Olympic Stadium in Athens closed for urgent repairs after iconic roof found riddled with rust

By DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Government officials say a new inspection has been ordered at the stadium that hosted the 2004 Athens Olympics after rust was found along the iconic arched roof. The site was forced to close. The 70,000-seat Olympic Stadium and nearby Olympic Velodrome are covered by white-ribbed steel roofs designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. They are similar in style to work such as the Oculus Transportation Hub in downtown New York. It is the latest headache for Greek authorities in managing costly Olympic venues around the capital. Many of them remain underused or mothballed.