Major Sports Park Opens in Europe’s Largest Urban Regeneration Project in Athens

The Ellinikon, spearheaded by LAMDA Development, has reached a major milestone with the opening of The Ellinikon Sports Park, the project’s first large-scale public sports and wellness destination in Athens, Greece.

With a total surface of six million square meters, the Ellinikon is reported to be the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. It marks a significant step in transforming the former Athens International Airport into a next-generation coastal city, while construction continues across residential neighborhoods, retail destinations, and the 200-meter-high, 50-story Riviera Tower on the Athens Riviera in Ellinikon.

Spanning 287,000 square meters, the Ellinikon Sports Park has been designed as an open, accessible destination designed for high-performance and recreational athletes alike, as well as for families and everyday Athenians. It also aims to reinforce sport, wellness, and public space as defining elements of the project’s vision for a 15-minute city.

The park features a completed track and field complex, football (soccer) pitches, and a throwing field, alongside free-play courts for tennis and basketball, athletes’ dorms, flexible recreation areas, and 115,000 square meters of expansive landscaped and open green space.

Earlier this year, the Sports Park demonstrated its ability to host world-class events when it welcomed thousands of spectators for the EKO Super Special Stage of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship Acropolis Rally. The venue aims to accommodate further international competitions, community programming, and public events in the future.

Athens already hosts major sporting events, including the Athens Authentic Marathon (November), Greek Super League football matches and games in the Greek Basketball League. The city has also been touted as a potential host city for the inaugural, standalone World Athletics Marathon Championships from 2030.

“The delivery of the first phase of the Sports Park to the public marks an important and highly symbolic milestone for The Ellinikon,” said LAMDA Development CEO Odisseas Athanasiou. “This is the moment when The Ellinikon truly opens its doors to the public, giving citizens the opportunity to experience first-hand the first tangible elements of the new way of life taking shape within Europe’s largest urban regeneration project.

“For all of us, this is a major step in a journey that began years ago, driven by vision, perseverance, and a deep belief in our goal.”

As the Sports Park opens its doors, construction continues to accelerate across every district of The Ellinikon, with residential neighborhoods expanding, landmark retail destinations advancing toward completion, and Riviera Tower reaching its final height.

Expanding Residential Neighborhoods

The Ellinikon’s residential portfolio continues to grow with the recent launch of The Courtyards, within the Little Athens neighborhood. Designed by AUDO Architects, the development comprises 324 contemporary residences across 11 buildings, featuring one- to four-bedroom homes, penthouses with rooftop terraces, and ground-floor residences with swimming pools or jacuzzis.

The first properties are expected to be delivered in early 2027, followed by the phased delivery of additional residences across the next 12 to 18 months.

Retail Destinations

Meanwhile, Riviera Galleria, a premium retail and dining destination designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is scheduled to be completed in 2027. Spanning 23,000-square-meters, it seeks to blend international and Greek fashion, lifestyle and dining concepts.

Elsewhere within The Ellinikon, construction is now underway on The Ellinikon Mall, designed by international architectural office Aedas, which has set an anticipated completion target of 2029. Set to become one of Greece’s largest and most advanced retail destinations, the project spans 100,000 square meters of gross leasable area, and will integrate retail, dining, entertainment and green public space.