The London Olympics are in the books, and we can spend the next four years gearing up for the party in Rio de Janeiro. But before peeking too far ahead, the Associated Press took a look back at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. There's always talk about the legacy of an Olympics, and what the AP found in Greece wasn't all that inspiring.

It reported that "eight years after the Athens Games, many of the venues remain abandoned or rarely used, focusing public anger on past governments as the country struggles through a fifth year of recession and a debt crisis that has seen a surge in poverty and unemployment."

8 Years Later, Athens' Olympic Venues Languish Slideshow

 

Athens: Eight Years Later

The beach volleyball venue.

 

Athens: Eight Years Later

Frogs find a home in an abandoned training pool at the Olympic Village.

 

Athens: Eight Years Later

Frogs and trash fill the abandoned training pool.

 

Athens: Eight Years Later

The softball venue.

 

Athens: Eight Years Later

The field hockey venue.

 

Athens: Eight Years Later

The arena for handball and taekwondo.

 

Athens: Eight Years Later

Marble blocks in a fountain with Olympics rings is defaced.

 

Athens: Eight Years Later

The AP reports that the swim stadium has been "sporadically used for national championships" since 2004.

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