P.A.O.K. Sports Arena

PAOK Sports Arena
Το Παλατάκι

PAOK Sports Arena.
Location Pylaia, Thessaloniki, Greece
Coordinates 40°33′56.18″N 22°58′52.51″E / 40.5656056°N 22.9812528°E / 40.5656056; 22.9812528Coordinates: 40°33′56.18″N 22°58′52.51″E / 40.5656056°N 22.9812528°E / 40.5656056; 22.9812528
Owner P.A.O.K. B.C.
Capacity Basketball & Volleyball:
8,500 (fan seats)
10,200
(with media seats and standing room)
Concerts:
10,200
Record attendance 10,237
(PAOK VC vs Olympiacos VC, April 2015)
Surface Parquet
Construction
Broke ground March 18, 1990
Opened 2000
Renovated 2016
Tenants
P.A.O.K. B.C.
(2000–present)
P.A.O.K. V.C.
(2002–present)
P.A.O.K. H.C.
(2009–present)

P.A.O.K. Sports Arena (Greek: Κλειστό γήπεδο ΠΑΟΚ) is an indoor arena that is located in Pylaia, Thessaloniki, Greece, and it hosts the P.A.O.K. B.C., P.A.O.K. V.C., and P.A.O.K. H.C. departments of the multi-sports club P.A.O.K. It was opened in 2000, and in the same year, it hosted the EuroLeague and Greek Cup final-fours. It is built on land donated by Ioannis Dedeoglou, for which P.A.O.K. B.C. holds an annual tournament in his honor. It has 8,500[1] seats for fans and guests, and has 502 parking spots. The capacity for basketball and volleyball games with standing room, and for concerts is 10,200.

The P.A.O.K. volleyball department, P.A.O.K. V.C., had to wait until 2002, to begin using the stadium. The arena also includes a training facility, club offices, shops, and a museum dedicated to PAOK basketball club. The arena was renovated in 2016.[2]

Directions to the stadium

The arena is located in southeast Thessaloniki, Greece, in the Pylea borough, 7 km from the city centre, and around 1 km from Thessaloniki's International Airport. The arena lies 300 meters off the junction, on a small hill. Bus lines #69, #72, and #76 provide public transport to the arena.

Construction of PAOK Sports Arena

PAOK B.C. had to wait 10 years from the laying of the arena's foundations (on March 18, 1990), and 12 years from the time Ioannis Dedeoglou donated the land (June 17, 1988), until the sports arena was complete.

Ioannis and his brother, Thanasis Dedeoglou, first began to think about a new major European sports arena in Thessaloniki in 1991, by donating land to PAOK. A proposal to host the 2000 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four in the new arena, increased the motivation to complete the stadium. FIBA Europe accepted the offer, and the construction was finished in time. The stadium also hosted, earlier that year, the 2000 Greek Cup Final Four, as its first major event.

Tournaments held

First Ioannis Dedeoglou Tournament

The first tournament took place in 2004, and four teams competed. They were Hemofarm, Panathinaikos, PAOK, and Ülker. The first games took place on September 24, 2004, in which Panathinaikos won against Hemofarm, by a score of 83-79, while PAOK beat Ülker, by a score of 77-57. The very next day, Hemofarm vs. Ulker and PAOK vs. Panathinaikos took place, to decide who would earn the final positions. Hemofarm beat Ulker by a score of 84-74, for its third-place finish, and PAOK beat Panathinaikos in a close game, by a score of 79-76, for first place.

Second Ioannis Dedeoglou Tournament

The second tournament was held in September 2005. The teams that participated were AEK, FC Barcelona, Red Star Belgrade, and PAOK. On the first day of the tournament, fans got to see a Greek derby between PAOK and AEK, which PAOK won by a score of 77-72. The next game of the day took place between Barcelona and Red Star, in which Barcelona won 77-67. The following day, AEK was pitted against Red Star, and lost 54-75. The final was a real feast for the eyes, as it finished with both teams tied at 87 points; it was a great game, in which Barcelona ended up beating PAOK, in overtime, by a score of 102-101.

EuroLeague 2000 Final Four

PAOK Sports Arena hosted the 2000 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four.

Concerts


A number of concerts also take place in the arena. Artists that have performed at the arena include the Pet Shop Boys and Sakis Rouvas. On the 18 September 2010, The Prodigy performed at the arena, with an attendance of 10,000 people.

Breakdown of Matches


Final

Third place

FC Barcelona (Spain) - Efes Pilsen 69-75 (Turkey)

Semi-Finals

Preceded by
Olympiahalle
Munich
FIBA Euroleague
Final Four
Venue

2000
Succeeded by
Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy
Paris
Preceded by
Sports Palace Cosmos
Belgorod
CEV Champions League
Final Venue

2005
Succeeded by
PalaLottomatica
Rome

Facts

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.