As the World Cup kicks off this week, The Ellinikon, Europe’s largest urban regeneration set on Athen’s former international airport, is gearing up to open its Sports Park this fall, marking a major milestone as progress accelerates across the smart city.
Spanning 287,000 square meters, the Sports Park will bring together football, tennis, and basketball facilities, a track-and-field arena, generous green space, and flexible areas for recreation and events, a new destination for professional athletes and local communities alike.
Ahead of its official opening, the park will host its first major public event on June 25, the EKO Super Special Stage, the curtain raiser to the EKO Acropolis Rally, round eight of the FIA World Rally Championship. The 1.86km asphalt stage runs head-to-head, two cars racing side by side, and is free and open to the public, with thousands of spectators expected. It’s an exciting demonstration of how the space is built to host both elite competition and large-scale public programming.
Designed as an open, accessible hub, the Sports Park is intended to serve top athletes, families and everyday Athenians – rethinking sport and wellness as shared civic infrastructure within a 15-minute city. The opening also signals continued momentum across The Ellinikon, where over 40 active construction sites are advancing in parallel. Upon completion, green space in Athens will double, delivering a striking before‑and‑after, and contributing roughly 2.5% of Greece’s total GDP.
