The missed opportunities of the Athens Games
As Greeks watch the Paris Olympics, their mind inevitably goes back 20 years to the Athens Games. And beyond the innate sense of satisfaction for organizing the “best Games ever” and the praise we got from many, even critics of Greece, one cannot help but be disappointed by the fact that despite spending a huge – and disproportionate to the capabilities of the Greek economy and society – amount of money, we did not manage to “change” Athens to the extent that other hosts have – the case of Barcelona comes to mind.
The Games obviously created an economic frenzy, necessitated the construction of new infrastructures, and the modernization of existing ones. And beyond the various delays and shortcomings, there is no doubt that the country’s international image received a big boost from hosting the 2004 Olympics.
Still, evaluating things 20 years later, with the objectivity and sobriety that time allows, it is clear that there was not the necessary long-term planning for the utilization of stadiums, public areas and facilities.
It is of course true that important projects were carried out – the airport, the Attiki Odos highway, the metro etc – but the city and the country did not improve to the extent they could have. And the responsibility for this falls on everyone – primarily the governments and the political parties, but also the private sector and us, the citizens.
In 1997, shortly after Athens was named as the host of the 2004 Olympics and in light of the Games coming to Greece, I was sent on assignment to Atlanta – which had hosted the Golden Olympics just a year earlier – in order to report on the American city’s experience of hosting the event and on how the facilities and projects that had been carried out for it were being utilized.
The richest country in the world had done what was necessary to ensure that much of the money spent went into a long-term plan that was both practical and utilitarian. An excellent example of this foresight was the radical renovation of the student dorms at Georgia Tech, which after being used as the Olympic Village to house thousands of athletes who traveled to Atlanta, was given back to the university as a modern dorm that was even more attractive to the students for the fact that world-famous athletes had slept in their rooms at one point.
The organization of the Olympic Games is expensive and essentially a unique opportunity that a country – especially a small or medium-sized one – cannot afford to not take advantage of.
Most would agree that Greece did not do so, certainly not to the extent it should have.
