A lost opportunity
Ten years have gone by since Athens hosted the Olympics.
Besides the exorbitant cost of organizing the 2004 Games, not to mention the related infrastructure works, the fact remains that the city missed out on a landmark opportunity to become a major tourist destination.
Athens International Airport was extravagantly expensive, and as a result of the very high taxes there the capital has failed to become an international hub in the broader region.
The fact that there was hardly any planning regarding the future utilization of public infrastructure became blatantly clear after the Olympics.
At the same time, the Games’ organization failed to trigger an aesthetic and architectural revamp of the city itself along the lines of Barcelona following the 1992 Olympics.
At the end of the day, the Greek political system failed to take advantage of a major opportunity that was given to the country.
