OAKA Stadium, in full Olympic Athletic Center of Athens “Spiros Louis”, got built between 1980 and 1982, and opened on the 8th of September 1982 with the European Athletics Championships.
The stadium was named after Spiros Louis, Greek winner of the first Olympic marathon in 1896.
One year later, in 1983, OAKA Stadium hosted the European Cup final between Hamburger SV and Juventus (1-0). In 1987, the stadium hosted the Cup Winners’ Cup final between Ajax and Lokomotiv Leipzig (1-0).
In 1984, Panathinaikos moved into OAKA after their Leoforos Stadium had fallen into disrepair. AEK used the stadium between 1985 and 1987, but then decided to move back to their Nea Filadelfeia.
In 1994, OAKA Stadium hosted their second European Cup final, this time contested between AC Milan and Barcelona (4-0).
Panathinaikos moved back to the upgraded Leoforos in 2000, and soon after works started to redevelop OAKA Stadium for the 2004 Olympics. Its most striking new feature was the roof designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
During the games, the stadium hosted, among others, the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics events.
After the Olympics, both AEK and Panathinaikos moved back into the stadium as their own stadiums had again fallen into disrepair and failed to pass safety requirements.
