More modern facilities were required of course for the next occasion Athens hosted the Games in 2004, but many would argue that the underlying spirit of the Games, encompassing values such as fair competition, solidarity, friendship, peace and diversity are timeless, at the heart of the democratic world view born in Athens and enshrined in the founding principles of the European Union.
Kopš tā laika sportisti spēkus mērot ik četrus gadus dodas uz citu pasaules nostūri, taču olimpiskā himna atgādina par vērtībām, ko par savām sauc arī Eiropas Savienība — godīgu sacensību, solidaritāti, draudzību, mieru un daudzveidību.