Athens, 22 July 2026
The Hellenic Growth Fund announces the completion of the transfer of the Schinias Olympic Rowing Centre from the Hellenic Growth Fund to the Greek State. The handover followed a request by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports to take over the administration and management of the Olympic venue.
Transferring the concession right to the Greek State is considered both necessary and beneficial to the public interest: owing to strict restrictions under current legislation, the scope for developing the property in partnership with private investors is extremely limited.
This marks the start of a new chapter in supporting sport, promoting sports education and protecting the natural environment, as the site is part of the NATURA 2000 network and lies within the Schinias–Marathon National Park.
The transfer was completed at a ceremony held at the Olympic Rowing Centre on Tuesday 21 July 2026, attended by the Minister of National Economy and Finance and President of the Eurogroup, Kyriakos Pierrakakis; the Deputy Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Giannis Vroutsis; the Secretary General for Sport, Giorgos Mavrotas; the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Isidoros Kouvelos; the Deputy CEO of Growthfund, Panagiotis Stampoulidis; and the CEO of the Hellenic Public Properties Company (ETAD), Iro Hatzigeorgiou.
The Minister of National Economy and Finance and President of the Eurogroup, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, said: “We are opening a new chapter for the Olympic Rowing Centre with its transfer from the Hellenic Growth Fund to the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports. Public property belongs to all Greeks. Every asset has value, but they do not all serve the same purpose, and there is no single recipe for making the most of them. The Olympic Rowing Centre is a case in point. It is an Olympic venue built to international standards, at the heart of the Schinias–Marathon National Park, in an area that forms part of the Natura 2000 network and is protected by a particularly strict legal framework. The best use of this site is to give it what it needs to do even better what it was built for: to serve sport; to offer modern, safe training conditions; to open the way for more young people; and to host major Greek and international events – all with full respect for Schinias’ unique natural environment. The value of Olympic infrastructure is judged over time, when, alongside the victories of the past, it prepares the victories of the future. That is the Olympic legacy we want for Schinias: an active venue that evolves together with Greek sport.”
The Deputy Minister for Sport, Giannis Vroutsis, highlighted the significance of the Ministry taking over the administration and management of the Rowing Centre: “This is a historic moment for Greek sport – a development of both substance and symbolism! We are taking over a venue tied to our country’s Olympic memory and to the efforts of athletes who have brought honor to Greece, as well as an area that belongs to the Natura 2000 network and is subject to special protection. We have a duty to protect both its sporting use and its natural environment. Sport and environmental responsibility must go hand in hand – with rules, with balance and with respect. History has been written here: at the Athens Olympic Games, Vasilis Polymeros and Nikos Skiathitis won Greek rowing’s first-ever Olympic medal, a bronze in the lightweight double sculls. For more than 20 years since then, the Rowing Centre has been the ‘home’ of the national rowing and canoe-kayak teams: a place of training, preparation and hard work for athletes who toiled every day, away from the spotlight, to wear the national colors and excel. They have given us five more Olympic medals, while their medals at European and World Championships – not only in the men’s and women’s categories but across all age groups – number in the dozens! Today we turn a page: the venue comes under the responsibility of the Ministry for Sport, ensuring organized administrative support, technical oversight, a stable operating plan and the hosting of competitions at national and international level. The extensive restoration work carried out by Alpha Bank, in partnership with the Hellenic Olympic Committee, has already breathed new life into the venue. Big issues in sport require synergies, and these partnerships will continue. I have spoken with Alpha Bank’s management, and the bank will continue to provide meaningful support to the Rowing Centre. Olympic venues are a sporting legacy. They are infrastructures that must operate, be maintained, give back to society and serve the purpose for which they were created. This is the policy choice of Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government.”
The President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Isidoros Kouvelos, said: “Today we are handing over a venue – and with it, a deeper message! We are handing over a new beginning, a promise that things of value can regain their rightful place; that decline is not destiny, and neglect is not the only way. For the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the condition into which the Schinias Olympic Rowing Centre had fallen in recent years was unacceptable. That is why we took the initiative to renovate it, with the support of Alpha Bank, achieving the excellent results we can all see today. Because our Olympic heritage is a responsibility, not just photographs and moments of glory. It is a daily struggle. It is the choice not to abandon something built with effort and national pride. And today, in this landscape, by this water that knows how to hold memories and open new paths, we can say that a long cycle of silence is ending and a new cycle of life is beginning.”
The CEO of the Hellenic Growth Fund, Giannis Papachristou, said of the transfer to the Greek State: “At the Hellenic Growth Fund, we are very pleased to have completed the transfer of the Schinias Olympic Rowing Centre to the Greek State, marking the start of a new era for this important Olympic venue. This transfer reflects our mission in practice: to manage public assets in the public interest and to create lasting economic and social value”.
The Deputy CEO of the Hellenic Growth Fund, Panagiotis Stampoulidis, said: “Management of the Schinias Olympic Rowing Centre by the Greek State creates the conditions for this important facility to keep serving sport, protect its distinctive natural character and remain open to society. For the Hellenic Growth Fund, this is the essence of managing public assets: preserving their value while turning it into tangible benefits for society”.
The CEO of ETAD, Iro Hatzigeorgiou, said of the transfer: “The handover of the Schinias Olympic Rowing Centre is the clearest proof that when institutions work together with a plan and a shared vision, Olympic venues can be given a second life. Our mission at ETAD is to create the right conditions for each facility to be managed by the most suitable body, in a way that ensures its sustainable operation and maximizes the value it returns to society. We hope the Schinias Olympic Rowing Centre will once again become a vibrant place for sport, training, events and inspiration for future generations of athletes, serving the purpose for which it was created for years to come”.
Because of its high ecological value, the Schinias area was designated a National Park by Presidential Decree of 22.06.2000 (Government Gazette 395/D/2000), which also defined zones, each with specific management and protection measures. The Olympic Rowing Centre falls within Zone B1 of the National Park, which under the Decree is designated for environmental education, research and sport.
In 2002, the Schinias National Park Management Body was established by Presidential Decree of 04.09.2002 (Government Gazette 793/D/2002); it has since been incorporated into the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA). Owing to the National Park’s special protection status, strict limits apply to the activities permitted at the Olympic Rowing Centre, and any construction within the venue must be approved by NECCA and by the Ministers of Environment and Energy and of Rural Development and Food.
The venue is currently used by the Hellenic Canoe-Kayak Federation and the Hellenic Rowing Federation. The Rowing Centre’s waters may be used for training in these sports and for national and international competitions.
About the Schinias Olympic Rowing Centre
The Schinias Olympic Rowing Centre was built for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. It covers a total area of 2,001,997.44 sq.m. within the Schinias–Marathon National Park, part of the Natura 2000 network and subject to a strict protection regime, in the Municipality of Marathon. The Rowing Centre lies in Zone B1 of the Park, where only sport, environmental education and research uses are permitted. It hosts national and international rowing and canoe-kayak training and competitions. It features eight international-standard racing lanes, a 2,250-metre competition lake, a 1,350-metre warm-up lake and stands seating a total of 14,000 spectators. It was renovated a few months ago by the Hellenic Olympic Committee, with the support of Alpha Bank.