Peace and Friendship Stadium
The Peace and Friendship Stadium SEF (37°56′32.91″N 23°40′02.27″E / 37.942475°N 23.6672972°E / 37.942475; 23.6672972), known as S.E.F. after its Greek name (Stadio Erinis & Filias - Greek: Στάδιο Ειρήνης και Φιλίας) is an indoor arena located in Faliro that hosted indoor volleyball at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
The arena which was opened in 1985 had previously hosted various major international events, including the Final tournament of the 1987 Men's European Basketball Championships and preliminary games of the 1998 FIBA World Basketball Championships.
Renovations for the Olympics commenced in April 2002 and were completed on June 30, 2004. The new stadium was officially opened on August 11, 2004, shortly before the opening of the games. The venue's current regular seating capacity is 14,905 seats, while the regular capacity was 17,000 seats before the 2004 Summer Olympics renovation.
However, for home playoff matches of the Olympiacos basketball club, for which the SEF arena is their regular home court, the seating capacity can be increased to 16,000-17,000 with temporary seating.
Read more about this topic: Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex
Famous quotes containing the words peace, friendship and/or stadium:
“... in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply cant build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquillity will return again.”
—Anne Frank (19291945)
“Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes.”
—Anonymous.
“In their eyes I have seen
the pin men of madness in marathon trim
race round the track of the stadium pupil.”
—Patricia K. Page (b. 1916)