Olympics
Trip Start
May 29, 2009
1
6
Trip End
Ongoing
Athens, Attica, Greece
Friday, September 18, 2009
The highlight of today was seeing the 2004 Olympic Stadium. It was depressing and inspiring at the same time. I have long gone back and forth on whether the Olympics are truly a gain for a country. Naturally, there is immeasurable publicity which corresponds into tourism; there is an economic boom, if only for a couple weeks. However, the monstrous complexes are built; all of which will never be used to the same capacity again. We were able to go in and look around the Olympic complex because there was a skateboarding show there. A world-class facility, the centre of the world for a couple weeks, was being used for a skateboarding show because it had a massive amount of flat concrete. Trees were dead, weeds overgrown, columns corroding. It was extremely depressing. Though, at the same time, this facility allowed the world to come together. Thoughts of conflict were set aside, hatred for a group of people lessened. Even though this was a short period of time...it was a start. During the Beijing games, American was in the middle of a heated election; this was cast aside. Taiwan was recognised by a government that has never done so before. It took hundreds of millions of dollars, and the world's eye, but it happened. The desolate appearance of the 2004 Olympic Complex symbolised this cooperation further. It takes many people watching, lots of money, but can happen. If it's not maintained, it will fall apart quicker than it came together.
Seeing this complex inspired my Olympics plan even further. I'll be in York during the Vancouver games, so London 2012 here I come!
