Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre

The Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre is a complex at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Marousi, Greece, consisting of two outdoor pools and one indoor pool, that was built for the 1991 Mediterranean Games. It was refurbished and expanded for the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Paralympics. The larger of the two outdoor pools, which seats 11,500 spectators, hosted swimming and water polo events. The smaller pool, which hosted synchronized swimming,had the capacity for 5.300 people. The indoor pool also hosted the water polo finals and diving and the swimming during the Paralympics had capacity for another 6.300 persons.

Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre

Athens Olympic Aquatic Center in 2011
Building information
Full name	Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre
City	Marousi, Greece
Capacity	11,500 (larger pool) 5,300 (smaller pool) 6,200 (indoor pool)

The outdoor pool was the subject of significant controversy during the run-up to the Olympic Games. At the bidding process,the Bidding Committee and the Greek Government promised that the outdoor pools would gain a cover to meet the necessary conditions requested by FINA at the time. But,due to the inflation of the Game's works and the constant delays, it was decided that the planned coverage would have to wait for later, which until 2023 has not happened. According to preliminary assessments, the roof would serve to protect both athletes and spectators from the scorching sun and summer heat of Athens, which were even worse in the pools because of their location in the west. However, this ended up not happening because of inflated costs and constant delays in other works that were more urgent and there being no option, FINA approved the holding of events in outdoor pools that received temporary bleachers to reach the minimum required capacity these bleachers were higher than the fixed ones and provided shade for the outdoor pools and other areas of the complex,but not for the present public.

Since 2005, outdoor pools have been used to host swimming programs during the period between the late spring to the early winter. During the high winter period the programs were held on the indoor pools.[1]

In 2023, the two outdoor pools remain wide open to the sky.[2]