Neo Phaliron Velodrome

The Neo Phaliron Velodrome (New Phaleron) was a velodrome and sports arena in the Neo Faliro District of Piraeus, Greece, used for the cycling events at the 1896 Summer Olympics held in Athens.^[1] The property was donated by the Athens-Piraeus train company to the Hellenic Olympic Committee.^[2] It became the home of two football clubs which expanded into more sports: Ethnikos Piraeus (1923) and Olympiacos CFP (1925).

The start of the Olympic 100 km track race on March 27, 1896. This picture has been mirrored, as shown on page 196/241 of the Olympic report.

The venue was enlarged in 1964 and named after Georgios Karaiskakis, a Greek military commander and a leader of the Greek War of Independence, who died nearby the stadium. The second stadium hosted the 1969 European Athletics Championships and the 1971 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium was completely rebuilt in 2004, when it hosted several games of the football tournament in the 2004 Summer Olympics, including the women's Gold medal match. In 2022, it is the second largest football venue in Greece with a capacity of 32,115 spectators.^[3]

See also

• List of cycling tracks and velodromes

References

Notes

1. 1896 Summer Olympics official report.
   Quote from page 194/241: The bicycle match took place in the Velodrome which had only recently been erected in New Phaleron.
   Quote from page 144/241: ... buildings undertaken by the Committee ... the velodrome near the tomb of the Greek hero Karaiskakis in New Phaleron ... were begun at once.
2. "New Karaiskaki Stadium". stadia.gr. Retrieved 2022-08-19. Karaiskaki Stadium is owned by the Hellenic Olympic Committee. In 2003 its use (but not its ownership) was granted by the Greek State to Olympiacos CFP for the next 49 years.
3. ""G. Karaiskakis" Stadium". Olympiacos.org. Olympiacos CFP. Retrieved 2008-08-19.

External links

• 1896 Summer Olympics official report. pp. 74–75 in Volume II, but shown as pp. 194–95 in pdf file for 27 March 1896 in report and pp. 97–99 in Volume II, but shown as pp. 217–9 in pdf file for 30 March 1896.

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