International Journal of Education and Social Science (IJESS)

Athens, the capital of Greece, has had the opportunity of hosting the Olympic Games twice: in 1896 and in 2004. Selecting Athens to host the Games has had beneficial effects for the city in many areas, including culture. Indeed, investments made in this area have led to the creation of works of art of exceptional quality in painting, sculpture, and architecture. Promoting cultural projects and activities in the cities hosting Olympic Games has been one of the top priorities of the International Olympic Committee and in particular of Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games. The blending of sport and culture has always been one of the fundamental principles of the Olympic Movement. The first modern Olympic Games held in Athens (1896) implemented the first great sports project, the Panathenaic Stadium, which was at the same time a cultural project of particular significance. The monument’s high aesthetics, its considerable historical significance, and the rare beauty of its morphology have made it the most important cultural legacy in the history of the Olympic Games. In 2004, Athens acquired a new Olympic Stadium, with an amazing architectural composition as a roof, a unique masterpiece designed by architect Santiago Calatrava. In the meantime, on the occasion of the Olympic Games, other artists, painters and sculptors, have created works of art which, for specific reasons, could be included in the category of “Olympic Art”, a category having its own features and characteristics.