ABSTRACT
The relationship between Greece and the Olympic Games is like no other. As home to the classical Olympics, the Games go to the very heart of Greek culture. The revival of the modern Games in Athens in 1896 demonstrated forcibly the position of Athens in the history of the modern Games. This chapter looks at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games against this background. Its early sections briefly chart the growth of the Olympic movement in Athens alongside attempts to regenerate the city, a period that culminated in the first Olympiad of 1896 and the 1906 Intercalated Games. The subsequent sections analyse the decision to bid for the 1996 centenary Games and the reasons for the failure of that bid. Building on that experience, the city made a successful bid in 1997 to stage the 2004 Games. The plans for these Games were ambitious in terms of sports venue construction, urban regeneration, and infrastructure development. While the staging of the Games was a triumph, the reputation of the Games has been bedevilled by a negative press of disused venues and wasted investment. However, taking a longer view it can be seen that legacy in this case is finally materializing with the developments in Faliro Bay and the start of construction on the old airport site at Hellinikon in 2022.
