Ten years on, Athens 2004 gives Greece little to cheer

The abandoned stadium which hosted the beach volleyball competition during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games is seen at the Faliro complex south of Athens July 29, 2014. REUTERS/Yorgos Karahalis

ATHENS (Reuters) - 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 used occasionally for non-sporting events such as conferences and weddings.