade hotel rooms throughout the Athens area with an up to 3,000-euro subsidy per room for lower category hotels.
• Cruise ships of various categories
- 8 cruise ships will dock in the Piraeus port for the Games. Among these are some of the best luxury cruise ships in the world, such as the 5-star Queen Mary II. Overall, there will be about 4,500 cabins, in the 3- to 5- star categories.
• Media Villages
- Seven Media Villages will host approximately 9,000 media representatives.
- The rest will be staying in Media Hotels.
• Houses and apartments
- FILOXENIA ‘04 is the official Residential Accommodation Joint Venture that manages the Private Homes Rental Program. This program offers a wide inventory of residences including studios, apartments, maisonettes and luxury villas. All properties are classified in four categories – Deluxe, A, B and C, depending on quality, amenities and location. For more information, availability and pricing, please visit www.filoxenia2004.com.
- As of June 3 2004, 5,400 private homes have been inspected. 1,500 contracts with homeowners have been signed and 450 private homes have been rented. Over 3,000 expressions of interest from spectators have been recorded.
• Security is a key issue for all host cities and a first priority for ATHENS 2004. Our objective is to ensure a safe Olympic environment for athletes, spectators and the Olympic family.
• ATHENS 2004 is working in close partnership with the Greek Police, the Government and international security experts to apply all the necessary measures and actions for the safe hosting of the Olympic Games.
• Olympic security is the responsibility of the Greek Police (Ministry of Public Order) and specifically of the Olympic Games Security Division (OGSD).
• ATHENS 2004 also established a Security Division with principal responsibility to support the work of OGSD, as well as to coordinate and integrate the plans of OGSD with those of the functional areas of ATHENS 2004. The security Division also acts as liaison between the Olympic movement agencies and OGSD, conveying all security requirements that the Olympic agencies set and informing them on the progress of OGSD operations.
• In an effort to support the work of OGSD, ATHENS 2004 has employed independent security consultants with vast experience from the Olympic Games of Sydney and Salt Lake.
• The Olympic Advisory Group (OAG), a seven-nation task force with extensive experience in the security planning of large-scale athletic events including the Olympic Games, is advising ATHENS 2004 and OGSD.
Facts and Figures
• ATHENS 2004 will employ the most advanced security technology.
• The Greek government has secured €1.000.000.000 for investment into security infrastructure and the necessary hardware.
• A specially trained security force of over 40.000 personnel will work around the clock for the security of the Games.
• Approximately 4,000 trained volunteers will contribute to the safe hosting of the Olympic Games.
• 2003 was the year of Olympic training.
Olympic Games Security Division (OGSD)
• OGSD is a special police unit created for the 2004 Games that reports directly to the Chief of Police.
• OGSD is responsible for the:
- Planning of all security and public order measures required during the preparation and the hosting of the Games.
- Implementation of all security operational plans.
- Coordination of all organizations and agencies involved in Olympic security.
• Personnel from the Greek Police, the Coast Guard, the Fire Brigade and the Defence Forces staff OGSD.
• OGSD also works very closely with a number of agencies like the Ambulance Service, the Civil Aviation Authority, and the General Secretary for Civil Protection and the National Meteorological Service.
• OGSD has four subdivisions: Operational Planning, Olympic Intelligence Center, Command & Control Center and Administrative Support.
International cooperation
• ATHENS 2004 and OGSD are working with the Olympic Advisory Group (OAG), a seven-nation task force with extensive experience in security planning of large-scale athletic events including the Olympic Games. The seven nations are Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Spain, the UK and the US. OAG meets regularly to discuss planning, technology and training issues. Within this framework, for example, OGSD organizes operational readiness exercises with the valuable contribution of British Police, and specialized training programs in cooperation with government agencies from the above countries.
• ATHENS 2004 has hired as consultants a number of security experts from the past host cities of Sydney and Salt Lake.
Training
• All men and women from the Police, the Coast Guard, the Fire Brigade and the Defence Forces will receive some type of training until Games time. Security volunteers and private company security personnel, who will support security operations, will also be trained.
• General Olympic Training
- The General Olympic Training will train all personnel in the special requirements of Olympic Games Security.
- The entire complement of Police (52,000) and Fire Brigade (12,000) staff completed the General Olympic Training on 30/06/2003 and 30/5/2003 respectively. More than 10,000 Defence Forces personnel completed their training on 30/04/2004, while the Coast Guard personnel completed their training on 31/05/2004. Approximately 4,000 security volunteers will also be trained until July 2004.
