ABSTRACT
This chapter presents sport participation legacies as an outcome of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in Greece. It commences by exploring the intricacies of the socio-economic and political context in Greece and outlines the way in which Greek sport policy, and related decision-making, is undertaken by government that channels funding and develops programmes for community sport participation and elite sport. Then, the chapter positions the 2004 Olympic Games preparations and subsequent hosting against this background to allow contextualisation of the undertaking and its intended effects. Finally, the chapter presents available data on legacies associated with changes in participation trends and the influence of the 2004 Olympic Games on sport participation and volunteering in Greece. Sport programmes and sport facilities-related legacies post-Games are also presented. The chapter concludes by highlighting factors that positively influenced community sporting outcomes of the event, as well as the challenges researchers and organisers encountered in delivering and measuring sport participation legacies arising from the 2004 Olympic Games.
