3. Licensing
Left page,
from top to bottom:
Official opening of the Olympic
Store at Plaka, in the historical
centre of Athens.
© ATHOC/Athens News Agency
(ANA)
Images from the Olympic Store
at Plaka.
© ATHOC/G. Prinos
The ATHENS 2004 Licensing programme was
a source of revenue for the Organising
Committee, but also a way to promote the
Games throughout the world. The ATHENS
2004 Official Licensed Products promoted the
homecoming of the Games and conveyed the
timeless values of the Games: Friendship, Ethos,
Competition, Participation, became a
philosophy and an expression of life before,
during and after the Games.
The Organising Committee,through its
Licensing programme, ceded the right to use
the logos and marks of ATHENS 2004 for the
manufacture and distribution of products,
receiving a specific percentage of the sales.
The revenue received supported the Olympic
Games and the Greek Olympic Team. The
purpose of the Licensing programme was to
maximise sales of official products bearing the
Olympic marks and the mascots, in Greece and
internationally.
The ATHENS 2004 Product Licensing
Programme implemented:
• A brand-driven licensing programme that
promoted the symbols of the Games, with
quality licensees, seeking high quality products
and controlled commercial growth.
• A retail sales policy that included the "Olympic
Stores" and the Olympic Venue Concessions.
• An anti-piracy programme whose aim was to
protect the market from counterfeit products.
ATHOC also developed Numismatic and
Philately programmes in association with the
Bank of Greece and the Hellenic Post, to strike
coins, publish stamps and promote both forthe
ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games.
The companies that participated in the
Licensing programme had exclusive rights to
manufacture and distribute bearing the official
logos and marks of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic
and Paralympic Games.
The Official Licensed Products were produced
and distributed by Licensees selected through a
tender process, in accordance with European
Union Directives. The products were of
modem design and high quality, and were aimed
at Greek consumers, visitors from abroad and
supporters of the Olympic Games throughout
the world.
During the first phase of the Licensing
programme, by December 2001, the Organising
Committee signed agreements for the
manufacture and distribution of seven
categories of ATHENS 2004 Official Licensed
Products. In May 2001 (and during the period
2002-2004), a tender was announced for 35
product categories. More than 1.085 detailed
tender documents were distributed to
companies, underlining the intensity of interest
in the business community about Olympic
Products. The second and final phase of the
programme lasted from January 2002 to
December 2004, with the circulation of various
categories of products, as follows:
The Licensees
The Licensing Department, reporting to the
Marketing General Manager; was staffed
relatively early, in order for the key staff
members to gain experience from previous
Olympic Games. Graduallythe Department
grew to cover four sections: product approvals,
advertising and international licensing programme,
retail and concessions. At full development,
it had a headcount of 28 paid staff.
Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad 351

4. This page,
from left to right:
Original tag with security
hologramme.
© ATHOC
Olympic products.
© ATHOC/C. Voulgari
• Sportswear
• Hats
• Polo shirts
• Casual wear
• Children's clothing
• Pins
• Jewellery
• Household Porcelain - Ceramics
• Household Glassware
• Key rings and Decorative Magnets
• Leather Goods
• Toys
• Towels and Bathrobes
• Pyjamas and Underwear
• Shoes
• Bags andTravel Goods
• Stationery
• Beachwear
• Perfume
• Posters and Greeting Cards
• Socks
• Sunglasses
• Puzzles and Board Games
• Outdoor Toys
• Frames and Photographic Albums
• Computer Accessories
• Umbrellas
• Linens
• Publications
• Music CDs
• Videogames
Each category was exclusive, i.e. was produced
and distributed solely by a single company or a
single joint venture of companies chosen
through the tender process. Opportunities
were also offered to the Licensees to produce
special promotional products for National and
International Sponsors (sponsor premiums),
creating synergy.
Special importance was placed on selecting
companies that were reliable and experienced:
projected sales (which were secured through
bank guarantees), distribution and anticipated
points of sale, previous experience in licensing,
manufacturing capabilities and financial
situation,were all taken into consideration in
the process of selecting Licensees.
The ATHENS 2004 Licensing programme
generated retail sales of over €530,2 million.
Over 120 per cent of the forecast wholesale and
the corresponding revenue was achieved in the
first phase of the programme. The programme
ultimately yielded royalty revenues totalling
€88,7 million, 30 per cent above the initial
revenue target, and provided substantial
support for the Greek OlympicTeam and the
hosting of the Games. In total over 5.000 SKUs
were produced in 39 product categories,
by 19 local Licensees,2 international Licensees
and 2 Licensee-Sponsors, and were sold at over
10.000 points of sale throughout Greece.
