Greece Makes News In Other Ways

Greece made world news today, and it had nothing to do with the World Games, as central Athens erupted with demonstrations against the Government's cutbacks in spending. These demonstrations have been occurring every few months for the last two years, ever since the recession combined with Greece's national debt to make Greece's economy the worst in Europe. In addition to similar concerns about state spending that face almost every country in the world right now, Greece remained heavily in debt due to spending on facilities for the 2004 Olympics -- including the stadium that will host our soccer matches at the Special Olympics World Games. In return for a loan to keep the government running, Greece had to agree to immediately and severely cut back its state spending. The government promised to raise the retirement age and reduce pension payments for state workers, as well as reduce a variety of programs that assist the Greek population in general. All this is happening while Greece faces almost 15% unemployment (the United States is at 9%), so many Greeks are worried about whether they will be able to pay their rent, and many more are worried about how they will be able to plan for the future since they will not be able to expect the same state system their parents had. For more details on the demonstrations, see this story, and this one.

picture of a protest in Athens on June 15

The result of all this concern has been a series of demonstrations. However, it is important to note that the violence at these demonstrations has been minimal, no tourists or foreign visitors have been targeted, and the demonstrations have been focused around the Parliament building in central Athens, which is nowhere near our residence or our stadium. Some museums and bus lines have been closed temporarily, but there is no reason to expect that this disturbance will affect the team's experience in any important way. Greeks recognize that tourism is an important part of their economy and livelihood, and so we will receive the usual and famous Greek hospitality, even if the Greeks are arguing with each other while we are there.

UPDATE (6/18): The Greek Government has reached a deal with unions to prevent closings during the World Games. This agreement also reduces the likelihood of any disturbances during our stay. For more information, see the Team USA official announcement.