ATHENS, Feb 11, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The Olympic Stadium in Athens, shut down last year over roof safety concerns, will reopen by April, the Greek prime minister said Sunday.

"The stadium will reopen from the end of March or mid-April at the latest," Kyriakos Mitsotakis posted on Facebook.

Greece's top sports facility and a leading concert venue, was closed in September after a study raised concerns over its huge metal roof.

The Athens Olympic Athletic Centre (OAKA) at the time said the roof of the stadium, and that of the nearby Velodrome "do not meet the regulatory permitted levels of static adequacy".

The 69,600-seat arena was built in 1982 and remodelled for the 2004 Athens Olympics with an 18,000-tonne steel roof designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Mitsotakis on Sunday said the ongoing maintenance included the removal of 5,000 polycarbonate panels from the roof.

He added that two sold-out Coldplay concerts scheduled in June would proceed as planned.