| Alexandrio Arena |
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All
photographs featured on this page are presented in smaller size.
You may enlarge any of them and see it in full size by simply clicking on it. |
| Capacity: 4,800 |
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Location:
The arena is located in Thessaloniki, 500 km north of Athens. Thessaloniki
has an international airport, but you may also get there by train.
Alexandrio is situated in the heart of the city, on the grounds of
the International Trade Fair. To find the arena, just walk along Egnatia
Street, which runs between the university campus and the Fair and
you will easily spot it. Getting there by bus is also very simple,
as almost every city bus stops somewhere near the Fair and Alexandrio
Arena.
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| Built in: 1966 (Latest redevelopment in 2004) |
| Home of: Aris B.C. (A1 Division), Maccabi Thessaloniki B.C. (C Division) |
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More
data: The arena is named after Alexander the Great, ancient king
of Macedonia. It is also commonly referred to as "Palais des Sports"
(Sports Palace, in French). Its shape is circular, but its stands
are horseshoe-like. The reason for this is a small auxiliary basketball
court behind one of the baskets. Alexandrio was the first big indoor
hall built in Greece, and remained the biggest until 1985, when the
Peace and Friendship Stadium
was constructed.
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Being
part of the International Trade Fair, it has served many - other than
sports - purposes. It has also hosted many international basketball
events. It was the common home of Aris B.C. and PAOK B.C. for many
years. The games between the two in Alexandrio were always something
special. However, in 2000 PAOK moved to their new arena.
At the same time, the state
of Alexandrio had made it evident that the ageing arena was in urgent
need of something more than a simple facelift. This was decided in
early 2003 and works began a few months later.
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They
involved reconstruction of all the building's external and internal
areas. Apart from what is directly visible to everybody, other works
included new electromechanichal, air-conditioning and audiovisual
facilities. New seats, CCTV and new lighting were also installed.
Nevertheless, all these works resulted in lower capacity (4,800 compared to 5,576) for Alexandrio Arena, which reopened its gates in late 2004. Finally, it should be noted that Aris have been granted exclusive use of the arena until 2024, following a decision by the State. Alexandrio Arena is owned by the General Secretariat of Sports. |
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All internal photographs of Alexandrio Arena are the kind offer of
Vangelis Pavlopoulos
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