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Athens Olympic legacy 10 years on

Wednesday, August 13 2014 by SNTV
  • Intro:

    A look at Greece and the lost opportunities 10 years after hosting the Olympics Games in Athens.

    Script:

    As Greece reels under a economic crisis, the 10th anniversary of the Athens Olympic Games raises the question of whether hosting the event was too expensive for the country.

    Some economists agree that it would be unfair to blame sky-high unemployment, slashed incomes and the violent overhaul of Greece's economy on the 17-day Games.

    But other experts describe the post-Olympic era as a decade of lost opportunities.

    The Games left a mixed legacy.

    They left behind a brand-new subway, an airport and other vital civic infrastructure that significantly improved daily life in a city of four million people.

    They also left behind a pile of crumbling sports venues built in a mad rush to meet deadlines, with little thought given to their post-Olympic use.

    Barbed wire guards the Olympic beach volleyball venue on the coast near Athens, as weeds and overgrown grass line the sandy playing field that saw Olympic matches a decade ago.

    Venues sit abandoned, covered in rubbish or overgrown with weeds.

    In the Olympic Village, the debris floats in a training pool's murky waters and overgrown grass surrounds the former athlete housing which was turned into homes for workers.

    The Athens Games cost Greece nearly nine (b) billion US dollars, double the initial estimated budget.

    Some people deem that funds were squandered to help the country host the international event, which was beyond its financial means.

    But others believe a lack of vision, already being in debt and a lack of production in the country are to blame.

    The overall effect of the Athens Olympic Games, including the financial impact, is expected to be determined in several reports by the end of the year.

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