• Special Olympic Training
- Special training programs are conducted in Greece and abroad in cooperation with government agencies from the seven countries of the Olympic Advisory Group, including VIP protection, hostage rescue and hostage negotiations, self-defence, information science and explosive detection dog training. In total, 124 such training programs are scheduled.
- At the same time Police and the other security forces conduct special training seminars and exercises, such as VIP protection, explosives neutralization and diffusion, dog patrols, coastal security and search, and rescue operations. 136 such activities, most of which have already taken place, are planned.
Operational readiness exercises
• A series of operational readiness exercises are scheduled in the period leading up to the Games. The exercises are designed in cooperation with leading foreign security experts and intend to test operational planning and the level of responsiveness and coordination effectiveness among the different agencies and organizations involved in Olympic Security. Seven such exercises have already been conducted and more are scheduled until Games time.
- “Trojan Horse”: 8-9/11/2001
- “Gordian Knot”: 16-17/5/2002
- “Rainbow 2002”: 22 – 24/11/2002: the scenario included a mock airplane hijacking and incident at the seaport of Piraeus.
- “Hydra 2003”: 23/5/2003: conducted in Athens and concurrently in the four Olympic cities for joint operational planning.
- “Flaming Glaive 2003”: 24-25/9/2003: conducted in order to test the CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) Operational Response Plan.
- “Blue Odyssey”: 6-8/2/2004: the scenario included a CBRN incident and hostage situation on a yacht.
- “Hercules Shield”: 10-23/3/2004: called for tactical, operational, strategic and political decisions in a simulated Olympic environment.
- “Olympic Guardian I”: a non-paper exercise that was conducted in November 2003 in Germany.
- “Olympic Guardian II”: a four-day non-paper exercise that was conducted in May 2004.
Command and Control Security Systems (c4i)
• The term C4I stands for Command, Control, Communication, Coordination and Integration, the basic functions of the Command and Control Systems.
• Greek Police, Coast Guard, Fire Brigade and the Defence Forces will use the systems. The systems also allow for the coordination and cooperation between public safety and emergency service agencies, like the Fire Brigade and the Ambulance Service, in order to provide a unified emergency response.
• The project is comprised of approximately 67 systems. The principal systems include: command centers, secure digital trunk radio network, physical security systems such as CCTV and access control, automatic vehicle location, geographic information system (GIS), decision support applications and Standard Olympic Security Data Network (OSDN) connecting security agencies and locations, plus other sensitive capabilities.
• The Systems provide: information and capabilities to enhance security commanders situational awareness during security operations and improve their ability to assess events, make timely and effective decisions, and communicate decisions to subordinate commanders, personnel and agencies.
• The Systems are essential during the Games because:
- The provided information will allow making fast and effective decisions for multiple incidents at the same time.
- Commanders and subordinates will be informed of the decisions via secure means of communications.
- They offer the needed visibility to determine the effectiveness of decisions and risks that may be emerging.
- They allow the organization of a Command Center System to centralize the information gathering and decision-making from multiple ministries and agencies. They will create, for the first time, a unified, integrated command structure that will support crisis management for large scale, complex, multiple incidents.
• The systems will constitute a significant Olympic legacy, since they will improve emergency service and security forces capabilities. For example, Athens will be better equipped to cope with floods, earthquakes and fires, as well as everyday occurrences (traffic), since all security forces and agencies will be effectively coordinated. As a direct result of the Olympic Games, Greece will acquire an infrastructure that will be in many respects, more advanced than existing ones in western metropolitan areas.
• The Command and Control systems will cost €255 million
Integrated security measures at Games-time
• Prior to the Games, all Olympic venues will be subject to a Lock Down, similar to that enforced at Sydney and Salt Lake City. This means that before the Games, all venues will be fully secured and remain empty of people and services and specialized security forces will conduct an extensive security sweep of all premises. Then access will be allowed to accredited personnel only.
The new Airport
• The new Airport of Eleftherios Venizelos opened in March 2001.
• Voted as one of the three best airports in the world - according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
• The new Athens Airport has a capacity to serve 16 million passengers per year.
The Piraeus port
• Major projects are underway to upgrade port services and facilities.
• Environmental projects to manage waste water.
• Aesthetic improvement projects such as the renovation of buildings, tree planting and the upgrading of public areas.
