State-of-the-art weightlifting and wrestling facilities to transform locales and sports
Wrestling and weightlifting are the sports where Greece has gained the most medals, so it decided not to follow the example of other countries and erect temporary buildings but to construct permanent facilities for the 2004 Olympics that will remain after the Games are over. For the first time in the history of the modern Olympic Games, special buildings are being constructed for these sports at Nikaia and Ano Liosia. In Sydney and Atlanta, both the wrestling and weightlifting competitions took place in exhibition areas temporarily adapted for that purpose. But the Nikaia and Ano Liosia indoor halls are two typical examples of the government’s decision to have Games facilities scattered round the city. Ano Liosia and Nikaia, two disadvantaged city suburbs, were chosen to accommodate the wrestling and weightlifting competitions respectively. But their construction weighs heavily on the Olympics budget, as these works are particularly expensive.
