It was 12 years ago, years before the banking crisis that would trigger the evisceration of its economy, when Greece hosted the 2004 Olympics. Billions of euros were spent to show the world that once impoverished Greece could deliver the greatest show on Earth, in its spiritual birth place.Success also came inside the stadiums. Sixteen Greek athletes won medals, and Greece was 15th in the medal tallies, creating overnight heroes for a small and proud nation that wanted to shine.
