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The Panathinaiko or Panathenaic Stadium (also known as the Kallimarmaron, i.e. the "beautifully marbled") 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.
In more recent years this 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 the finish of the Marathon. The stadium was featured on all of the Summer Olympic medals introduced in the 2004 Games, and on the medals awarded at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
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