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A stroll through the heart of the Olympic Games’ main complex
An impressive, albeit last-minute, transformation
 The main Olympic stadium’s new 25,000-square- meter roof is the jewel in the crown. Supported by just four bases outside the stadium, it weighs more than 18,000 tons and contains 500 permanent spotlights, 2,000 temporary ones, and other attachments for the opening and closing ceremonies.
It took several months of hard work and a good deal of anxiety over the deadline, but the Olympic stadium complex (OAKA) has finally evolved into something a great deal more than the formless construction mass of just a short while ago. Controversial designs by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava have resulted in an image that is worthy of a site that is to host hundreds of thousands of visitors and which will be exposed to the eyes of billions of television viewers around the world. Despite the corners that have been cut — particularly with regard to landscaping — due to the tight schedule, OAKA is now a completely different place from what it was just a few weeks ago. Calatrava said the design and the colors (“Greek blue,” he said) suit the Mediterranean landscape. Additions such as the Agora, the Square of Nations that can hold 300,000 people, and the Wall of Nations have vastly improved the complex which is the very heart of the Olympic Games. Apart from the main stadium, the complex also includes the Olympic Velodrome, also with a roof by Calatrava, the Aquatic Center, the Tennis Center and indoor hall for basketball, rhythmic gymnastics and the trampoline.
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Exclusively available inside The International Herald Tribune in Greece and Cyprus
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