352 Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad

5. This page:
Olympic pins.
© ATHOC/D. Kalopisis,
G. Prinos, C. Voulgari
Beyond the financial results, the presence of the
Official Licensed Products on the market
promoted the Games for four years before
they actually took place. They also offered
consumers the opportunity to feel that they
supported the Games, increasing their
enthusiasm.
Memorabilia
All ATHENS 2004 Official Licensed Products
commemorated the Games' return to Greece,
and celebrated the unique history and values of
the Olympic Games. Each Product was a
collector's item,which ceased to be produced
after the end of the Olympic and Paralympic
Games.
Other Products were released as a series, either
all at once or in stages. A complete set of the
limited edition Products had enhanced
collector value after the Games.
Pins and Countdown Series
Pins are the most popular collectable items of
all Olympic Games, and pin trading is
considered to be the sport of the spectators.
The Athens Pins drew their themes from a
variety of artistic applications, including
emblems, mascots, Olympic values, Sports,
Greek landscapes and a wide variety of other
topics. Each Pin had a unique code on the
reverse side, as well as a number indicating the
total number of pins produced of that specific
design. Pins that circulated in numbers less than
35.000 units had particular value as a collector's
item, while those with fewer than 7.000; 4.000;
or 1.000 units had even higher value.
The most popular series of pins were the
Countdown Series. These circulated on
landmark dates for the Olympic and Paralympic
Calendar e.g. "1.000 days before the Olympic
Games". Besides being highly popular,they were
also highly collectable, as they were issued in
only very limited numbers. There were four
countdown series issued for the Olympic
Games:years, months,weeks and days,while
there were two series for the Paralympic
Games: years and days.
Numismatic
ATHOC cooperated with the competent
agencies in order to develop and implement
programmes of circulating coins and
commemorative coins. The assistance of the
Grand National Sponsors, Hellenic Post and
Alpha Bank, was necessary in order to achieve
national distribution of the coins. They were
also available in 23 countries worldwide,
including Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland,
Japan, Canada, China, Hong Kong, etc.
The first phase of the numismatic programme
began in December 2000, in close collaboration
with the Greek Ministry of Economy and
Finance and the Bank of Greece. A series of six
500-drachma Olympic coins,the last drachma
coin circulated before the currency was
replaced by the euro, circulated in 24 million
pieces and generated significant revenue for the
programme.
In May 2004, a commemorative 2-euro coin
circulated on the occasion of the Athens
Olympic Games. As all euro coins, it was sold at
all the branches of the Bank of Greece and at
commercial banks. Its value was the same as
that of the 2-euro coins of the Eurozone and
was legal tender The first Olympic euro coin
ever to circulate bore a commemorative design
on its national face, where besides the
perimeter of twelve stars, there was a depiction
of Myron's Discobolus (discus thrower), based
on the Roman copy of the fifth century statue.
The same face showed the Olympic rings, the
ATHENS 2004 logo in English and the face
value of the coin in Greek. The depiction was
designed by painter and sculptor P. Gravvalos
and the die was cut by sculptor K. Kazakos,while
the other face of the coin is the common
European 2-euro coin face.
Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad 353

6. This page:
ATHENS 2004 coins.
© ATHOC
The second phase of the numismatic
programme began in March 2003,with the
circulation of the first series of collectable
Olympic coins. It comprised six series, each
made up of a single gold coin and two silver
coins. The topics for the gold coin were drawn
from themes of Greek civilisation, while the
themes on the silver coins were drawn from
sport. The complete set of 18 coins (six gold,
twelve silver) were issued quarterly up to May
2004.
The reverse face of the coins showed the
twelve stars characteristic of European coins
around its circumference, encircling the emblem
of the Games, the olive crown, the ATHENS
2004 logo and the Olympic rings, and bore the
symbol of the Greek Mint, the "anthemion" or
honeysuckle palmette. They were the first
Olympic euros, with a nominal value of 100
euros for the gold coins and 10 euros for the
silver The collection was issued to proof
standard (the highest numismatic quality) and
was accompanied by a numbered certificate
issued by the Bank of Greece. There were fewer
coin designs circulated in comparison to
previous Games and the number of series was
limited. Fewer than 160.000 gold coins and
800.000 silver coins were placed into
circulation.
To commemorate the OlympicTorch Relay, a
limited number of 10.000 numbered collections
were circulated. The Olympic Torch Relay
Commemorative Coin Collection consisted of
two gold and four silver coins. The gold coin
themes were drawn from the lighting of the
Flame at Olympia and the delivery of the Flame
at the central altar while the silver coins showed
the route of the Flame from Europe to the
other four continents, with artwork created by
P. Gravvalos and K. Kazakos.
A numbered certificate issued by the Bank of
Greece accompanied each coin collection and
the revenue generated was utilised to support
the Games and the Greek OlympicTeam.
