Exactly ten years ago, Athens brought the Olympic Games back to its birthplace. It was supposed to be an event steeped in national pride and history, however now Athens has been left with a legacy of dilapidated facilities and a constant reminder of the money wasted on the event.
Stadiums which held memories of athletes winning gold medals and representing their country, are now replaced with rusting seats and graffitied walls, which bring back the early conversations from 1997 when they were awarded the Olympics of whether this was really a good idea.
The Athens Olympics were arguably a disaster from day one as they very nearly didn’t go ahead. With severe delays, construction issues and spiraling costs, the organising committee kicked things into overdrive to make sure the event went ahead, but at a cost. That cost ballooned to $11 billion, double what had initially estimated.
“It was a waste of money and all for show. It cost a lot,” said Dimitris Mardas, economics professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, who was the then-general secretary for trade.
Unlike other host cities who opted for prefabricated, collapsible structures, Athens opted for heavy buildings which “only served the interests of contractors,” Mardas said.
In light of the Athens Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has made reducing costs and maximising long-term sustainability for future host cities a key focus. London and Vancouver are shining examples of the seamless transition from Olympic venues to community serving facilities which have strengthened their respective cities in not just facilities, but tourism and reputation.
Greece had a glorious opportunity to invigorate their economy, but the lack of planning and financial mismanagement, coupled with their economic crash has ultimately left them with the scars of hosting an event they were in no way ready for, nor financially capable.
Whilst Athens now boasts a new airport, subway system, roads and other infrastructure, it is the remnants of the abandoned Olympic venues which will unfortunately be the legacy of the 2004 games.
Check out the pictures below of what’s left of the Olympic facilities which hosted some of the Games brightest moments.
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Getty Images: A view of the pool at the Athlete’s Village
Getty Images: Graffiti now covers the Olympic Village
Getty Images: The Aquatics Centre has certainly seen better days
Getty Images: Much of the infrstructure is now rusted and unusable
Getty Images: The beach voleyball arena now has weeds growing through the sand
Getty Images: The Softball stadium at the Hellinikon Olympic complexsource:yahoo.com
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 