PAOK Sports Arena
Encyclopedia
P.A.O.K. Sports Arena (in Greek
: Κλειστό γήπεδο ΠΑΟΚ) is located in Thessaloniki
, Greece
and it hosts the P.A.O.K. B.C. and P.A.O.K. V.C. departments of P.A.O.K. It was opened in the year 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 seats for fans and guests (8,700 counting media seating) and has 502 parking spots. The P.A.O.K. volleyball department P.A.O.K. V.C. had to wait until 2002 to begin using the stadium.
, Greece
, located in the Pylea
borough
, 7 km from the city centre and around 1 km from Thessaloniki's International Airport. The arena lies 300m off the junction, on a small hill. Bus lines #69, #72 or #76 provide public transport to the arena.
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 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 Greek Cup Final Four, as its first major event.
, Panathinaikos BC, PAOK BC
, and Ulker
. The first games took place on September 24, 2004, in which Panathinaikos won against Hemofarm 83-79 while PAOK beat Ulker
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 84-74 for its third place finish and PAOK beat Panathinaikos in a close game of 79-76 for first place.
, FC Barcelona
, Red Star Belgrade
, and PAOK
. The first day of the tournament fans got to see a Greek derby between PAOK and AEK, which PAOK won 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 put against Red Star and lost 54-75. The final was a real feast for the eyes, it finished with both teams tied at 87 points; it was a great game in which Barcelona ended up beating PAOK in overtime 102-101.
PAOK Sports Arena hosted the Euroleague
Final Four in 2000, during the Euroleague's inaugural year.
A number of concerts also take place in the arena. Artists that have performed include Pet Shop Boys
and Sakis Rouvas
.
On the 18th of September in 2010, The Prodigy
performed with an attendance of 10,000 people.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Κλειστό γήπεδο ΠΑΟΚ) is located in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and it hosts the P.A.O.K. B.C. and P.A.O.K. V.C. departments of P.A.O.K. It was opened in the year 2000 and in the same year it hosted the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
and Greek Cup
Greek basketball Cup
The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup is an annual pro basketball national cup competition. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation .-History and format:...
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 seats for fans and guests (8,700 counting media seating) and has 502 parking spots. The P.A.O.K. volleyball department P.A.O.K. V.C. had to wait until 2002 to begin using the stadium.
Directions to the stadium
The arena is in southeast ThessalonikiThessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, located in the Pylea
Pylea
In the fictional universe established by the television series Angel, Pylea is a world in an alternate dimension where demons are the dominant life form and humans are treated as animals to be used as beasts of burden or even food...
borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
, 7 km from the city centre and around 1 km from Thessaloniki's International Airport. The arena lies 300m off the junction, on a small hill. Bus lines #69, #72 or #76 provide public transport to the arena.
Construction of PAOK Sports Arena
PAOK BCPAOK BC
P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki B.C. is the professional basketball department of the Greek multi-sports club P.A.O.K., originally founded in 1926 and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues...
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 Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
Final Four in the new Arena, increased the motivation to complete the stadium. FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...
accepted the offer and the construction was finished in time. The stadium also hosted earlier that year the Greek Cup Final Four, as its first major event.
First Ioannis Dedeoglou Tournament
The first tournament took place in 2004 and four teams competed. They were KK HemofarmKK Hemofarm
Košarkaški klub Hemofarm is a professional basketball club from Vršac, Serbia. The club currently participates in the Adriatic League and Serbian League...
, Panathinaikos BC, PAOK BC
PAOK BC
P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki B.C. is the professional basketball department of the Greek multi-sports club P.A.O.K., originally founded in 1926 and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues...
, and Ulker
Alpella B.K.
Trabzonspor is a professional basketball team based in the city of Trabzon in Turkey. It is branch of the multi-sports club of Trabzonspor. The club was established in 2008...
. The first games took place on September 24, 2004, in which Panathinaikos won against Hemofarm 83-79 while PAOK beat Ulker
Alpella B.K.