The connection between the Olympic Games
and philately dates back to the first modern
Games in Athens in 1896. A year before the
Games, the Organising Committee of those
Games faced funding difficulties to complete
the venues. Two Greek philatelists proposed
that the Greek state issue a series of
commemorative postage stamps, and part of
the revenue they generated was utilised for the
venues.
The series of 12 stamps circulated on 25 March
1896, the first day of the Games, now of
inestimable artistic and collectable value, as they
were the first Olympic stamps in the world and
contributed to the organisation of the Games,
marking the start of an important institution for
the Olympic Games.
The Hellenic Post as a Grand National Sponsor
of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games
supported the national effort to organise
Unique Games on a Human Scale. The Hellenic
Post designed and implemented an innovative
and ambitious programme of issuing Olympic
postage stamps, in orderto promote Olympic
values and the global ideals of the Olympic
Games, to promote Greek culture and
contemporary Greek art, honour the Olympic
spirit and mobilise the international community
to move in harmony to the rhythms of Athens.
The Greek Olympic postage stamps were
good-will ambassadors, travelling to every
corner of the globe, carrying the message of the
homecoming of the Olympic Games.
At the same time, Hellenic Post created
collectable items of great artistic value, with
particularly innovative characteristics, through
the 15 series ofcollectable Olympic postage
Philately
The coins were available for sale at Olympic
Stores, branches of Alpha Bank and of the
Hellenic Post, as well as at a limited number of
authorised sale points throughout Greece.
354 Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad

7. This page:
Helliniko Olympic Complex.
Olympic Softball Stadium.
Official Merchandise outlet.
© ATHOC/A. Panayiotou
stamps issued from November 2000 up to
2004. Major contemporary artists contributed
to this effort, including Alekos Fasianos, Mina
Valyraki, CostasTsoklis, Pavlos and many other
renowned artists.
The programme included commemorative
series of Olympic postage stamps, Olympic
sheets, as well as special editions of the Mascots,
Olympic Moments, etc. Through this
programme, Hellenic Post sought to offer
everyone an opportunity to capture unique
Olympic experiences for all time, impressed in
miniature works of art of timeless value: the
postage stamps of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic
Games.
violations resulting in civil action and criminal
prosecution. The Organising Committee
granted the right to use the logos to ATHENS
2004 Olympic Games Sponsors, as well as to
Official Licensees for commercial use.
In orderto protect all its products and symbols,
ATHOC developed and implemented a system
for locating illegal counterfeit products. All
ATHENS 2004 Official Licensed Products had
to bear advanced anti-counterfeiting systems
(holograms), as well as clearly marked logos,
allowing consumers to discern immediately
whether the products were genuine. The retail
points of sale for the official licensed products
were approved in accordance with the
specifications laid down by the Organising
Committee and the authorised points of retail
sale were marked with a self-adhesive authentic
licensee sign that was supplied only by ATHOC.
For the anti-counterfeiting protection
programme, a group from the Organising
Committee, including lawyers, cooperated with
the Hellenic Police,the Financial Crime
Prosecution Service and the Customs
Authorities. Their aim was to prevent the entry
of any counterfeit products into the country, to
deal with instances of counterfeit products and,
with regular and strict market controls, to avoid
such occurrences. Over 200 instances of piracy
throughout Greece were taken to court, and
over 20.000 counterfeit products were
confiscated (90% of these were imported).
Supporting Services
Style Guide
A basic factor of the success of the ATHENS
2004 Official Licensed Products was the
product design. The designs included the
emblems, the mascots, the Look of the Games,
and other themes relevant to the Athens
Games. Great attention was paid to developing
the four Style Guides, with the proposed
designs. They were developed by a company
with great experience in this sector, in
collaboration with the ATHOC Image &
Identity Department, and were provided to
Licensees. This ensured use of common themes
and the integrated look of all product
categories, and reduced approval times.
Anti-Piracy Protection
The authenticity of ATHENS 2004 Olympic
Products was ensured by the use of nine
Olympic logos. The pictured logos, whole or a
portion thereof, as well as the terms "Olympic",
"Olympiad", "Olympic Games - Greece",
"Olympic Games 2004" and any related terms
either in Greek or in any other foreign language
belonged to ATHOC, along with the sole right
oftheir use, and were strictly protected in
accordance with current legislation, with
Olympic Product Sales
The Olympic Stores
The Olympic Stores,which sold exclusively
Olympic products, offered visitors their first
glimpse of the enthusiasm for the ATHENS
2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
A total of six Olympic Stores and one Store in
ATHOC Headquarters opened in Athens
leading up to the Olympic Games. The first
opened at the Athens International Airport in
Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad 355

8. Right page:
Phevos visits the ATHENS 2004
Olympic Products stand at a
Tourist Merchandise Exhibition
in Athens.
