Nike is weighing in on the Greek economic crisis with a haunting new ad featuring four competitive athletes from the debt-stricken country.
It's a visually arresting piece, set in desolate venues from the 2004 Athens Olympics—expensive projects that have fallen into disrepair, becoming symbols of short-sighted government overspending in the years leading up to the nation's current predicament.
In the ad, swimmer Eleni Hatzimitrou, Paralympic runner Michalis Seitis, NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo and pole vaulter Nikoleta Kyriakopulou prepare to ply their craft. A voiceover, delivered in Greek, spits defiance as the tension builds.
"We will not be defined by circumstance," read the English captions. "We will not be undone by what is broken. We are more than our surroundings. We are the makers of our fate."
The athletes take off as lightning crackles in the background and war drums beat with enough drama for a high-budget Hollywood movie based on an ancient Greek myth.