Ellinikon Sports Park Opens September With New Tracks, Pools, Pitches

The Ellinikon Sports Park will open to the public in September after its first phase reached completion at a cost of 80 million to 100 million euros, with a soft opening scheduled for July 20.

The timing matters because Athens continues to convert large former Olympic sites into everyday use while the wider Ellinikon project adds mixed-use districts along the southeast coast. Local sports groups have long sought more reliable access to quality pitches and tracks, and the new park is positioned to meet that demand alongside elite training needs.

Under agreements with the Greek state, the developer has already spent more than 20 million euros renovating facilities at the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens and the Olympic Village. Those upgrades directly support grassroots programs that serve schools, academies and amateur clubs across the capital.

Everyday facilities take shape

The 287,000-square-meter site now includes a World Athletics-certified outdoor track with 1,070 spectator seats, two FIFA Quality artificial-turf pitches, two hybrid-grass fields, basketball and tennis courts, plus informal exercise zones. A 124-room athletes’ residence with restaurant, gym and physiotherapy spaces is also ready. By year-end the park will add two five-a-side pitches and an Olympic-size pool fitted with an adjustable air barrier that doubles training lanes. The ot.gr report states these additions are meant to keep the venue busy year-round for both community sessions and national-team camps.

Visitor targets and next steps

The same report projects 200,000 to 300,000 visitors by the end of 2026, rising to one million in 2027 and eventually five million annually. A digital booking platform launching in September will let residents reserve courts, register for events and secure one of 1,350 parking spaces online. Athletics operations will be run jointly with the state, while football facilities fall to a specialist operator. Food outlets are already lined up for the central square.

Athens residents and clubs can check the platform once live or contact the operator directly for academy slots and school programs. The park forms one stage of the larger Ellinikon redevelopment that will continue rolling out residential, retail and park areas over the coming years.