Site icon Exploring Worlds, Old & New

April 11, 2021 – Greece and the Modern Olympics

THE THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION.


WHERE TO?                       TASTE.                        SEE.


Athen’s first Olympic Stadium.

 

2004 Athens Olympics

If you want to see a Greek lose their smile faster than a bolt of Zeus’s lightning, mention the 2004 Games.

Unfortunately, Greece slides into a deep economic crisis four years after the games are over. What many seem to forget is that it was a worldwide recession, not just for Greece.

The Olympic games did not cause the crash.

What took the Greek economy to such a colossal depth was runaway government spending over many years. Underreporting by the government and crippling foreign debt puts Greece in the longest recession of any advanced economy.

Even Odysseus would have been at a loss facing this disaster.

Odysseus and his Odyssey.

But the 2004 Olympics cost nine billion dollars. If the government has that money, there would be no crisis. Everyone would be drinking wine and playing the lyre.

Sure they would!

The Olympics were not perfect, but they did do a lot of good.

Country pride swells from the moment of the announcement.

Athen’s would receive more than two billion dollars in infrastructure repair and additions.

A new international airport, opening all of Greece to the world.

New wide highways to replace the chariot paths they were passing off as streets.

Subway and public transportation lines begin stretching from Pireaus to the new airport.

What’s good for Athen’s is good for Greece.

All of this before the first athlete or television camera came to town.

And then the opening ceremonies. There is a lake in the middle of the New Olympic Stadium. Even I am proud to be a Greek. And I am not Greek except for my consumption of Greek food and wine.

The country pulls off a worldwide sales blitz for Greece that no marketing exec could ever dream of.

Olympic flags over Athen’s stadium.

 

Sitting on Top of the World.

From the highest point on Mt Olympia, the Greek pride and economy would plummet a few years later. Persephone never reached depths so low.

Individuals, families, even companies with over a hundred years in business suffer greatly. Some will never recover. None will ever fully recover to pre-recession times, at least mentally.

I do not mean this as judgemental towards anyone, but lesser countries might not make it through such an ordeal.

Greece is making it through. But it’s still not over.

 

A Covid Operation.

In January 2020, Greece was ramping up to break the previous year’s record of 33 million visitors.

Tourism brings in more than 7% of the National budget and employs 10% of the workforce.

By May, every country’s economy appears to be in free fall due to a pandemic.

Greece has a lot of practice in patience.

And thanks to the Olympics, Shirley Valentine, Mamma Mia, even My Big Fat Greek Wedding, there are seeds taking root.

 

The Downside of the 2004 Athen’s Olympics. 

Several of the multi-million dollar venues from the Athen’s Olympics have not seen a visitor since 2004.

This is not a result that only happens in Athens. Most cities that host the Olympics now have stadiums, pools, ski ramps, or other sites in various stages of decay.

But that doesn’t make it any less wrong.

So, where does Athens stand on venues?

The Panathenaic Stadium sat empty for many years. Ironic history repeating itself.

The Panathenaic Stadium has recouped its investment by hosting three Olympics over the last 240 years and staging other events.

Did you know that the Olympic Flame travels from Greece to every Modern Olympic?

They light the flame at the Temple of Hera in Ancient Olympia. Runners carry the flame through Greece to Athens’ Panathenaic Stadium. Here they hold a ceremony, turning the flame over to the host country for the first time. In this way, they link the ancient and Modern games.

During the 2004 Athen’s Summer Olympics, and every November, the stadium hosts the finish line for the marathon. The Athens Marathon, The Authentic, began in 1974, following the path of the first Marathon runner. And the name for the event comes from where the race begins, Marathon Greece, northeast of Athens.

 

2004 Athen’s Olympic Sports Complex.

The Olympic stadium is still in use.

This area seems to be holding its own. Are there cracks in some of the sidewalks? Yes.

Grafitti (vandalism by another name?) Yes.

Does it look as good as opening day? No, that was many years ago.

What looks as good now as it did in 2004? It could be a lot worse. The site is not open to the public outside of events. Groups of fifteen or more can arrange tours inside.

 

Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex.

This complex is in the Neo Faliro area of Piraeus.

This area is doing well. Replacing the Beach Volleyball stadium with something that can maximize the space right on the water should be a win-win.

 

2004 Athen’s Helliniko Complex.

This whole area was a bit of a hail-Mary. With a new International airport east of Athens, The old airport near Pireaus was a lot of unused cement.

The area is pretty empty before the Olympics.

This area was sitting empty before the Olympics, and unfortunately, that only brought some temporary lipstick. Let’s hope with a stronger economy, this whole area can get a boost.

 

More 2004 Olympic Sites.

 

Goudi Olympic Complex.

Closer to the city center, this auditorium, built for the Olympics, became a concert and performance hall. Hosting everything from Dora the Explorer, to Mamma Mia, to opera. With the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center opening in 2016, Opera and many performances moved.

 

Markopoulo Olympic Complex.

Just a few miles south of the new airport, these sites are near wineries and the Archaeological Museum of Vravrona.

 

2004 Athens Olympic Village.

For housing the Olympic athletes, they build a new neighborhood approximately nine miles north of the main complex. 2,292 apartments were able to accommodate 17,000 athletes.

After the Olympics, they plan to build schools, hospitals, and more infrastructure. This will make it an affordable housing community for 10,000 people. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and the “village” sat empty before the economy went down.

The Olympic Village practice pool is currently not in use. Patience.

As of 2021, there are now schools, markets, urgent care, a hospital, and people are finally moving in. There are still things to do, but it is progress.

 

Other Athen’s Olympic Venues.

Ano Liosia Olympic Hall – Built to host the Olympic judo and wrestling events, this stadium is north of the city. It then became a venue for various television productions, including the Greek “So You Think You Can Dance.” In 2020, it signs a 20-year lease as the home of the professional basketball club AEK Athens. 

Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall – is north of Pireaus and was the hall for the Olympic Weightlifting competitions. Post Athen Olympics, it held other sporting exhibitions. Today, the University of Piraeus uses it for a lecture and conference center.

The Olympic Torch begins at the Ancient Stadium and travels to the first modern Olympic stadium.

 

The 2004 Athen’s Olympics Summary.

So, the Olympics did not plunge Greece into economic freefall.

The Athens Olympics put Greece front and center on the world map.

When you deduct the money that went to infrastructure, the Olympics made a profit.

Most of the venues continue to break even or show a profit. Not all Olympic host cities can say the same.

The people of Greece should be proud of their 2004 Olympics. Well, all their Olympics.

They have been hosting them for nearly 2800 years. The ancient stadium at Olympia.

As of 2021, they still hold the record for the most volunteers at an Olympics. More than 160,000.

Travel will return. The Greek economy will strengthen.

Greece is heading towards another gold medal.

 

Read more about Athens.

Read more about Ancient Olympia.

 

Please scroll down to the “Enter your comment here” section at the bottom. Please comment or tell me your thoughts on: 

“Have you been to the Games of the Olympics?  Where was it? 

Help me spread the news by rating, commenting, and sharing this blog below. – THANKS!

 

See the World” Continued on Page T3.           Taste the World” Continued on T11.

Exit mobile version