Infrastucture
A. Rail Projects
The Metro, the new tram and the new suburban rail, currently under construction, will move approximately 1 million passengers a day by the summer of 2004.
• Metro
-Two Metro lines have been added to the existing green line commuter railway (ISAP). The green line is currently undergoing extensive renovation. The Metro, inaugurated in 2000, carries 400,000 passengers daily.
-An additional 7.7 km of track are currently under construction for all three lines. Three additional sections will become operational this summer. The extension Daphni – Aghios Dimitrios of Line 2 is complete.
-The remaining section of the project under construction is to be commissioned in 2007.
-One of Europe’s most modern and efficient subway systems, the Athens Metro also includes museum exhibitions at selected downtown stations, showing Greek antiquities unearthed during construction.
• Suburban Rail
-The Suburban Rail line will link the Venizelos airport to the Main Olympic complex and Acharnes (next to the Olympic Village). It will also allow passengers to go to the centre of Athens using links with the metro.
-The entire project will be 32 km long.
-Although the government cut back the proposed direct link to Pireaus Port due to time-constraints, passengers will be able to reach the Port using the Green rail line.
• Tram
-The Tram, which will have two lines, will link Athens with the coastal venues of Faliro, Agios Kosmas and Helliniko during Games-time.
-The entire project will be 23 km long.
B. Road Network
• The Athens area will have 120 km new and 90 km of upgraded roads and highways by Games-time.
• Six major highway interchanges on the Olympic Network will be completed by Games-time, increasing traffic flow substantially.
• A new Traffic Management Centre will monitor all roadways and intersections in Athens by Games-time. This new system will:
- Connect all 1500 traffic signal lights in the greater Athens Area to an automated central control.
- Provide continuous information, in Real-time, on traffic movements including the number and type of vehicles (e.g. cars, trucks or motorbikes).
- Real Time Incident Detection: Over 200 closed circuit cameras will visually monitor the city's traffic. This will work in connection with an Incident Management System.
• The “Attiki Odos” motorway now links the airport with the central Athens, cutting travel time by more than one-third. When complete, it will link key Olympic venues as well.
• The Imittos Western Peripheral motorway, connecting the southern suburbs to the new “Attiki Odos”, was delivered in September 2003. It serves more than 30.000 vehicles daily.
• ATHENS 2004 has a balanced budget of 1.962 billion euros.
• 88% of the ATHENS 2004 budget comes from broadcast rights, sponsoring and licensing programme and ticket sales.
• Only 12% comes from the Greek state.
• The Greek government has a separate budget which includes:
- Investments in infrastructure projects, such as highway upgrades, port facility upgrades, new constructions,
- Other projects not related directly to the Games that will improve the quality of life and leave a lasting legacy to the citizens of Greece.
• The Athens Games will be the first Olympics to enforce the new WADA code.
• There will be the largest, most advanced Olympic anti-doping program ever:
- A more than 30% rise in the budget allocated to Doping Control in comparison with the 2000 Sydney Olympics is expected. IOC contributes a great deal to cover this rise in order to be adequately prepared to keep pace with new technologies.
- State-of-the-art software to automate sample-collection procedures and minimize error.
- 613 people will staff the Anti-Doping programme, including 49 doctors.
- The Laboratory will have a capacity of 180 tests daily (24 hours timeframe for announcement of negative results, 36 hours for positive, respectively).
- 3,500 samples will be collected for the Olympic Games (incl. Sports events)
- 650 samples collected for the Paralympic Games.
• Urine and blood tests will be carried out in all sports
• There will be extensive post- and pre-competition testing for blood doping (EPO, oxygen carriers and heterogonous transfusions) on athletes participating in all sports (not only in endurance sports).
• Testing for growth hormone is ready to be applied.
• 100% of the Olympic projects are underway.
• The International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) was delivered to ATHENS 2004 on 5 May 2003.
• The Doping Centre building has been completed.
• The Nikaia Weightlifting Hall has been completed and will be delivered soon.
• The demolition of the Karaiskaki Stadium, which began in April, has been completed and according to the Greek government’s timetable it will be ready by June 2004. After a recent inspection, the International Football Federation pronounced work on Karaiskaki Stadium more than three weeks ahead of schedule.
• The construction of the Calatrava roof for the Olympic Stadium is underway, installation has begun.
