Athens is cleaning its all-marble Olympic stadium for the first time in more than a century

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — It has welcomed marathon runners, rock stars and the first modern Olympic athletes. Now it’s time for a monumental scrub.

Athens’ U-shaped Panathenaic Stadium — made entirely of white marble — is getting its first systematic cleaning in more than a century.

Rebuilt for the first modern Olympics in 1896, the site is the ceremonial send-off point for the Olympic flame, including for Los Angeles 2028.

The stadium is made of the same glittering marble used on the Acropolis, making the cleanup job delicate.

The work is revealing a monument changed by time, weather and millions of visitors. Cleaners in white and blue overalls move across the stadium’s 47 steep tiers with thin spray lances, using clean water at carefully controlled, low pressure. Machines vacuum up the runoff as they go.

“The goal of cleaning is not to make everything white. It’s to remove the dirt and the first layers of organic material that are deposited on the surface,” said Dimitris Selemis, a senior conservator at the site.

“The idea is to clean all the material that (contains) dirt from the surface, so we have a better understanding of the monument,” he said, noting that there is more weed growth and dirt in areas that receive less direct sunlight.

Crews are also using steam to remove blotches of chewing gum, which have turned black over time. Stadium officials say chewing gum, high heels and soft-drink stains are among the main culprits that stain the marble.

Now slowly being revealed, the original gleaming look of the venue earned it the widely used Greek nickname “Kallimarmaro,” or beautiful marble.

“We call it Kallimarmaro because it is made of the finest marble, the best that was ever produced ... We are very proud of it,” Isidoros Kouvelos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, told The Associated Press in an interview.

“It needed to be cleaned of everything that has accumulated over all these years," he said. "This way the Panathenaic Stadium will show all its brilliance and will once again be the foremost monument of humanity for the Olympic Movement.”

Built into a natural ravine, the stadium’s site was used for ancient Greek athletic contests and later Roman spectacles before falling into centuries of disuse.

Since its 1896 revival, it has staged fashion shows, rock concerts, boxing matches and national celebrations — as well as lavish patriotic ceremonies ordered by a military dictatorship in the 1960s.

Today, it’s a popular draw for tourists. Apart from the cleanup, the Kallimarmaro is also getting a new track, upgraded lighting and fresh support facilities. The project is privately funded by a shipping company and overseen by the Hellenic Olympic Committee with guidance from Culture Ministry experts.

The work will continue through 2026 but is currently concentrated on the stadium’s “sling,” or curved end, in time for the next torch-passing ceremony on Sept. 10.

That will be for the Dakar Youth Olympics, scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 13 in Senegal, which will be the first Olympic competition ever hosted in Africa.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a swimming gold medal winner from Zimbabwe, is due to attend the Sept. 10 ceremony, Kouvelos said.

Dimitris Selimis, a senior conservator at the site, inspects the cleaned marble surfaces of the Panathenaic Stadium, also known as "Kallimarmaro," or beautiful marble, which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, during renovation work in Athens, Greece, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Two men run at the Panathenaic Stadium, also known as "Kallimarmaro," or beautiful marble, which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, during renovation work in Athens, Greece, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Workers lay asphalt at the Panathenaic Stadium, also known as "Kallimarmaro, or beautiful marble," which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, during renovation work in Athens, Greece, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A worker cleans the marble surfaces of the Panathenaic Stadium, also known as "Kallimarmaro," or beautiful marble, which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, using a high-pressure water hose during renovation work in Athens, Greece, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

An aerial view of the Panathenaic Stadium, also known as "Kallimarmaro, or beautiful marble," which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, is seen during renovation work in Athens, Greece, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts backup quarterback Anthony Richardson faces a misdemeanor possession of marijuana charge following a traffic stop earlier this month. The charge was filed Monday.

The affidavit from the Hamilton County prosecutor’s office said a police officer stopped Richardson on Oct. 12 because the car he was driving had an expired registration tag. The license plate on the car also did not match the one listed on the registration.

The officer wrote that when he approached the vehicle, he smelled marijuana.

According to the affidavit, Richardson acknowledged he had been smoking marijuana inside the car because he did not want to smoke it around his children. The officer wrote that Richardson said he had a small amount of marijuana in the car. The officer said he found a “leafy, green material” he believed to be marijuana along with a bag of five marijuana gummies inside a small Mason jar in the car's glove compartment.

Richardson's attorney, James Voyles, declined to comment on the case.

“We are aware of the situation involving Anthony Richardson and are currently gathering additional information,” the Colts said in a statement. “We will have no further comment at this time.”

Richardson has not played in a game since Oct. 5, 2025.

The Colts (2-4) selected the former Florida Gators star with the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023. But after winning the starting job during his first training camp, he has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency.

Richardson appeared in just four games in 2023 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. He started a career-high 11 games in 2024 but completed just 47.7% of his passes, the lowest among all NFL starters that season, and threw eight touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. He also took himself out of a game that season, later acknowledging he was "tired."

In 2025, Daniel Jones beat out Richardson for the starting job in training camp. Richardson wound up throwing just two total passes in two games before suffering a fractured orbital bone near his right eye when a stretching band broke in the locker room before a game. He hasn't played a snap since and has made two requests to be traded.

This summer Richardson beat out Riley Leonard for the No. 2 job in training camp. But Jones has taken every snap this season since returning from a torn right Achilles tendon he suffered last December.

Earlier this week, the Colts fired longtime general manager Chris Ballard — who was running the team when Richardson was drafted. On Wednesday, Richardson said he was disappointed with the change and that he wanted to prove Ballard was right in drafting him.

“He believed in me enough to have me here, and I’m forever grateful for that,” Richardson said. “I’m trying to do my part and not make him feel like he made the wrong decision. So I’m just trying to keep getting better every week and am waiting on my opportunity.”

FILE - Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) takes off his helmet before a preseason NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.,Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis, File)