Trabzonspor is a professional basketball team based in the city of Trabzon in Turkey. It is branch of the multi-sports club of Trabzonspor. The club was established in 2008...
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 84-74 for its third place finish and PAOK beat Panathinaikos in a close game of 79-76 for first place.
Second Ioannis Dedeoglou Tournament
The second tournament was held in September 2005. The teams that participated were AEKAEK Athens BC
AEK BC , the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek professional sports basketball club based in Athens, Greece. The club was established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War ....
, FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona Bàsquet
FC Barcelona Bàsquet, known as FC Barcelona Regal for sponsorship reasons, is a Spanish professional basketball club. It is part of the FC Barcelona sports club and was founded on August 24, 1926 which makes it the oldest club in Liga ACB. The club competes in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto...
, Red Star Belgrade
KK Crvena zvezda
Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name Crvena zvezda means Red Star and it's part of the Red Star Belgrade sports society ....
, and PAOK
PAOK BC
P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki B.C. is the professional basketball department of the Greek multi-sports club P.A.O.K., originally founded in 1926 and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues...
. The first day of the tournament fans got to see a Greek derby between PAOK and AEK, which PAOK won 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 put against Red Star and lost 54-75. The final was a real feast for the eyes, it finished with both teams tied at 87 points; it was a great game in which Barcelona ended up beating PAOK in overtime 102-101.
Euroleague 2000 Final Four
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
Final Four in 2000, during the Euroleague's inaugural year.
Concerts
----A number of concerts also take place in the arena. Artists that have performed include Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
and Sakis Rouvas
Sakis Rouvas
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas II , often referred to mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek musician, television and film artist, businessman, and former pole vaulter who is one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time in Greece and Cyprus...
.
On the 18th of September in 2010, The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
performed with an attendance of 10,000 people.
Final
- Panathinaikos Athens (GRE) - Maccabi Tel-AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv (basketball)Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv B.C. is a professional Israeli basketball club based in Tel Aviv. The team plays in three leagues: the Euroleague, the Israeli Basketball Super League, and the Adriatic League....
(ISRIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
) 73-67
Semi-Finals
- Panathinikos Athens (GRE) - Efes Pilsen (TURTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) 81-71 - Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR) - FC Barcelona (ESPSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) 65-51
Facts
- The stadium's inaugural game was the semifinal between AEK Athens BCAEK Athens BCAEK BC , the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek professional sports basketball club based in Athens, Greece. The club was established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War ....
and Maroussi BCMaroussi BCMaroussi Athens B.C. , is a Greek professional basketball club that is based in Maroussi, a northern suburb of Athens, Greece. The club's full name is Gymnastikos Syllogos Amarousiou. The club competes in the Greek League. Its long-time owner was Armodios Vovos of the BVIC construction firm...
. AEKAEK Athens BCAEK BC , the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek professional sports basketball club based in Athens, Greece. The club was established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War ....
qualified and went on to win the CupGreek basketball CupThe Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup is an annual pro basketball national cup competition. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation .-History and format:...
. - The first game featuring PAOKPAOK BCP.A.O.K. Thessaloniki B.C. is the professional basketball department of the Greek multi-sports club P.A.O.K., originally founded in 1926 and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues...
, took place on March 17, 2000, against Panathinaikos BC. - PAOK player Anatoli Zurbenko scored the first points inside PAOK Sports Arena.
- PAOK Sports Arena is the largest privately-owned basketball stadium in Greece. Both the Olympic Indoor HallOlympic Indoor HallThe O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall which is part of the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens "Spiros Louis" , was completed in 1995 and was the largest indoor venue in use for sporting events at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. It is located in the suburb of Maroussi...
and the Peace and Friendship StadiumPeace and Friendship StadiumThe Stadio Eirinis kai Filias , known as S.E.F., is a multi-use indoor sports arena that is located in Faliro, Piraeus, Athens, Greece. It is the central venue of the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex and is mostly known for being the long-time home court of the famous Euroleague basketball club...
(home grounds of Panathinaikos BC and Olympiakos BC, respectively) are larger, yet they are property of the Greek State.