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by **Nikitas** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 11:21 pm

GIG,

The most insulting thing about the Olympics is that it was the catalyst to get some elementary things done, like a modern Metro and some decent ring roads around Athens. Things that were not otherwise deemed necessary for the population. The Metro was the only project that was slowed by antiquities and they managed to deal with them with no delays.

Other venues- the shooting range, the equestrian arena, the rowing center, the fencing, baseball, canoeing, weight lifting halls are idle and decaying. Committees, the usual Greek administrative non response to most events, were set up, staffed and paid to do something with these venues and nothing was done, yet the salaries flowed. Being confirmed statists they did not want to rent them to "capitalists" who would run them at a profit, that dirty word for statists, so they let them rot. The mayor of Marathon, the municipality of the rowing center, last week vowed to rebuild the venue. Ten years after construction there is a need to rebuild, so you can imagine the state it was allowed to fall into.

And naturally the responsibility being on committees no one is individually responsible so they all go scott free for their neglect.

This place needs an overhaul and fast.

by **Cap** » Fri Jul 10, 2015 9:32 pm

^^

Nikita, are you aware that the national ice hockey team of Greece applied for one of these rotting venues and were rejected.
They were promised a permanent venue and funding by the ruling government at the time, (PASOK or New Democracy, cant remember) then came the elections and the opposing party came to power and did the complete OPPOSITE and scrapped the plans.

They were gonna host the IIHF group 3 World Championships and the ruling party turned their back on them.
Greece were subsequently banned from the World Champs and the international ice hockey federation had to scramble for a last minute host country to host the games.

by **Nikitas** » Fri Jul 10, 2015 10:11 pm

Cap,

I wel believe it because it echoes a hundred other similar cases. It is sad that no one in the state or union machine saw an immediate personal gain from the Ice Hockey event and therefore did not pursue it.

We had gotten to within an inch of organizing a world championship here, the actual sport is irrelevant,. that was entirely self funded, ie needed no Greek financial input, and the only thing asked for was the use for 5 days of ten acres of uncultivated fields. Not one official lifted a finger, because no one could see his personal gain in this. The tourism benefit and the national prestige angle totally eluded them.

Just think what other nations with the weather and the 16000 kilometer coastline would have done here with let's say sailing lessons and events. Now try as a grown up to get sailing lessons in Greece and you will see what I mean.