By decision of the Executive Committee of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, ticket prices for the Panathenaic Stadium, as well as the entrance fee for the use of restrooms, will be adjusted as of October 1, 2025.
Due to the finish of the 41st Authentic Athens Marathon 2024 at the Panathenaic Stadium, changes will be made to the visiting schedule and access to certain areas, as follows:
Additionally, entrance from 16 Archimidous Street will not be accessible to visitors:
Thank you for your understanding.
The Panathenaic Stadium is hosting tonight, Thursday, September 26th, the spectacular Opening Ceremony of the FIRST® Global Robotics Challenge, featuring a Parade of National Teams and a Special Performance by the Black Eyed Peas.
The FIRST Global Challenge 2024 will take place from September 26th to 29th, with national co-organizers MellonLab and the Ministry of Digital Governance.
For more details, visit https://www.more.com/happenings/fgc2024athens/
The Olympians and Paralympians of Athens 2004 and Paris 2024 were honored by the Hellenic Olympic Committee in a memorable celebration that brought together emotion, nostalgia, pride, and the shining legacy of Greece’s greatest athletes. Held at the iconic Panathenaic Stadium, the event, titled “Athens 20 Years After,” commemorated two decades since the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and the historic victory of Greece’s national football team at Euro 2004.
Despite earlier rain, the Panathenaic Stadium was filled with an enthusiastic crowd eager to express their gratitude to the Olympians, Paralympians, and Euro 2004 champions.
The ceremony began with a stirring performance of the Olympic Anthem by soprano Vassiliki Karagianni, followed by a nostalgic look back at the unforgettable moments of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. A parade of volunteers and key contributors from the Games followed, with the Organizing Committee receiving special recognition. Marton Simitsek, Executive Director of the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee, accepted the award from Deputy Minister of Sports, Giannis Vroutsis.
The awards for the 2004 Olympians and Paralympians were presented by HOC Secretary General Emmanouil Kolympadis, International Fencing Federation President Manolis Katsiadakis, and Vasiliki Millousi, Deputy Regional Governor of Sports for Attica.
The Euro 2004 champions were then greeted with thunderous applause. Coach Otto Rehhagel personally greeted each of his former players, while Giorgos Karagounis received an award from Isidoros Kouvelos, President of the International Olympic Academy, and Petros Synadinos, Head of Greece’s Olympic Mission for Paris 2024.
Next, the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic athletes took the stage, with Greece proudly celebrating a total of 21 medals from the Paris Games. HOC President Spyros Capralos and Greek Paralympic Committee President Giorgos Kapelakis presented the honors to these exceptional athletes.
In his address to the athletes, HOC President and President of the European Olympic Committees, Spyros Capralos, reflected on the significance of the Athens Games: “Twenty years ago, all Greeks came together with an ambitious goal and a shared vision: to show the world the best version of our country. We overcame challenges, difficulties, and doubts—and together, we achieved the miracle. With enthusiasm, perseverance, sacrifice, and discipline, we put Greece back on the world stage where it belongs, and we regained our national confidence.” He expressed heartfelt thanks to the athletes for the moments of pride and joy they brought to the nation during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The evening concluded with a majestic performance by the ERT National Symphony Orchestra, followed by a breathtaking Cosmos Laser & Light show, leaving the audience in awe of the celebration’s grandeur and Greece’s enduring Olympic legacy.
Please note the upcoming changes to the visit of the Panathenaic Stadium. Due to a series of events being hosted at the stadium over the next few months, on the following dates, all areas of the Stadium will be open to visitors EXCEPT for the track :
on November 9th and 10th, the Panathenaic Stadium will be exclusively reserved for the organisation of the 41st Athens Authentic Marathon 2024.
Princess Kako of Japan, a member of the Japanese imperial family, visited the Panathenaic Stadium, during her official travel to Greece, following the invitation of the Greek government.
Princess Kako of Akishino was welcomed by the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos and the Secretary General Emmanuel Kolymbadis. The Princess listened with great interest, details and not so known information about the history of the stadium that hosted the first Modern Olympic Games, from its construction and the organization of the Athens Olympics in 1896 until its evolution in modern history.
Princess Kako had also the opportunity to visit the stadium Museum and showed great interest for the posters and the torches of the Olympic Games that Japan hosted, in Tokyo in 1964, in Nagano in 1998 and recently in Tokyo again in 2020.
The President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee expressed his gratitude to the Princess for visiting the Panathenaic Stadium, honoring the Olympic movement. Mr Capralos also emphasized that Greece and Japan have been linked with bonds of friendship and cooperation through the valuable legacy that the Olympic Games left in both countries, inspiring the next generations with the values and Olympic ideals.
Exactly three months before the Olympic Games begin, the Olympic flame has been handed over, transitioning from its Greek origins to the French stage, signifying the next chapter in its journey towards Paris. The ceremony, hosted by the Hellenic Olympic Committee, unfolded in Athens’ iconic Panathenaic Stadium, which hosted the first Olympic Games of the modern era in 1896, embodying a message of peace and unity.
The handover ceremony, concluding the 11-day Greek stage of the Olympic Torch Relay, saw the flame enter the stadium with Greek athletics Olympian Antigoni Ntrismpioti. She passed it to the French Olympic gold and silver medallist in figure skating, Gabriella Papadakis, who has Greek heritage, before it was then given to France’s multiple Paralympic swimming gold medallist Béatrice Hess. The ceremony culminated with the lighting of the Panathenaic Stadium cauldron by the high priestess, who received the Olympic flame from Greece’s Ioannis Fountoulis, Olympic silver medallist in water polo.
