That's a Whole Lot of Gyros

Apparently, the Olympic Games cost a whole lot more than expected...

The final cost of the Athens Olympics soared to about $11.6 billion — at least $3.1 billion more than originally estimated.

Neither figure included transportation projects such as the new tram line, suburban rail network and extension of the Athens metro system to the airport, Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis said Friday.

"The Olympic Games were an investment, but the Greek people should know how much they have cost," he said.

The previous socialist government, which lost to the conservatives in March elections, had placed the cost of the Aug. 13-29 Olympics and Paralympics that followed in September at $5.9 million. The budget of the organizing committee, which was managed as a separate company and had a separate budget of nearly $2.6 billion, would have brought that total up to about $8.51 billion.

Oh, yeah, I definitely want the Games stateside in 2012. Idiots.