The perceptions of the Athenians towards the 2004 Olympic Games

In 2004 the city of Athens hosted the 28th Olympiad for the first time since 1896, when the first modern Olympic Games were held there. Hosting the Games was conceived by the Greeks as an opportunity to promote the Olympic spirit and the values that the Games stand for it, but also as a unique opportunity to proceed with a face-lift of their city and the promotion of Athens and in extend Greece worldwide as a tourist destination.;Through this study the researcher tried to analyze the perceptions of the Athenians towards the 2004 Olympic Games and how the Games affected the city of Athens and its inhabitants. The researcher was focused on the sectors of mass transportation, road infrastructure, tourism, archeological sites, economy, environmental conditions, security, and sport facilities and venues, and whether the city and its citizens have been affected either positively or negatively.;Since the Summer Olympic Games are considered as the bigger, more famous and prestigious event to be hosted by a city, there is a great interest among various groups such as the sporting community, the IOC, NOCs', candidate Olympic cities, public authorities and the general public, towards the positive or negative effects of the organization of this mega event. In addition, there is very little research on this topic in Greece at the moment.;The quantitative research was used for the current study and the method of a survey through a questionnaire was used to gather information concerning "the perceptions of the Athenians towards the 2004 Olympic Games." The interviewer administered pencil surveys to the participants and encounter them at three selected locations. The study examined a sample data of 200 participants (N=200), and all of them were 25 years old, as well as permanent residents of Athens prior to the Olympic Games.;As of the results derived from the respondents, Athenians were positive towards the organization of the 2004 Olympic Games, while there were negative towards the public spending for their organization. In relation to the sectors developed for the organization of the Games, it seems that Athenians were positive to the vast majority of them. However, Athenians haven't perceived any improvements in their standard of living due to the development of the above sectors.