Ayios Dhometios

The opening of the buffer zone between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in April 2003 set up debate about opening some additional checkpoints both for cars and on foot along the Green Line. One of the areas selected was the end of Demokratias avenue in Ayios Dhometios. Finally, an agreement was reached and in late April 2004 both sides started separate works building a road and placing control buildings. On May 23, 2004, the checkpoint opened to the public,[9] and on the first day thousands of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, on both sides passed through the check point. Since then, Ayios Dhometios has become the main [10] passing point for vehicles, with thousands of Greek and Turkish Cypriots passing through every day.[10]

Saint George church in Ayios Dometios

Ayios Dhometios is currently home of three Christian-Orthodox churches. The Ayios (Saint) Dhometios church is the oldest of the three and is built on a hill overlooking the old part of town. The Saint George church is located on Gregoris Afxentiou Avenue and is Ayios Dhometios's main church. It's dedicated to Saint George who according to the legend slaughtered a dragon with a spear. The third church of the town is Saint Paul's church and is the newest of the three. It was built in the 1990s to replace the ageing church situated next to it which is dedicated to the same saint.

The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics is also located in Ayios Dhometios on the Kolokassides roundabout.

The island's Coca-Cola factory is located in Ayios Dhometios, on the edge of the Engomi industrial area. Lanitis juices and milk products are also produced in the factories compound.

Old narrow street, preserved how it once was in old Ayios Dometios

Ayios Dhometios has four parks. The Missing in Action park, which is dedicated to the Ayios Dhometios residents that went missing during the Turkish Invasion and are still MIA and is located opposite the Coca-Cola factory, the Ayios Dhometios park which is located near the checkpoint into the occupied area, the Ayios Pavlos park which is near the Junior High and the newest built park which is dedicated to the National Guard, and is also near the Junior High.

Part of Ayios Dhometios is preserved to its old appearance. It is still an inhabited, and fully functional neighborhood. It has beautiful characteristic Cypriot architecture including the traditional old doors, and colored windows.

The Nicosia Race Club is the only organization in Cyprus authorized to organize horse races in Cyprus.[11] Races are organized on Sundays and most Wednesdays in winter and spring and on Wednesdays and most Saturdays in the Summer and Fall.

Ayios Dhometios has a long tradition in sporting events. Some of the countries best athletes originate from the towns many sporting clubs. George Anastasiades, current captain of the National Basketball Team; Christos Stylianides, all time legend of Cyprus basketball and Yiannos Ioannou, former captain of the National Football Team all come from Ayios Dhometios. Dometia and Maria Ioannou, the country's two best female Badminton athletes also live in Ayios Dhometios.

ENAD (Greek: Ε.Ν.Α.Δ, Ένωσις Νέων Αγίου Δομετίου) was created in 1937 and is one of Nicosia's leading Basketball clubs. They have won two Cyprus championships (1969, 1990) and one Cyprus cup (1987) while the team also used to maintain a football team and a volleyball team. ENAD decided to focus on basketball so they suspended all other activities. During the 2005–06 basketball season, ENAD finished second in the regular season, in their best run in the last ten years, but were eliminated by champions AEL in the semi-finals. Marios Argyrou took over before the 2008–09 season as head coach of the team and returned prior to the 2010–11 season, after winning the title as assistant coach at APOEL. The teams' club house is located on Gregoris Afxentiou Avenue.

A handball and table tennis club, Mavrommatis has a good appearance in those above sports. One of Cyprus' best teams in table tennis, Mavrommatis also gained promotion to the Cyprus Handball top division after a great presence in the second division of the 2004–05 season. During the 2005–06 season Mavrommatis played great handball and managed to stay in the top division, although many tipped them for relegation.

Cyprus' major sport is football and Ayios Dhometios has a team in that sport also. EAS plays in the amateur ranks of the Nicosia league and almost won promotion to the Cyprus fourth division a few seasons back but failed in the play-offs. EAS also maintains an indoor football team that plays in Cyprus' third division but is tipped for promotion in the 2006–07 season. EAS' cycling team is also one of the countries elite.

Ayios Dhometios has two main stadiums in which the municipality's teams compete. The football stadium is located next to the 1st elementary and seats 1000 fans. It's a gravel pitch and is not in very good condition. The basketball arena or municipal stadium is located in the westernmost part of the town, near the 3rd elementary school. It seats 1500 fans, but the record is 4000 fans during the 1990 basketball finals, where ENAD won the championship. It recently went through a facelift with the addition of a modern wooden parquet floor. It is home court for ENAD basketball, Mavrommatis handball and EAS indoor football teams. The Cyprus Sports Authority has decided to build a new indoor arena in Ayios Dhometios, at the site where the municipal stadium is located. The demolition of the municipal stadium was scheduled in mid-2009 but has been postponed.

The 2004 Athens Olympics chose Cyprus as one of the torch destinations during its worldwide tour. As a matter of fact, Cyprus was the last stop before the torch returned to Greece and the only country that the torch remained in for more than one day. On July 8, 2004, the torch came to Ayios Dhometios, and a total of 5 runners, carried it through the town.