ATHENS ¨C It was billed as a chance to transform Greece¡¯s image abroad and boost growth but 10 years after the country hosted the world¡¯s greatest sporting extravaganza there is little to celebrate at the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games.
Many of the once-gleaming Olympic venues which crackled with activity have been abandoned while others are occasionally used for non-sporting events.
At the former Olympic rowing center in the town of Marathon, which gave its name to the endurance race, stray dogs play among overgrown weeds as a dozen youths train in the water.
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