Social events

OPENING CEREMONY

On June 24th, at 20.00 all delegations will be gathered at Kallimarmaro Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the 43rd International Children's Games. The Opening Ceremony will start at 21.00. More details about the schedule of the event will be provided during the Technical Meeting, taking place at Zappeion Megaron, on June 23rd, at 21.00 hrs.

The Panathinaikon (Panathenaic) Stadium (also known as the Kallimarmaron, or the "beautifully marbled"), at the foot of Ardittos Hill in Athens, is the only major stadium in the world built fully of white marble (from Mount Penteli).

In ancient times it was used to host the athletic portion of the Panathenaic Games in honour of the Goddess Athena. During classical times the stadium had wooden seating. It was remade in marble by the archon Lycurgus in 329 BC and was enlarged and renovated by Herod Atticus in 140 AD, to a capacity of 50,000. The remnants of the ancient structure were excavated in 1870. It was fully rebuilt in 1895 in order to host the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, with funding provided by the magnate George Averoff (whose marble statue now stands at the entrance) and on designs by architects Anastasios Metaxas and Ernst Ziller. The stadium was built long before dimensions for athletics venues were standardized and its track and layout follow the ancient hairpin-like model. It can seat about 80,000 spectators.

In more recent years this huge horseshoe-shaped stadium has been often used to honour the homecoming of victorious Greek athletes, most notably the Greek national football team after its victory at the 2004 European Football Championship and also the opening ceremony of the World Athletics Championships in 1997, on a concept by composer Vangelis Papathanasiou. In the 2004 Olympic Games, the Panathinaiko Stadium hosted the archery competition, and served as the finish site for the men's and women's Marathon races. 

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF ACROPOLIS (JUNE 25TH & JUNE  26TH)

The greatest and finest sanctuary of ancient Athens, dedicated primarily to its patron, the goddess Athena, dominates the centre of the modern city from the rocky crag known as the Acropolis. The most celebrated myths of ancient Athens, its greatest religious festivals, earliest cults and several decisive events in the city's history are all connected to this sacred precinct. The monuments of the Acropolis stand in harmony with their natural setting. These unique masterpieces of ancient architecture combine different orders and styles of Classical art in a most innovative manner and have influenced art and culture for many centuries. The Acropolis of the fifth century BC is the most accurate reflection of the splendour, power and wealth of Athens at its greatest peak, the golden age of Perikles

CLOSING CEREMONY

June 27^th, 20.00, Zappeion Megaron

More details about the schedule of the event will be provided during the Technical Meeting, taking place at Zappeion Megaron, on June 23rd, at 21.00 hrs.