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 Interactive map of Telekom Center Athens | |
| Location | Athens Olympic Sports Complex,Marousi,Athens, Greece |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°02′16″N23°47′05″E / 38.037862°N 23.784676°E /38.037862; 23.784676 |
| Public transit |   Eirini |
| Owner | Panathinaikos B.C. |
| Operator | Panathinaikos B.C. |
| Capacity | Gymnastics: 17,600 Basketball: 18,300[1] |
| Surface | Glass floor |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1994 |
| Renovated | 2002–2004 (Olympic Games) 2023–2024 |
| Construction cost | 15-18 million € for the current renovation |
| Architect | Santiago Calatrava (2004 renovation) Populous (current renovation) |
| General contractor | Aktor S.A. |
| Tenants | |
| Greece men's national basketball team (1995-present) Panathinaikos B.C. (1995-present) | |
Telekom Center Athens,[2] also dubbedT-Center Athens, and previously known as OAKA Basketball Arena, is part of theSpyros Louis Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (Greek:O.A.K.A. «Σπύρος Λούης»). It was completed in 1994 and is the largest indoor venue in Greece. It was used for sporting events at the2004 Summer Olympics. The venue is located inMarousi, a northern suburb of Athens. During its construction, it was considered to be one of the biggest and most modernindoor sports arenas in all of Europe.
The 18,300-capacity arena[1] is accompanied by an adjacent training facility, and a parking lot.
In 2023,Panathinaikos B.C. signed an agreement with the Greek state for a 49-year concession of the asset,[3] making the club the sole tenant and binding it to invest in the renovation of the asset's infrastructure. The club has since transferred the responsibility of managing the venue to White Veil S.A., a company which specializes in venue and facilities management, and is also owned by Dimitris Giannakopoulos.
In August 2025, a 5-year deal between White Veil S.A. and Cosmote Telekom S.A. (a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom A.G.) was officially announced, for the rebranding of the entire venue as Telekom Center Athens.[4]
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The Olympic Indoor Hall is notable for its distinctiveA-frame roof that features four huge pillars, each of which is 35 meters tall, that stand 108 meters apart from each other. According to the Greek Ministry of Sports,[5] it is the largest indoor sporting arena of its kind in the world. The arena is also constructed in a unique way so that an abundant amount of natural light comes into the arena during the day.[6]
The arena seats up to 17,600 forgymnastics events, although only 12,500 seats were made publicly available forthe gymnastics competition at the2004 Olympics. It seats up to 19,443 forbasketball games,[7][8] which includes 300 seats for media members,[9] and 189 seats for VIPs.[10]
A large scale arena renovation was completed in 2004, for the2004 Summer Olympics.
Thearena was used forartistic gymnastics andtrampolining, and also hosted the finals of thebasketball matches at the2004 Summer Olympics.[11] Renovation of the building for the Olympics was completed on 30 June 2004, and it was officially reopened on 10 August 2004, shortly before the beginning of the games.
The Indoor Hall is the regular home court for theGreek Basket League professionalbasketballclubPanathinaikos. It is also the primary home court of the seniorGreek National Basketball Team.
The arena was used to host the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals stages of the1998 FIBA World Championship. It will host the group phase matches for theEuroBasket 2029.
On 4 and 6 May 2007, the Indoor Hall hosted theEuroLeague2006–07 season'sFinal Four, the semifinals andfinals rounds of Europe's principal pro club competition in basketball, which saw hometown favourite Panathinaikos win the title.
It will host again in the 2026 edition.
On 9 December 2007,FIBA announced that the Olympic Indoor Hall was selected as the host of the2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the2008 Summer Olympic Games.[12] At the qualifying tournament, hosts and favouritesGreece, along with theGerman andCroatian national basketball teams, qualified for the final 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament.[13]
The2018 Basketball Champions League Final Four was held at OAKA Arena in Athens from May 4–6. Host teamAEK Athens emerged victorious, defeatingAS Monaco 100–94 in the final.[14] This triumph secured AEK’s first BCL title and their third European trophy. Notably, exactly 50 years earlier, in1968, AEK won the first-ever European title for any Greek team by defeatingSlavia Prague in the same city, Athens, in front of 80,000 spectators atPanathenaic Stadium. The 2018 victory was a historic moment, celebrating half a century since that groundbreaking achievement in Greek basketball history.[15]
The2020 Basketball Champions League Final Four was held at OAKA Arena in Athens from September 30 to October 4, following a postponement due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.San Pablo Burgos claimed their first BCL title, defeatingAEK Athens 85–74 in the final. The event was played without fans due to health restrictions.[16]
In 2023, Panathinaikos B.C. and the Greek government reached agreement for the exclusive use of the Athens gym for the next 49 years.[17]
On 18 and 20 May 2006, the Hall hosted the51st Eurovision Song Contest, that was held inAthens, after Greece's victory at the Song Contest in 2005. There were 15,000 seats available for spectators, both for the semifinal and the grand final.
Some of the entertainers who have performed at the arena includeBryan Adams,Maluma,Rotting Christ,Pearl Jam,Enrique Iglesias,Depeche Mode,Jennifer Lopez,Björk,Beyoncé,Slayer,Roger Waters,Aloha from Hell,Tokio Hotel,Helena Paparizou,Sakis Rouvas,Anna Vissi andCigarettes After Sex.
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | FIBA EuroBasket Final Venue 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIBA Intercontinental Cup Final Venue 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIBA World Cup Final Venue 1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest Venue 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | EuroLeague Final Four Venue 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIBA Champions League Final Four Venue 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | EuroLeague Final Four Venue 2020 | Succeeded by |
38°02′16″N23°47′05″E / 38.037862°N 23.784676°E /38.037862; 23.784676
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