Despite promises by the Athletics Club Olimpija (GSO) to modernise the Tsirion stadium, no progress has been made on the project.
Moreover, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture recently stated that the sports complex is in a very poor state of repair. He stressed that he intends to bring this information to the attention of the President of Cyprus, Nicos Christodoulides. The MP said that the area adjacent to the stadium had great potential for development, but instead a rubbish dump had been created.
In response to the allegations, GSO chief Kyriakos Tsolakis said he had asked the three football teams that use the stadium for training (Ael, Apollon, Aris) for help. But they have not responded in any way. Not only do they not pay for the use of the facility, but they also owe large sums for electricity. Interestingly, the state has no control over the situation as the stadium is privately owned.
Tsirion used to be the jewel of Limassol, but today it has become a rubbish dump. It is obvious that all this is due to the mismanagement of the sports complex," said the grandson of the great philanthropist Petros Tsiriou, in whose honour the stadium is named.
It should be recalled that the owner of the stadium and chairman of the Olympic Athletics Club (GSO), Kyriakos Tsolakis, announced in early 2024 that Tsiriou would become the second national athletics stadium in Cyprus.
In particular, Tsolakis intends to carry out a complete renovation of the facility, and plans to apply for a licence to do so in the near future. However, this process is up in the air.
It should be noted that the Tsirio Stadium (Τσίρειο Στάδιο) is a multi-purpose stadium in Limassol. It was built in 1975 with money from a generous sponsor and a great Cypriot philanthropist. The stadium has a seating capacity of 13,331. It hosts football and athletics competitions. It is currently the home ground of Krasava, a Cypriot second division football club.