© ATHOC/Athens News Agency
(ANA)/S. Axiotis
March 2001, in the Departures area, open to all
travellers and Airport visitors. The second
Olympic Store opened on 17 April 2002 in the
centre of Athens, in a dedicated area of a major
departmentstore.The third Store opened its
doors on 20 December 2002, at the Athens
International Airport, in the area after boarding
pass control,the fourth Olympic Store opened
in the popular tourist area of Plaka, the fifth in
May 2003 on the pedestrian street of Korai and
the sixth and largest (700 square metres) in the
heart of the commercial centre of Athens in
April 2004.
The Olympic Stores were run by Nuance,
exclusive contractor of the "Olympic Stores".
The Nuance Group is the largest retail sales
organisation in airport sales, managing 350
shops in 16 countries. The goal of the Olympic
Stores was to promote the Olympic Games to
Greeks and foreign visitors,to create and
maintain the consumers' interest in order to
generate additional revenue, and to support the
Look of the Games and the ATHENS 2004
values.
Additionally, eight retail chains and 600 outlets
throughout Greece participated in the
Preferred Retailer programme. The programme
commenced early in high-end stores and mass-
market retail; despite the fact that there was no
contractual relationship between these stores
and the Organising Committee, a partnership
mentality developed between them.
Retailers supported the development of the
programmes, selling the products, while they
were being positioned as preferred retailers,
which were allowed to carry exclusive product
lines and conduct promotions.
Venue Concessions
The objective was to offer Ticketed spectators
or Accreditation holders the opportunity to
purchase Official Licensed Products at
Competition and Non Competition Venues.
Almost all Venues had concessions, and besides
certain selected products from the general
range, every Venue also offered an exclusive
range of products, part of the "Olympic Venue
Collection" for the Events that took place at
that specific Venue. The collection was
particularly successful and demand quickly
outstripped stock reserves.
Venue concessions were easily identifiable, as
they were placed near spectator entry/exit
points and at central locations in the Venues.
Additionally, venue concessions were marked
and noted on Venue maps. CompetitionVenues
operated a total of 84 Venue Concessions.
Non Competition Venues operated three
outlets selling Official Licensed Products
exclusively, while another eleven outlets sold
other convenience items as well as the Official
Licensed Products. The majority of Venue
Concessions were 50 or 36 square metre tents,
while in the indoor Venues build-outs were
constructed, built at the expense of the
Licensing Concessionaire,with the exception of
the OAKA Superstore (covering an area of
3.000 sq. m.) and the Olympic Village Store
(600 sq. m.). The opening hours were agreed
with the Concessionaire, Spectator Services
and Venue Operations. A single company
managed all outlets, in orderto ensure a
consistent level of service and full
harmonisation with the policies and procedures
of the Organising Committee.
In recognition of VISA as International Sponsor
of the Olympic Games, only VISA credit or
debit cards, VISA travellers' cheques, or cash
were accepted for purchases made within the
Venues.
International Licensing Programme
In order to further enhance its Licensing
programme, ATHOC implemented an
international Licensing programme, with great
success. Consumers the world over supported
the Athens Games by purchasing ATHENS
2004 Official Licensed Products. In order to
meet increased demand, stores operated in the
United States, in Asia and in Europe. During the
Games, consumers all over the world
purchased Official Licensed Products from the
electronic shop hosted at the official ATHENS
2004 website.
Achievements
of the Licensing Programme
In a relatively small market of 11 million residents,
the ATHENS 2004 Licensing Programme
generated retail sales exceeding €530,2 million.
More than 120 percent over forecast wholesale
and the corresponding revenues were achieved
in the first phase of the programme.
The programme was ultimately expected to
return royalty revenues of €88,7 million, 30 per
cent above the initial target revenue, and
supplied substantial support to the Greek
Olympic Team and to the organisation of the
Games. The numbers are higher than previous
Games, up 40 per cent in comparison to the
corresponding programme in 2000, and even
more impressive given the limited size of the
market.
According to the IOC Marketing Report, "the
ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games Licensing
programme demonstrated the power and
profitability of a fully integrated design
programme. ATHENS 2004 created a
merchandise retail experience that
incorporated the image and Look of the Games
more consistently than any programme in
Olympic history."
356 Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad