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.