Protecting an Olympic icon from corrosion
The Athens Olympic Stadium and Velodrome — landmark structures of the 2004 Olympic Games — preserved with Rust-Oleum Noxyde® Plus, the gold standard in corrosion protection.
A world-famous structure, a world-class coating
With its sweeping double arches designed by Santiago Calatrava, the Athens Olympic Stadium is one of the most recognisable sporting venues in the world. More than two decades after the 2004 Olympic Games, the iconic steelwork was showing its age — corrosion bleeding through welds, seams, joints, edges and base plates, threatening both the appearance and the integrity of the structure.
The specification called for a coating system that would not only address existing corrosion but also protect against potential future corrosion — on a structure where access is difficult, repainting cycles are costly, and failure isn't an option.
For this project, the contractor selected Rust-Oleum Noxyde® Plus — a two-coat acrylic elastomeric system.
Noxyde Plus outperforms the original Noxyde in impact resistance, flexibility, elongation (254%), tensile strength, adhesion and salt-spray corrosion resistance — and it is 100% environmentally friendly, with no zinc or paraffin additives. It is specified for exactly this class of project: major infrastructure where the coating is the last line of defence between steel and corrosion.
Applied exactly to specification, coat by coat
After surface preparation to St2 (hand tool clean), the coating was applied in the colour-coded sequence our application recommendations set out — so every stage is visible and quality can be verified at a glance.
7,340 pails of Noxyde Plus — by design
Projects of this scale put every claim about a coating to the test. A total of 7,340 20kg pails of Noxyde Plus were applied across the stadium and velodrome — a quantity that reflects both the enormous surface area of the structures and the absolute confidence the project team placed in the product.
When engineers are protecting an Olympic stadium, they don't gamble on second-best. Noxyde is the gold standard in corrosion protection, and this project is proof at the very largest scale.
| Product & stage | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Noxyde Plus (10 English Red) — Spot Prime | 210 20kg pails |
| Noxyde Plus (RAL 7305 Lt. Grey) — 1st Coat | 1,979 20kg pails |
| Noxyde Plus (RAL 9010 White) — 2nd Coat | 4,668 20kg pails |
| Noxyde Plus (RAL 9010 White) — 1st Coat (interior) | 410 20kg pails |
| Total Noxyde Plus applied | 7,340 20kg pails |
Inside and out, the same protection
The velodrome's exterior steelwork received the full three-stage system — English Red spot primer, light grey first coat and white second coat. Inside, the ceiling steelwork was coated with Noxyde Plus in RAL 9010 White as the first coat, keeping the interior bright while the steel beneath stays protected.
- Stops existing corrosion in its tracks
- Protects against potential future corrosion
- Flexible film that moves with the structure
- Water-based and environmentally friendly
From corroded steel to a protected landmark
Products used on this project
The exact coating systems specified here — available for commercial, contractor and experienced DIY projects.
The gold standard, proven at the largest scale
From a New Zealand silo to an Olympic stadium, the same system protects the world's most demanding structures. If it can be trusted here, it can be trusted on your steel.
Other corrosion protection projects
More systems specified where failure isn't an option.
Rust-OleumNoxyde Plus®
Can be applied directly to prepared rust. Stop corrosion for decades.
When steel starts to rust, most coatings simply hide the problem — Noxyde® Plus is engineered to stop it. Built on the performance that has protected New Zealand structures for decades, it brings the latest European coating technology for greater corrosion resistance, stronger adhesion and improved long-term performance. Used in the same places as Noxyde: rusty iron roofs, structural steel, industrial plant and commercial buildings.
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NoxydeNoxyde Anti-Corrosion Coating
Paint straight over prepared rust, stopping corrosion for decades.
Noxyde is the only anti-corrosion waterproofing membrane on the market that can be applied directly over clean, prepared rust — no separate primer required. For over 29 years it has protected New Zealand's most severe coastal environments, from saltwater estuary bridges to iconic steel roofs. It is also used to extend the life and safely encapsulate asbestos roofs, locking fibres in place and adding decades of waterproof protection without the cost of removal.
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One of New Zealand's most recognisable railway viaducts protected with Rust-Oleum Noxyde® — a flexible anti-corrosion coating for structural steel.
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ProjectNadi International Airport
A tropical international airport metres from the ocean, protected with Noxyde — proven where failure isn't an option.
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