Olympic-Cities.doc

Olympic Cities
Four Greek cities - Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklio and Volos – have the seldom honour of being the Olympic Cities that host the football tournament at Games-time. There is one selected tournament ground at each of the four: the Panthessaliko Stadium at Volos, the Pankritio Stadium at Heraklio, the Kaftanzoglio Stadium at Thessaloniki, and the Pampeloponnisiako Stadium at Patras.
The Olympic Cities will respond to the requirements of the sport and of the Olympic Family to the utmost of their ability. Operationally and visually they will undergo a general facelift. The aim of OCOG ATHENS 2004 and the public bodies involved is primarily to provide services to the visitors of the cities – both spectators and athletes - without disrupting the everyday rhythm of the residents’ life.
Thessaloniki
The Olympic Football at Thessaloniki will be between 11 and 27 August 2004.
The entrance to the city, the main thoroughfares, and the streets conducting traffic to and away from the venues will be decorated by ATHENS 2004 two months before the start of the Games.
ATHENS 2004 will also set up Info Points at selected locations in the city to provide public information.
Volos
The Olympic Football at Volos will be between 11 and 20 August 2004.
The entrance to the city, the main thoroughfares, and the streets conducting traffic to and away from the venues will be decorated by ATHENS 2004 two months. ATHENS 2004 will also set up Info Points at selected locations in the city and its suburbs to provide public information.
In a concerted effort to improve the look of the city, such measures will be taken as relocation of street markets, removal of abandoned cars, tidying up of industrial sites lying on the Olympic routes, and restrictions on building works.
The programme of cultural events for August 2004 put on by the Municipalities, Prefectures and other bodies is still to be finalised and incorporated in the final plans, but will be complete by the end of February 2004.
Heraklio
Heraklio will be hosting Olympic Football Tournament matches from 11 to 23 August 2004, in which a total of 20 teams will take part. Current plans provide for the first delegations to arrive in Heraklio on 7 August 2004.City Look
ATHENS 2004 will be responsible for the decoration of city entry points, the principal road arteries and the main routes to the Competition Venues.
ATHENS 2004 will install Info-Points at selected locations around the city and in the surrounding area, for the provision of information to the public.
Patras
Patras will be hosting Olympic Football Tournament matches from 11 to 23 August 2004, in which a total of 20 teams will take part.
City Look
ATHENS 2004 will be responsible for the decoration of city entry points, the principal road arteries and the main routes to the Competition Venues.
ATHENS 2004 will install Info-Points at selected locations around the city and in the surrounding area, for the provision of information to the public.