After years of bitter fighting between archaeologists and Greece's National Olympic Committee, Athens' Panathenaic marble stadium finally opened its doors to the public Thursday.
The stadium, the only major sports arena in the world built entirely of while marble, served as the site of the first modern Olympics in 1896.
For years the stadium was closed to the public on the request of the country's powerful archaeological committee which feared an influx of tourists and the local public would damage the site.
"Today we are returning centuries back to unravel the history of the Panathenaic Stadium...it is a huge dream come true," said Spyros Kapralos, the president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
In ancient times the stadium, which had wooden seating, was used to host the athletic portion of the Panathenaic Games in honour of the Goddess Athena.
It was refurbished with marble by the archon Lycurgus in 329 BC and was enlarged with a seating capacity of 50,000 by Herodes Atticus in 140 AD.
The stadium was constructed long before dimensions for athletic venues were standardised and its track and layout follow the ancient hairpin-like model.
In more recent years the stadium has often been used to honour the homecoming of victorious Greek athletes, most notbaly the Greek national football team after its victory at 2004 European Football Championship and the World Athletics Championships in 1997.
In the 2004 Olynpic Games, the stadium hosted the archery competition and the finish of the marathon.
Source: Earth Times