• Seven media villages have been dispersed for the first time to place journalists closer to the venues and sports they will cover. Media village construction is moving forward, on schedule, at every location.
• Olympic Village Construction is over 80% complete and will be handed over to ATHENS 2004 in February 2004.
• The Olympic Village construction is on schedule, with all the groundwork as well as the reinforced concrete and brickwork completed in the residential zone. Landscaping and work on the International Zone infrastructure is underway.
• The Olympic Village will house 16,000 athletes and team officials during the Olympic Games and 6,000 during the Paralympic Games.
• There will be 2,292 apartments with 8,814 rooms and 17,428 beds.
• The overall budget for the construction of the Olympic Village amounts to €240m - the largest Olympic project.
• There are 16 square metres available to every athlete - making the Athens Olympic Village the most spacious village ever.
• For the first time, training sites (on the Dekeleia grounds) and recreation camps will be right next door to the Olympic Village.
• 60% of the routes in the Olympic Village are for pedestrians.
• Upon completion of the Games, the Worker’s Housing Organisation (OEK) will take over the Olympic Village to provide affordable housing for 10,500 families.
International Sponsors
Coca-Cola
Non-alcoholic Beverages
Kodak
Film/ Photographics and Imaging
John Hancock
Life Insurance/Annuities
Xerox
Document Publishing
Processing and Supplies
McDonald’s
Retail Food Services
VISA
Consumer Payment Systems
Schlumberger
Information Technology/System Integration
Sports Illustrated
Periodicals/Magazines/Newspapers
Panasonic
(Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co.)
Audio/TV/Video Equipment
Samsung
Wireless Communication Equipment
Swatch
Timing, Scoring Systems and Services
Grand National Sponsors
OTE - Cosmote (Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation)
Telecommunications Category
November 2000
Alpha Bank
Banking Category
February 2001
Heineken/Athenian Brewery
Brewery Category
February 2001
Delta and Fage
Dairy Products Category
March 2001
ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation)
Television and Radio Category
May 2001
Hyundai Hellas
Automotive Category
July 2001
Hellenic Post
Post and Courier Services Category
October 2001
Olympic Airways
Airlines and Airline Tickets Category
March 2003
Official Supporters
Ticketmaster
Ticketing Services Category
March 2002
Shell Hellas SA
Petroleum Products Category
July 2002
AASD (ABB-ALSTOM-SIEMENS DIEKAT)
Electric Power Distribution Plants Category
September 2002
Adidas
Clothing Category
February 2003
Jet Set
Sports Travel Agency / Hospitality Management Category
March 2003
Official Providers
Schenker
Freight Forwarding and Customs Clearance Category
January 2003
KOEP (Altec, Info-Quest, Intracom, PC Systems consortium)
Workstations, Computer Servers and Digital Storage Category
April 2003
MONDO
Track and Field Surfaces and Equipment
July 2003
MIZUNO
Softball, Baseball and Judo Equipment
July 2003
Sponsorship revenues
ATHENS 2004 sponsorship revenues have exceeded 570 m euros in total.
• More than 300 m € from the National Sponsoring and Torch Relay Programmes.
• Approximately 272m € from the TOP V Programme (International Sponsors).
Sponsorship in Ancient Greece
Sponsoring is a tradition that goes back to ancient Greece, where wealthy Athenians would contribute financially to expenses related to culture, defence, the state and sports, in order to make them more accessible to all citizens. In return, the state honoured them by engraving their names on marble tablets. This tribute was a mark of respect, value and high appreciation by the city.
Major Achievements – Highlights
The record-breaking revenues
• The initial revenue target of 200m € was accomplished 2 years before the Games.
The total revenue from National Sponsorships and the Torch Relay Programme (more than 300 m €) is currently 50 % higher than initial estimates.
The vital financial contribution to the Games
• The national and international Sponsorship revenues together are expected to cover about 23% of the ATHENS 2004 balanced budget, making Sponsorship the second biggest source of revenues after the international broadcasting rights programme (37%).
The confidence of the international business community
• All TOP V Sponsors renewed their Olympic Sponsorship deals at the earliest date ever, demonstrating their confidence in the successful hosting of the 2004 Games.
The effort to control commercialisation
• ATHENS 2004 decided to have a limited group of Sponsors, and to emphasize the quality rather than the quantity of Sponsorships, in an effort to control the commercial aspect of the Games.
• The ATHENS 2004 Sponsoring categories are less than half of previous Olympic Games.
