A sizable number of the world's greatest athletes will begin competition at the 28th Olympiad this week, in a historic return to the games' origins -- ancient Athens. Yet these Olympics so far have not been marked by talk of dream teams, potential breakthrough performances or national rivalries.
Instead, it has been about doping scandals, security plans and terrorism targets. International competition that was designed to celebrate the human spirit has been lost in a fog of dark, modern realities. Even the most recent news coming out of Athens -- construction delays and a blackout that left millions without power -- seemed to shroud the games in pessimism, leaving some to ponder whether the Olympic flame might be the only light flickering at the opening ceremonies.
The problems are very real. The Greek hosts moved at a snail like pace after being awarded the games in 1997 by the International Olympic Committee. Slow progress on a few of the sports venues resulted in some well-publicized gaffes, like a swimming complex without a roof to protect swimmers from the blazing August heat. A security command center only recently became operational. And some guarantees offered by Olympic officials and Greek authorities have not come to pass, making assurances of a smooth-running extravaganza less credible.
But Athens is spending $1.2 billion on security, four times the amount spent for the 2000 Sydney games and the Greeks wisely pulled together a host of experts from the United States, Israel and Britain to help direct the Olympic operations. More than 1,300 cameras have been installed throughout Athens and a force of 70,000 Greek police and military personnel will patrol the city. The security network is so vast that NATO AWACS planes will patrol the skies over the Olympic venues.
But the best views will be on the ground, as athletes from 202 nations will compete in events ranging from whitewater kayaking to fencing. For a host of U.S. athletes, it may be the final chapter in their brilliant careers while some relative unknowns may rise to become national heroes.
Will the American women's soccer team -- led by soon-to-be retired veterans Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy -- return wearing gold? Will Maryland teenager Michael Phelps be able to handle the expectations and challenge Mark Spitz's record for swimming medals? Can the men's boxing team punch its way back to the winner's stand? Will there be enough dramatic moments like gymnast Kerri Strugg vaulting to glory or diver Laura Wilkinson nailing the gold medal after limping to the platform on a broken foot?
That is the true spirit captured in the Olympics. The thought of athletes running on the same paths as Phidippides in the town of Marathon in 490 B.C. to bring Athenians news of battle victory should stir the imagination. If Athens manages the games well, it could pave the way for other small nations to become hosts.
But a lot is riding on these Olympics because, in the new-world order, the games will forever be more than just a test of the globe's best athletes.
Posted by Ron at August 4, 2004 06:30 AM