Using the flames from the cauldron, the high priestess lit a final torch, passing it to Hellenic Olympic Committee President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Spyros Capralos. He then presented the torch to the President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, Tony Estanguet, marking the official transition and beginning the final countdown to the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 26 July.
This symbolic gesture represents not only the end of one journey but also the exciting start of another, as anticipation builds for the upcoming Games in France. The event in Athens was witnessed by thousands of spectators and numerous dignitaries.
The handover cermony will be open to the public. No prior reservation is required and there is no entrance fee to attend. Public will access the stadium from a dedicated entrance and seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please ensure that you arrive at the stadium early enough to pass through police and security checks.
La cérémonie de remise de la flamme olympique aura lieu au Stade panathénaïque le 26 Avril
La cérémonie de remise de la flamme sera ouverte au public. Aucune réservation préalable n’est requise et l’entrée est gratuite. Le public accédera au stade depuis une entrée dédiée et les places seront disponibles selon le principe du premier arrivé, premier servi. Veuillez vous assurer d’arriver au stade suffisamment tôt pour passer les contrôles de police et de sécurité.
Programme of the Handover Ceremony here:
The flame for the “Gangwon 2024” Winter Youth Olympic Games, which will be held in South Korea from January 19 to February 1, 2024, was lit by the sun’s rays at the Panathenaic Stadium.
The Flame was lit in the hands of the High priestess Xanthi Georgiou and then handed over by the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and IOC member, Mr. Spyros Capralos, to the Co-President of the “Gangwon 2024” Organizing Committee, Mr. Jin Jongoh.
Earlier, a torch relay took place at the Panathenaic Stadium, with the Greek cross-country skiing champion Maria Belli carrying the first torch, followed by figure skating champion Kim Yungyeom, alpine skiing champion Apostolos Vougioukas and Freestyle skiing champion Yun Shin-Ee.
The ritual of the Priestesses, inspired by the choreographer Artemis Ignatiou, with the musical composition of Dimitris Papadimitriou and with the general coordination of the Chairman of HOC’s Olympic Torch Relay Commission Mr. Athanasios Vassiliadis, took place in the emblematic stadium where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were held. The costumes of the Priestesses were created by the famous designer Eleni Kyriakou.
In his speech, Mr. Capralos said: ” The birth of the Sacred Flame along with its journey will once again send the global and eternal message for peace and solidarity all over the world. There is no doubt that Sport and Olympism do contribute to the creation of a better world, by promoting and strengthening dialogue, mutual understanding and unity, all very much needed in today’s world.
With the lighting of the flame, feelings are awakened in all of us, modern Greeks. The sparkle of the flame connects us to our history, the tradition and the gift our country has given to humanity, the Olympic Games.
“We are very proud to deliver today, here at the Panathenaic Stadium, the Flame for the Fourth Winter Youth Olympic Games.”
Organizing Committee Co-President Mr. Jin Jongoh said in his address: ” The flame, lit here at Panathenaic Stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held, will once again be transported to South Korea. The Flame will travel 23 cities nationwide on a Journey of Solidarity engaging young people with boundless dreams and passion towards a shining future, united through sports.”
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Sports Mr. Yannis Vroutsis, the Mayor of Athens Mr. Kostas Bakoyannis, the President of the International Olympic Academy Mr. Isidoros Kouvelos, the President of the International Fencing Federation Mr. Manolis Katsiadakis, the Secretary General of the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games Mr. Iakovos Filippoussis, the Secretary General of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Mr. Manolis Kolympadis, personalities from the sports and cultural sector and the members of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Plenary.
At the Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony, the National Anthems were performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Athens.
ΤΕΛΕΤΗ ΑΦΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΦΛΟΓΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΧΕΙΜΕΡΙΝΟΥΣ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΥΣ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ ΝΕΩΝ GANGWON 2024 (LATO KLODIAN / EUROKINISSI)
ΤΕΛΕΤΗ ΑΦΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΦΛΟΓΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΧΕΙΜΕΡΙΝΟΥΣ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΥΣ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ ΝΕΩΝ GANGWON 2024 (LATO KLODIAN / EUROKINISSI)
ΤΕΛΕΤΗ ΑΦΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΦΛΟΓΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΧΕΙΜΕΡΙΝΟΥΣ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΥΣ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ ΝΕΩΝ GANGWON 2024 (LATO KLODIAN / EUROKINISSI)
ΤΕΛΕΤΗ ΑΦΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΦΛΟΓΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΧΕΙΜΕΡΙΝΟΥΣ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΥΣ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ ΝΕΩΝ GANGWON 2024 (LATO KLODIAN / EUROKINISSI)
ΤΕΛΕΤΗ ΑΦΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΦΛΟΓΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΧΕΙΜΕΡΙΝΟΥΣ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΥΣ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ ΝΕΩΝ GANGWON 2024 (LATO KLODIAN / EUROKINISSI)
The members of the World Union of Olympic Cities visited the Panathenaic Stadium during their trip to Greece, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Union. At the Stadium where the first modern Games were organized, they were welcomed by Spyros Capralos, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and IOC. Mr Capralos find the opportunity to present the history of the Stadium, both in antiquity and in modern times. The HOC President had a warm conversation with former IOC Executive Director Gilbert Felli.
The two men are connected with a true friendship throughout the years. After the tour, the members of the World Union of Olympic Cities paid a visit to the permanent exhibition “Memories from Olympic Games: Posters and Torches from 1896 till today” which is located at the back side of Panathenaic Stadium.