• The ATHENS 2004 Sponsoring categories will be no more than 40. Currently, there are contracts for 21 local Sponsoring categories.
• The SYDNEY 2000 Sponsoring Programme comprised about 100 Sponsoring categories while the corresponding ATLANTA 1996 Programme about 200.
• The smaller number of Sponsoring categories leads to less clutter and greater visibility for sponsors, making their sponsorship more effective.
The environmental initiatives
• Hyundai (Grand National Sponsor) will provide a fleet of environmentally friendly electric cars to accommodate certain 2004 transport needs. The initiative was announced in June 2003.
• Shell (Official Supporter) introduced Shell Diesel 2004, a new fuel specially developed to contribute to a cleaner environment. Greece is the first country in Europe where the new fuel will be available. The initiative was announced in July 2003.
• Greece alone has more than 10.000 points of sale (authorized stores) for officially licensed ATHENS 2004 products.
• ATHENS 2004 International Licensing Program has already signed an agreement with 12 countries. The next target will be Japan.
• Finally, we are currently reaching agreements with NOC's in other countries.
• 19 Local Licensees and 4 International Licensees have been signed for 37product categories.
• ATHENS 2004 royalty revenues are 40% higher in comparison with Sydney. The total revenue is expected to reach a total of € 86 m; 126% higher than originally forecasted.
• Eight Olympic Stores have been opened: one in the Venizelos Airport, and four in the centre of Athens. There is also one ATHENS 2004-USOC store in Orlando, one at the Zurich Airport in Switzerland and one at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.
• 120% of the forecasted wholesale and respective revenues were achieved during the first phase of the programme.
• Worldwide distribution of Commemorative Coins in 22 Countries (including Germany, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Hong-Kong, China, Japan, Australia, Holland, Sweden, Finland, Norway).
• 5.3 million tickets are available for sale.
• Ticket prices range from €10 to €300 for the competition sessions and from €50 to €950 for the opening and closing ceremonies.
• The average ATHENS 2004 ticket price is € 35, 34% cheaper than the average ticket price in Sydney.
- 90% of the Tickets for the Preliminaries cost €10 - €30
- 60 % of the Tickets for the Quarter and Semi-Finals cost €10 - €30
- 48% of the Tickets for the Finals cost €10 - €60
• Ticket prices for the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games include free transportation with the Public transportation system to and from all competition venues.
• There are no free tickets or invitations.
• Non -EU residents can purchase tickets through their National Olympic Committee’s official provider.
• The second phase of Ticket sales to the general public was completed on April 16 2004. The following details emerged:
- The total number of tickets sold by 16 April (when sales were temporarily suspended so that seats could be assigned) is 1,833,919.
- The total face value of the tickets sold is €137,051,021 - roughly 75% of the total estimate of €183m in the Organising Committee budget.
• Ticket orders from National Olympic Committees acting as official agencies worldwide and selling tickets to the public in the countries they represent are up by 20% over Sydney.
• The seat assignment process started on the 17th of April and was completed by the 31st of May. During this process seats were allocated for tickets bought up to 16th of April. The ATHENS 2004 commitment to transparent, reliable public ticket allocation was carried out. The leading international auditors PriceWaterhouse Coopers provided the IOC with independent audit and certification of the transparency of the more important seat assignment parameters.
• Seating at each venue was entered into the system as per plans approved by the competent authorities
• The third and final phase of Ticket sales started on 1 June 2004 and will continue throughout the Olympic Games.
• EU residents can purchase tickets from:
- 110 selected branches of ALPHA BANK all over Greece. To assist the public there is a special sign outside the branches selling tickets, and a supplement with the Competition Schedule and prices of tickets is available. In the other branches of ALPHA BANK there is a foldout leaflet available free with a list of 110 0 branches where tickets may be purchased.
- The official website for all information queries is www.athens2004.com/tickets. Here tickets can be purchased easily and reliably, using a VISA card.
- At our central Ticket Box Office at ATHOC premises.
- In addition, tickets will be sold at our Box Offices in all Olympic competition venues during the Olympic Games.
• The general public can obtain information about any aspect of ticketing:
- To the Ticketing Call Centre: 800 11 2004 2 (no charge for calls within Greece) and +30 210 373 0000 (the caller is charged at long-distance/mobile phone rates)
- By mail to the Customer Services Centre: PO Box 3075, 10210 ATHENS
- By e-mail to: supportel@tickets.athens2004.com
• The Olympic Charter, the Host City Contract & the TV Agreements set up the framework for Olympic Broadcasting.
