Peace and Friendship Stadium

Stadio Eirinis kai Filias
SEF
Location	Faliro, Piraeus, Greece
Coordinates	37°56′32.91″N 23°40′02.27″E
Broke ground	1983
Opened	March 1985
Renovated	2002-2004
Owner	Greek Ministry of Culture, General Secretariat of Sports
Surface	Parquet
Construction cost	€ 25 million euros (1983) € 7.3 million euros (2004)
Capacity	Basketball: 14,850 (fan seating) 14,905 (including VIP seating) 16,000-17,000 (with temporary seating) Concerts: 17,000
Tenants
Olympiacos Piraeus (1992-present)

The Stadio Eirinis kai Filias (Greek:Στάδιο Ειρήνης και Φιλίας, Peace and Friendship Stadium), 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 Olympiacos Piraeus. In addition to basketball, its multi-purpose main arena is also able to host athletics, gymnastics, volleyball, handball, ice skating, concerts, conventions and exhibitions.

History

The arena was built by Thymios Papagiannis and Associates and opened in the year 1985 and it has since hosted basketball events such as the final stage of the 1987 FIBA European Championship and the preliminary stages of the 1998 FIBA World Championship. In November 1991, the arena won the Golden Award architecture award from IAKS, the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities. It also hosted the indoor volleyball tournament during the 2004 Summer Olympics. Scorpions held their last concert in Greece at the stadium, on October 6, 2010 during their Get Your Sting And Blackout Tour.

2004 Athens Olympics

The arena needed to be renovated prior to the 2004 Athens Olympics and renovations for the Olympics commenced in April 2002, and were completed on June 30, 2004. The new upgraded and remodeled stadium was officially re-opened on August 11, 2004, shortly before the opening of the Olympic Games. Remodeling was done by an engineering firm in Athens known as Fasma ltd owned by some of the original design team of 1983. Project management of the low currents was coordinated by Dimitrios Routsolias. After the renovations were completed, the arena's seating capacity was reduced from the original 17,000 seats to 12,171 seats for the Olympics. This was due to numerous new features and upgrades being added to the arena, so the entire arena was not made available to the public.

Olympiacos Piraeus B.C.

Olympiacos and Entente Orléanaise warm up before a Euroleague game at Peace and Friendship Stadium.

Peace and Friendship Stadium SEF is the home court for the Greek League professional basketball club Olympiacos Piraeus B.C. In the year 2008, the arena was upgraded by the club with a new basketball court and in the year 2009, it was upgraded by the club with a new overhanging mid-court electronic jumbotron. For home matches of the Olympiacos basketball club, for which the SEF arena is their regular home court, the seating capacity for basketball games is 14,850 permanent seats (14,905 counting VIP seats), and the arena can hold between 16,000-17,000 for basketball matches with temporary seating if needed. This is because there is a lot of open space around the basketball court where additional tiers of seating can be added when needed.

Events hosted

• Basketball
  • 1998 FIBA World Championship Preliminary Phase
  • 1987 FIBA European Championship
  • European Champions' Cup Final (1985)
  • European Champions' Cup Final Four (1993)
  • Cup Winners' Cup Final (1989)

• Volleyball
  • World Championships (1994)
  • European Championships (1995)
  • Teams European Cup Final Four (1992 & 1993)
  • Cup Winners' Cup Final Four (1996)
  • Top Teams Cup Final Four (2005)
  • Volleyball at the 2004 Summer Olympics tournament during the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics

• Athletics
  • European Indoor Championships (1985)

• Wrestling - World Cup (1988) and Championships (1999)
  • European Championships (1986)

• Gymnastics - World Championships (1991)
  • European Championships (1990)

• Weightlifting -
  • World Championships (1999)

• Kick-boxing
  • Iron Challenge(a single match between Michalis Zambidis and the turkish champion, broadcasted live by ANT1 and attended by numerous celebrities,2011)

External links

• Official Site
• Peace and Friendship Stadium SEF @ Stadia.gr

Events and tenants
Preceded by Scandinavium Gothenburg	European Indoor Championships in Athletics Venue 1985	Succeeded by Palacio de Deportes de la CAM Madrid
Preceded by Patinoire des Vernets Geneva	FIBA European Champions Cup Final Venue 1985	Succeeded by Budapest Sportcsarnok Budapest
Preceded by Schleyerhalle Stuttgart	EuroBasket Final Venue 1987	Succeeded by Dom Sportova Zagreb
Preceded by Palais des Sports Grenoble	FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup Final Venue 1989	Succeeded by Palasport di Firenze Florence
Preceded by Abdi İpekçi Arena Istanbul	FIBA European Champions Cup Final Venue 1993	Succeeded by Yad Eliyahu Sports Hall Tel Aviv