The Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre is a complex at the

Athens Olympic Sports Complex The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens Spiros Louis ( el, Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών "Σπύρος Λούης", ''Olympiakó Athlitikó Kéntro Athinón "Spýros Loúis"'') or OACA ()), is a sport facilities c ...

, consisting of two outdoor pools and one indoor pool, that was built for the 1991

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fir ...

. It was refurbished and expanded for the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. The larger of the outdoor pools, which seats 11,500 spectators, hosted

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

events. The smaller pool, which hosted

synchronized swimming Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming) or artistic swimming is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by FINA (the ''Fédérati ...

, sat 5,300 fans. The indoor pool, which hosted the

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

events, sat 6,200 observers. It is used for swimming, too. The outdoor pool was the subject of significant controversy during the run-up to the Olympic games. A roof was planned that would have shielded the swimmers from the blazing Athens sun. This feature was later scrapped, leaving the athletes and most of the fans without shade during the events. The venue was however,

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

approved. As of August 2015, the outdoor venue is now being used to host swimming programs. In 2022 the two outdoor pools remain wide open to the sky.Google Satellite view, imagery dated 2022, accessed 2022

References

2004 Summer Olympics official report.
Volume 2. pp. 201, 207, 227, 231.
OAKA.com profile
www.Oylimpic Properties.com.gr Sports venues completed in 1991 Venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic diving venues Olympic swimming venues Olympic synchronized swimming venues Olympic water polo venues Aquatic Panathinaikos A.O. 1991 establishments in Greece {{Summer-Olympic-venue-stub