• Within this framework, Athens Olympic Broadcasting (AOB) has been established as the Host Broadcaster of the Games. President and Managing Director is Manolo Romero.
• Its main role is to produce the International Television and Radio signal of the Games and deliver it to the venues and the International Broadcasting Center (IBC). AOB also provides the broadcast services and equipment to the Broadcasters.
• ATHENS 2004 fully funds and monitors AOB’s operation and also provides the non-technical services and facilities to both AOB and the Rights Holding Broadcasters. For more information please visit AOB’s web site (www.aob.gr)
Broadcasting Revenues
The IOC grants the right to broadcast the Games to Radio & TV stations all over the world and signs Agreements with ATHENS 2004 and the Broadcasters. ATHENS 2004 receives the 49% of the revenues from these Agreements.
The ATHENS 2004 income from TV rights is about 736 million Euros.
Rights Holding Broadcasters
The Right Holders for the Athens 2004 Games are:
Networks
CBC – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation / Societe Radio (Canada)
NBC – National Broadcasting Company Inc. (United States)
SEVEN – Seven Network Ltd. (Australia)
SSI - Supersport (Africa – satellite)
TVNZ – Television New Zealand Ltd. (New Zealand)
WKAQ - Telemundo Network Group LLC (Puerto Rico)
Pools
AOJC – Athens Olympic Japan Consortium (Japan)
AOKP – Athens Olympic Korean Pool (Republic of Korea)
CTAP – Chinese Taipei Athens Poll (Taiwan)
Unions
ASBU - Arab States Broadcasting Union (Arab States)
ABU – Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (Asia Pacific)
CBU – Caribbean Broadcasting Union (Caribbean States)
EBU – European Broadcasting Union (Europe)
OTI – Organizacion De la Television Iberoamericana (Latin America)
SABC – South African Broadcasting Corproration (South Africa)
URTNA - Union des Radiodiffusions et televisions nationales d'Afrique (rest of Africa)
Facts and Figures
Broadcasting is one of the Games biggest operations:
• Approximately 3,800 Hours of live AOB Coverage
• 3,700 AOB Games-time staff
• 12,000 accredited broadcasters
• More than 1,500 Commentator positions
• More than 1,000 AOB cameras
• More than 100 AOB and RHBs Mobile Units
• Approximately 100,000 m2 of broadcast compounds in all venues where the broadcasting operations take place
High Definitions Television signal (HDTV)
• AOB introduced for the first time in Olympic Games the production of High Definition Television signal (HDTV) to be offered as part of the multilateral signal.
• The HDTV activity will take place in certain Venues for certain events and will include in general two types of equipment, the dedicated for HDTV production Mobile Units and the Mobile Units which are used for the production of the ITVR signal to be upgraded from standard PAL Digital to HDTV.
Production Teams for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games
AOB has agreements with the following production teams, which will provide the multilateral signal for the venues as follows:
Aquatics (diving, water polo, swimming,
Synchronized swimming) Seven Network (Australia)
Archery KBS (Korea)
Athletics (horizontal and vertical jumps) SVT (Sweden)
Athletics (integrated, track and throws) YLE (Finland)
Athletics (race walks) TVE (Spain)
Badminton CCTV (China)
Baseball ICRT (Cuba)
Basketball ERT (Greece)
Beach Volleyball Antenna (Greece)
Boxing CBC (Canada)
Canoe/ Kayak Flatwater Racing SRG (Switzerland)
Canoe/ Kayak Slalom Racing FR3 (France)
Cycling (Mountain Bike) FR3 (France)
Cycling (Track) TVE (Spain)
Cycling (Road Race) TVE (Spain)
Equestrian (eventing, jumping and dressage) AOB
Fencing MTV (Hungary)
Football (Athens) Alpha Satellite TV (Greece)
Football (Heraklio) SLK TV (Slovakia)
Football (Patras) RAI (Italy)
Football (Thessaloniki) ERT (Greece)
Football (Volos) CZH TV (Czech Republic)
Gymnastics (artistic, trampoline and rhythmic) NHK (Japan)
Hockey RTV SLO (Slovenia)
Handball DR (Denmark)
Judo TVP (Poland)
Marathon TVE (Spain)
Modern Pentathlon CCTV (China)
Rowing SRG (Switzerland)
Sailing TVNZ (New Zealand)
Shooting AOB
Softball CBC (Canada)
Table Tennis CCTV (China)
Taekwondo KBS (Korea)
Tennis BBC (United Kingdom)
Triathlon TVE (Spain)
Volleyball AOB
Weightlifting ERT (Greece)
Wrestling TVP (Poland)
• The ATHENS 2004 Olympic International Torch Relay will travel around the world for 35 days visiting 34 cities (including Ancient Olympia) in 27 countries (including Greece).
