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| Day 16, Sunday 29 August 2004 |
| Efharisto and Sygnomi Athens! |
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| A paper half moon floats over the stage, in a stunning image from the Closing Ceremony at the Olympic Stadium of Athens. |
| The Good... |
- The Games are over. There were absolutely no terrorist or other criminal incidents, the buses and the trains run on time, the street traffic was light, the air was clean and pollution-free and the venues were sparkling new and the best ever infrastructure in an Olympics.
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| The Bad... |
- Dozens of doping incidents drove home the point made by IOC President in the Opening Ceremony about the need for clean sports.
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| And the Weird... |
- Italy's Stefano Baldini took gold in the men's marathon, but his victory was overshadowed after one of the runners was attacked by a protester. Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima was leading when the man pushed him to the side of the road four miles from the finish. Soon afterwards, Baldini overtook De Lima to win in a time of two hours 10:54 secs. Mebrahtom Keflezighi of the United States took silver, while De Lima finished with bronze.
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| nyloo's daily Olympic Diary |
The Associated Press reported from Athens:
"Efharisto! A nervous world learned the Greek word for thank you and repeated it endlessly at an astonishingly successful Athens Olympics that quelled fears, surprised skeptics and greatly honored the birthplace of the games [...].
Fireworks and spectacular lighting kicked off the closing ceremony Sunday night, a two-hour extravaganza of folk dancing and music in the Olympic tradition that summed up the glee and relief the games brought to Greece. [...] A full moon lit up the sky, adding an extra sparkle to the night. Not quite as high above the celebration was the white security blimp, keeping a watchful eye on the all the action -- as it did throughout the games.
"You have won,'' International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge told the Greek people, who responded with a roar. "You have won by brilliantly meeting the tough challenge of holding the games. These were unforgettable, dream games.'' He was right [...]."
New York Times sports columnist George Vecsey, who spent the Games in Athens with his wife, noted:
"[...] whatever Greeks come to think about these Games, they need to remember they were good hosts. They took care of us, with our low expectations and our high demands. Greece came through. These Games were secure and peaceful.
For athletes, tourists and wretches from the news media, the Games are reality. Fans walk through an Athenian square carrying their national banner, having an experience they will tell their grandchildren about. When I get home in a few days, I will tell my grandchildren mostly about the ferry rides and the ancient ruins, far more than most sporting events I witnessed.
Greece is said to have a culture of privacy and individualism. (If I may say so after a month here, many Athenians tend to talk, walk and smoke oblivious to others around them.) It is said that Greeks do not volunteer, but somehow the organizers found thousands of the best and brightest of their society and put them in uniforms where some cranky American would come lurching along, trying to find a bus or a bathroom. I will always remember their tolerant and worldly ways.
Next time we come back, there won't be any Games and we can get right to the museums and the beaches. Efcharisto poli. Thank you very much."
Italy's leading sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported from Athens:
The Closing Ceremony, full of colors, sounds and a festival atmosphere was hard pressed to equal the emotion of the marvellous Opening but, despite everything, it was not possible to deny the fact that these 28th Games have exceeded even the most rosy forecasts. This was an Olympics that was well organized, massively attended, rich in quality, unprecedentedly serene. The doping scandals, the terrorism fears and the low attendance cannot shadow an overall impression for which Greece can be justifiably proud."
Taki Theodorakopoulos, under the title "Unforgettable Games" wrote in the British weekly The Spectator:
"Let’s face it. Unless you were at the Athens Olympics, you could not feel the unmatchable gravitas and pure joy. One of the great appeals of the Games was that it offered the glamour of the old. Olympia was a delight, as was Athens. I have never seen the city look or feel as good as this. Traffic flowed like never before, with gleaming, new, air-conditioned trams, trains and buses making the entire loop of the ancient city in a matter of less than an hour. Tourists and ticket-holders jammed public transport, with special guards and volunteers everywhere and ever ready to help. I don’t know how they went about educating them, but the volunteers are the real heroes of these Games.
Sure, some of the venues were empty, but who cares to go and watch all sorts of women playing softball, or others shooting arrows? There was not a place to be had when real sports were on, and judo, wrestling, swimming and the finals of track and field were always sold out. This was the best time I ever had in my birthplace."
Finally, CNN.com apologized for years of negative reporting:
"Dear Athens,
Well, we feel bad. We really owe you an apology. So, sygnomi, as you would say. Sorry. Sorry the way we acted. We were paranoid and stupid and just flat out wrong. Our bad. If you want, we'll sleep on the couch. We mocked you, ridiculed you, figured you wouldn't be ready. [...] We were wrong. It was all done and it was beautiful. OK, so the swimming stadium never got a roof. Big freaking deal. Imagine: having to swim in an outdoor pool. Let's all sue. Besides, you know what? It was more fun that way.
Some bozo said, "The only place worse to hold an Olympics would be Baghdad." Please. I guarantee you, we felt a helluva lot safer these three weeks in Athens than we do in L.A. Or Detroit. Or the Republican National Convention. We insisted you spend 1.2 billion euros on security. You had to put up blimps and cameras all over the city. And nothing happened. Zero.
[Security is] the world's problem, the world should have to pay for it. What small country is going to be able to afford to host the Olympics anymore with these insane security demands? From now on, if a country wants to send a team to the Games, it pays its share of security, based on its share of the gross world product. In other words, it's our war, we should have to pay for it. And our ignorance cost you more than just the billion or so Euros.
It was a glorious Olympics. It really was. The opening ceremonies were fabulous. The nightlife was amazing. Even the stray dogs and cats couldn't have been friendlier. I got lost once and had to hitchhike out of nowhere, and a motorcyclist not only picked me up but drove for miles until he found me a cab. So, efharisto, as you say. Thanks.
If it makes you feel any better, we all feel a lot more Greek now. We're all coming back to the States telling the wife, "OK, you be Athena and I'll be Zeus!", demanding our favorite restaurants reserve us a table about 1 a.m. under the moon, right near a 2,500 year-old ruin. We keep spitting in people's hair for good luck, crushing plates for no reason and hollering "opa!" in the shower. No idea how to make this right for you, except this: We vow, here and now, we'll never make you host us again. See you in Baghdad, 2016." |
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