The Greek Olympics cost about $11bn. 8 years later, more than
half of Athens' Olympic sites are barely used or empty. The long
list of mothballed facilities includes a baseball diamond, a
massive man-made canoe and kayak course, and arenas purpose-
built for unglamorous sports such as table tennis, field hockey
and judo. Deals to convert several venues into recreation sites
-- such as turning the canoe-kayak venue into a water park --
have been stalled by legal challenges from residents' groups and
planning regulations. In southern Athens, a 2 kilometer seafront
promenade linking three stadiums used for the games has become a
dumping ground for rubble and trash. Some say it contributed to
the financial collapse of the country. There is no doubt that
the $11bn cost had a hand (though small) in the ~$400bn national
debt. While I highly doubt that the cost of running the Olympics
was THE factor which put Greece over the tipping point, it's
important to keep in mind that many countries which host the
Olympics face