• The ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay has several “firsts” including:
- The first truly global Olympic Torch Relay
-The first time the Olympic flame will visit Africa (Cairo, Egypt and Cape Town, South Africa)
-The first time the Olympic flame will visit South America (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
-The first time the Olympic flame will visit all land masses represented by the Olympic rings (Oceania, Asia, Africa, Americas and Europe)
-The first time the Olympic flame will visit all former host cities of the Olympic Summer Games
The first leg of the torch relay
• The final countdown to the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games began on the 25th of March with the lighting of the Olympic flame in ancient Olympia. Ignited by the rays of the sun in a traditional ceremony, the flame was carried to the ancient stadium of Olympia, where it was viewed by the public, media and invited guests of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
• The first leg of the torch relay started from ancient Olympia, travelled through the Peloponnese and the islands of the Saronic Gulf and ended up in Athens, where the flame was lit in the Panathinaiko stadium, site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
The international route of the torch relay
• The Olympic Flame was transferred to a special lantern from the Panathinaiko Stadium to the ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’ airport. After a solemn ceremony, the ATHENS 2004 President handed the Olympic Flame to the crew of the aircraft.
• The Olympic flame stops at the end of each day for a city celebration. The first stop was Sydney. Visit the following link at the ATHENS 2004 to check the cities and the transit dates of the international route of the Olympic Torch Relay:
http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/page/legacy?lang=en&cid=9f587ae4be659f00VgnVCMServer28130b0aRCRD
• More than 3,600 torchbearers will pass the Olympic flame during the international route for the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay.
• The Olympic flame will travel via torchbearers, automobile, airplane, boat, bicycle, wheelchair and motorcycle.
-more than 1,500 kilometres by torchbearer.
-more than 78,000 kilometres by air.
-an average of 48 kilometres per day.
-Each torchbearer will carry the flame approximately 400 metres.
• The ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay will:
-Change time zones 37 times
-Use 20 local currencies
-Utilize 19 languages
• More than 260 million people reside in the 34 metropolitan areas where the Olympic Flame will pass.
• More than 3.8 billion people reside in the 27 countries on the Relay.
• After the international journey, the Olympic Flame will return to Greece for the second leg, which will take place from July 9th 2004 to August 13th 2004.
• The ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay is made possible through the generous support of Presenting Partners, The Coca-Cola Company and Samsung.
• Recruitment phase was completed on the 30th of April.
• More than 160,000 volunteer applications have been received by ATHENS 2004 by the closing date.
• 60,000 volunteers are needed for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Of the candidate volunteers, 55% are women and 45% men, and 78% of the volunteers are less than 35 years old.
• 60% of the applications were sent by the Internet (for the first time in Olympic history) and 40% were sent in writing.
• The three countries abroad from which most applications have been submitted are the USA, Spain and Germany.
• Total number of interviews conducted: (including face to face, telephone and questionnaires) 87,104. Questionnaires sent to volunteers residing abroad (replacing the interview): 50,000.
• Volunteer interviews have taken place in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Volos, Heraklio, and Nikosia in Cyprus.
• The volunteer selection phase is coming to an end and volunteer placement is being finalized.
• The volunteer orientation-training programme will will be distributed to volunteers in the near future.
• Close to 7,000 volunteers have participated at the Sport Events organised so far.
• The volunteers took part in the full procedures of training, accreditation, management, and recognition, in an Olympic environment, and they are already an experienced and well-bonded team.
• ATHENS 2004 will provide approximately 12 million meals -- 400,000 meals per day -- to athletes, team officials, the Olympic and Paralympic Family, workforce and volunteers, technical officials, accredited media, sponsors and spectators.
• Food provided will take into account Ethnic preferences and dietary requirements ranging from halal (food preparation according to Islamic customs) and kosher to Japanese and Koean and iodine intolerance.
