Journal
Games over
During August 2004, Athens was host to the Games of the 28th Olympiad. The Olympics were an undoubted success and filled all Hellenes with pride. As in any of the host cities, the development of the world’s largest sports event leaves a legacy that includes both successes and failures in various fields influenced by it. The quality of life within Athens has been improved with the £3bn upgrade of the public transport system1, which included a new metro line and extension of the existing line, a tramline and a suburban rail, an increase in the number of gas-fuelled buses (Athens has the largest number of gas-fuelled buses in Europe) and bus lanes. Athens has undergone many improvements regarding the hard landscape, especially in the city centre. The city centre has been relieved of the eyesore of large advertisements: more than 1,500 building facades, including many neoclassical examples, have been refurbished. Pavements were renewed and pedestrian areas have been introduced linking historical sites with sensitivity to disabled people. Discuss this article
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