PREPARING ATHENS AND GREECE FOR THE 2004 GAMES
The games are just the starting blocks for the country’s course towards realizing its full potential as a hub for business and tourism

The Olympic Rowing and Canoeing-Kayaking Center, Schinias

Six months prior to the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games, preparations are in the final straight. Most infrastructure projects are already completed. The side-benefits of organizing the Olympic Games were apparent in all sectors; in the economy, the growth rate remained at 4% and 40,000 jobs per year were created in tourism and in new technologies.

Cutting-edge Olympic venues have been built in the context of Olympic preparation in various locations throughout the Attica basin, providing a unique opportunity to create an integrated infrastructure system, accompanied by the corresponding transport access. Their construction has also improved and upgraded the social and environmental conditions in the surrounding areas, with special anti-flooding measures and road works, parking areas, green park areas, meeting points, and leisure areas for the residents.

Athens has acquired a more attractive appearance for the Olympic Games, unifying its archeological sites and incorporating them in the day-to-day life of the city. This is one of the largest urban planning works undertaken to restore the Historical Center of the capital, making Athens a truly modern city. The results of these works are an increased number of green areas, a network of pedestrian ways, leisure zones, and public meeting areas. The Hellenic Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Hellenic Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning, and Public Works has put in place special provisions for the urban management of the Historical Center of Athens. In accordance with regulations, it was deemed necessary to renovate the facades of Athens’ buildings and to remove the advertising signs from their roofs and facades. To date 1,000 advertising signs have been removed, and during 2004 a total of 3,000 will be taken down.

EVANGELOS VENIZELOS Minister of Culture

CONSTANTINOS CARTALIS Gen. Secretary for the Olympic Games

Upgrading and protecting the environment has become the focus of the Olympic groundwork. In preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games, the green areas of the Attica basin are being increased by about 50%. By April 2004, 1millon plants will have been planted, covering an area of approximately 1 million sq. feet, which comprises the greatest expansion of green areas in the history of Athens.

In the accommodation sector, 11 new hotel units are being constructed, and 15 of the existing ones are being modernized in order to ensure the best conditions for Olympic visitors. At the same time, special attention has been paid to hotels below second class, which can upgrade their classification by modernizing their rooms and public areas, as well as restoring their facades.

Piraeus, the largest port of Greece and one of the main ferryboat gates for entry into the country, is acquiring a new image so as to serve the Olympic Games visitors in the best possible manner. As an Olympic port, Piraeus will provide lodging for 10,000 members of the Olympic family, who will stay aboard 11 cruise ships, with a capacity of 6,500 cabins.

In view of the Olympic Games an integrated transport system is being developed on the basis of modernizing existing means of transport (buses, trolley buses, rail), extending the reach of the subway (approximately 6 miles) and introducing two brand new means of transport, the tramway (14 miles) and the suburban rail (20 miles). Moreover, with the new road axes (such as Attiki Highway), Athens’ road map takes on a new shape, with 75 miles of modern road network, 56 miles of upgraded roads, and a new, extremely modern traffic management system.

Olympic Village	International Broadcasting Center	Beach Volley Olympic Center, Faliro
Olympic Weightlifting Center	Olympic Center for Rhythmic Gymnastics and Table Tennis, Galatsi	Media Village in the University of Athens area

In the context of the action plan for supporting the Paralympic Games, all the necessary measures for ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities are being taken. The Hellenic Ministry of Culture has promoted a legislative regulation in accordance with which buildings that house public or private authorities, means of transport, welfare organizations, banks, hotels, the main archeological sites and the museums of Greece will comply with access standards for people with disabilities.

The “GREECE 2004” program comprises the main pillar of Olympic preparation; it has been designed with the aim of involving the regions in the Olympic build up and to highlight the national dimension of the Olympic Games. It is the first time that such a program as “GREECE 2004” is being developed outside the borders of Athens. Ancient Olympia and four Olympic cities, Thessaloniki, Volos, Patra, and Herakleion, hold a special place in the Program, hosting the football preliminary and semi-final matches. Currently, road, sports, tourist infrastructure projects, and urban redevelopment works are being undertaken, while 650 new athletic infrastructure facilities are being constructed in the rest of Greece. The life span of these works does not expire at the end of the 15-day period of the Olympics however, as they have a clear post-Olympic utility, including the redevelopment and promotion of the cities and the improvement of residents’ quality of life. All these works are a major contribution to the prefecture; they modernize its infrastructure and promote athletic spirit and culture as accelerators of development. Thanks to “GREECE 2004”, a total of 70,000 job opportunities are being created between 2001-2007 in the construction sector as well as in other industries involved in the realization of Olympic projects.