• ARAMARK DASKO S.A will provide food Services for the Olympic and Paralympic Village, as a result of the international bidding tender.
• LE NÔTRE will provide Sponsors Hospitality Center Food Services.
• During the year leading up to the 2004 Olympic Games, a series of sport events have been scheduled in order to test competition, venue, staff and technological systems.
• The first sport event was the Athens 2002 Sailing Regatta held in August 2002.
• Seven sport events (cluster one) were held in August 2003:
Sailing
- Archery
- Beach volleyball
- Canoe/Kayak
- Cycling
- Rowing
- Equestrian
• More than 2,000 athletes, 1,800 ATHENS 2004 staff and 1,973 volunteers took part in the August 2003 Sport Events.
• The second cluster of the sport events started in October ‘03 and ran until January ’04.
- Triathlon (October 2003)
- Marathon Race (November 2003)
- Weightlifting (December 2003)
- Modern pentathlon (December 2003)
- Judo (January 2004)
- Wrestling (January 2004)
- Table tennis (January 2004)
• Another 22 sport events took place in the third cluster (February – March 2004).
- Hockey (4-8 February)
- Badminton (5-8 February)
- Volleyball (6-8 February)
- Diving (18-22 February)
- Fencing (12-14 March)
- Taekwondo (13-14 March)
- Gymnastics Artistic/Trampoline (17-21 March)
- Tennis (20-28 March)
- Gymnastics Rhythmic (22-24 March)
- Baseball (24-28 March)
- Softball (24-28 March)
- Handball (26-28 March)
- Goalball (Paralympic Sport) (26-28 March)
- Football (28 March)
• The sport events of the fourth cluster will take place between April and June 2004.
• The following sport events took place in April 2004:
- Syncronised Swimming (15-18 April)
- Water Polo (15-18 April)
- Canoe/Kayak Slalom (22-25 April)
- Shooting (22-30 April)
• The following sport events took place in May 2004:
- Mountain Bike (15-16 May)
- Boxing (25-30 May)
• The following sport events will take place in June 2004:
- Basketball (4-6 June)
- Swimming (9-12 June)
- Track Cycling (9-12 June)
- Athletics (10-12 June)
• Gold Medal Winners (4)
- Pyrros Dimas: Born 13 October 1971 in Himarra, of Northern Epirus, Albania. Dimas won the gold medal in weightlifting in 1992 (82,5 kilos), 1996 (83 kilos), and 2000 (85 kilos).
- Akakios Kakiasvillis: Born 13 July 1969. Kakiasvillis won the gold medal in weightlifting in 1992 (90 kilos, as a member of the Unified ex USSR Olympic team), 1996 (99 kilos) and 2000 (94 kilos).
- Kostas Kenteris: Born 11 June 1973 in Mytilene, Greece, he won the gold in Sydney in the 200m.
- Michalis Mouroutsos: Born 29 February 1980 in Tripoli. He won gold in Taekwondo in Sydney (-58 kilos).
• Silver Medal Winners (6)
- Katerina Thanou: Born on 1 February 1975, in Athens. She won silver in Sydney in the 100m.
- Anastasia Kelesidou: Born 28 November 1972 in Thessalonica. She won the silver medal in women’s discus, Sydney 2000.
- Mirella Maniani: Born 21 December 1976 in Albania. In 2000, she won silver in the javelin, breaking the pan Hellenic record with a throw of 67.51m.
- Viktoras Mitrou: He emigrated from Albania to Greece in 1991. He won silver in weightlifting (77 Kilos) in 2000.
- Leonidas Sampanis: Born 20 October 1971 in Korytsa. Won silver in Sydney 2000 in weightlifting (62 kilos).
- Dimosthenis Tambakos: Born in 12 November 1976 in Thessalonica. Won silver in Sydney in the rings competition.
• Bronze Medal Winners (3)
- Amiran Karntanov: Born 19 August 1976 in Russia. Emigrated to Greece in 1995; in 2000 won bronze in freestyle (54 Kilos) wrestling.
- Ioanna Chatziioannou: Born 22 October 1973 in Thessalonica. Won bronze in weightlifting (63 Kilos) in 2000.
- National Team in Group Event of Rhythmic Gymnastics: In 2000, the team consisted of Erini Aindili, Evangelia Christodoulou, Maria Georgatou, Zacharoula Karyami, Charikleia Pantazi, and Anna Pollatou.
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