Beirut Hippodrome of Lebanese Heritage (APLH), the court suspended on May 31, 2012 the Culture Ministry's decision, N˚ 849, to dismantle the Roman Hippodrome that would have allowed for the construction of a building project on the site. The site is protected for now. The current Beirut Hippodrome, officially called Hippodrome du parc de Beyrouth, is a horse-racing facility in Beirut's Horsh district adjacent to Badaro. In 1893 the “al-Marmah” hippodrome was founded, in the town of Bir Hassan. Wealthy Beirutis wished to create a club-complex that included a western style hippodrome and casino. In 1916, the wali of Beirut Azmi Bey,
Hippodrome of Olympia of the winner, such as a wool band that the owner would tie on their head. The hippodrome of ancient Olympia had a complex starting mechanism in order to avoid false starts. The starting mechanism was designed by the statue maker Kleoitas and was later improved by Aristidis. According to Pausanias, the required energy for the movement of the mechanism came from the drop of a bronze dolphin and the rise of a bronze eagle. Today, the hippodrome does not exist. Some claim that it was washed away by the river Alfeios while others claim that its location is to