08/12/2026
We are looking forward to seeing it when the runners of the Athens Marathon, the Authentic, finish at this historic and beautiful stadium.
For the first time in roughly 120 years, workers began cleaning the marble surfaces of Athens' Panathenaic Stadium this morning, August 10, 2026. The project is sponsored by Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis through his company Capital Maritime and Trading Corp.
The Kallimarmaro, as the all-marble stadium is known, hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and remains one of the most recognized monuments in world sport. Its Pentelic marble surfaces had never undergone an organized restoration cleaning in the modern era.
The work is being carried out under the scientific supervision of architect Manolis Korres, official adviser to the Hellenic Olympic Committee, alongside accredited conservators from the Greek Ministry of Culture. The goal is to restore the marble's natural appearance while preserving the monument's authenticity.
Specialized modern conservation methods are being used, with protecting the marble as the primary concern. The Hellenic Olympic Committee confirmed the project fits within a broader effort to upgrade and maintain the stadium as a site of global cultural significance.
The Panathenaic Stadium, built entirely from Pentelic marble quarried from Mount Pentelicus in Attica, was reconstructed in its current form for the 1896 Athens Games. It is the only stadium in the world constructed entirely of marble and still hosts the finish of the Athens Classic Marathon each year.
