How Have the Olympics Changed Greek Society? Interviews taken in Greece by Mrs. Daily   Maria works for the Ministry of Hellenic Culture. When I went to their offices in Athens, she helped me contact the particular people who had worked on the Olympics in 2004. She told me that Greece decided to consider 2001-2004 a Cultural Olympiad. They wanted to promote a respect for cultural diversity as well as hold the traditional games. Go to protocol@ggoa.culturee.gr for more information or to cultureguide.gr When I asked Maria how the Olympics had changed Greek society, she mentioned the new street, Stadiou, that had been built connecting the new airport to Athens. This new street has helped traffic flow in general around Athens.         George, a student at the University of Athens, is from the island of Crete. He is a track and field athlete and comes to the Olympic stadium to train. When I asked him how the Olympics had affected him, he felt that more money should be spent on supporting the athletes rather than on building the venues. During the 2 years before the Olympics elite athletes received more support, but now funding levels have returned to normal.         Constantine was an event manager during the Olympics. He felt that the way the games were handled and viewed by the world presented a positive image of Greece and were very beneficial to business in general.         Corina who currently works with promotions had been working in retail in 2004. She comes from Crete and took her vacation during the Olympics. She said that looking back now she wishes that she had stayed and watched the games. She really appreciates the new metro lines. In fact, she wants the lines to be extended to additional areas because her neighborhood has only buses. Athens is surrounded by hills and has a problem with air pollution. Like Americans, Greeks like to have two cars and drive to work.