Athens 2004 - legacy?
During my recent visit to Athens, I took the metro often past the Olympic Park - and looked at the building as they rolled by the windows, on my last day I had some spare time and as I am booked to cover the London 2012 Olympics, I decided to go and have a look what the venues look 8 years after the Athens games.
On arrival to the Metro station, only myself and three others get off the train - but it is mid-day and temperatures are around 36 degrees celcius, so only fools venture out on a day like that. First sight that I see as I go down to the ground level is the white arches and the entry to the Park - and what strikes me is the feeling that tens of thousands of people had walked here and celebrated sports - but now it felt deserted. The ticket offices seem like they have had better days and as I get closer to the park I walk through a gap in the fence that surrounds the area. A gap that has been left on purpose - so I did NOT gain entry by under-cover means.
Under the arcs people are sitting in the shade, some cycling or rollerblading - and the silence of the place continues. First place I arrive to is the outdoor swimming facilities, you can see some of them from a high vantage point and where as some pools look well maintained -others surely have seen better days. Walking around I notice a entry to the Swimming stadium that isn't blocked - not blocked = feel free to enter - so I walk on the wooded walkway and soon am standing under a big scoreboard looking at the diving boards and pools. I am free to walk around, although I am the only one inside the facility - and I explore the area, sitting at the abandoned media section, walking to the top of the stands.. it is eerily quiet but the place still retains the feel of the Olympics.
For the next two hours I am quite free to wonder around the grounds at the Olympic Park - entry to most venues is possible (if maybe not technically legal). Armed with my trusty Canon G11 I take pictures inside the various venues and outside of them, nowhere did I see any security guards or signs that entry was not allowed - some venues were clearly still used, others looked like they had last been used eight years ago.
In the end I sit down in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium and wonder what will London 2012 Park look in 2020 - will it be abandoned and used by Sunday cyclists and joggers, will it still hold this feeling of the Games having been there. As despite the run down appearance of the Athens Olympic Park - I still felt like it was a 'special' place where the best athletes in the world had competed only few years ago.
I hope that London will open the Park more to the public after the game and let people stroll through the area - and not let the legacy go to waste. But the visit also made me think that maybe Olympics have grown too big to be organised by a single city - maybe they should be awarded to countries instead. Building all these sports facilities to such a small area - instead of building the around the country.. something to think about.
