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The Olympic Stadium of Athens will host Friday's Opening Ceremony.
The Good...
The Torch Relay reached Attica, i.e. the Athens region, yesterday and the streets were lined with flag-waving and cheering onlookers. It was a day of celebration in the streets of the capital.
Former US President George Bush arrived on Monday and went on a boat cruise around the Northern Aegean before the Opening Ceremony on Friday. In Lesvos, on Wednesday, he went for a jog and wasted no compliments when asked by reporters about his feelings on being back to Greece and on how safe he feels. "This is a safe country. Come on guys", said the father of the President of the United States.
The Queen Mary 2, the recently-launched largest cruise ship in the world, arrived at Piraeus harbor today, and attracted every camera crew in Athens. There were no news shows on Greek television last night without at least one report from the arrival of the mega-ship, that will serve as a VIP accommodation.
Ticket sales continued strong. With about 95 thousand tickets sold on Tuesday alone, organizers said that about half of all tickets have now been sold.
The Bad...
Doping continued to rear its ugly head yesterday. After the disqualification of two members of the Greek baseball team, US sprinter Torri Edwards was banned for two years from all competition for failing a drug test.
US tennis star Jennifer Capriati withdrew from the Games with a leg injury.
The Greek women soccer team lost 3-0 to the world champion US team in the opening game of the 28th Olympic Games, in Heraklion.
And the Weird...
Naomi Campbell, the world famous super model, will be one of the last torch bearers when the Olympic Flame makes its last run to the Olympic Stadium on Friday. It seems like the celebrity culture that is sweeping the globe has reached the Olympics.
nyloo's daily Olympic Diary
A day of anticipation, a day of measured celebration, a day, most of all, of self confidence and vindication.
Also, a day when the Games began. Not officially, but actually. With 8 soccer games played yesterday, the 28th Olympics are underway.
The Games are here and the Greeks, at least those still left in Athens, cannot hide their pride. After months of doubting and negative local and international media reports, everything seems to be into place, working just as it should and then some.
Calling the completed venues impressive is an understatement. With the exception of some spots around the Olympic Stadium that were not planted with the planned grass, all the Olympic venues are perfect, both functionally and architecturally. The staff of nyloo.com attended the 2000 Games and, sorry Sydney but, there is no comparison.
A pleasant surprise so far, are the volunteers. A tradition that started in Los Angeles, in the 1984 Games, has fully matured by now and the Athens Games set a new record in the number of people that applied to volunteer: more than 160 thousand, which is about 30 thousand more than in Sydney.
In a country that is not famous for its spirit of volunteerism and altruistic social contribution, the number of volunteers and, more importantly, their positive attitude is already one of the pleasant surprises of these Games.
Another reason for the smiles around Athens on Wednesday were the great news from the dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony of Tuesday night.
Nyloo was at the Sunday night rehearsal at the Olympic Stadium and, we must admit, we were mightily impressed. With the exception of the mock parade of the 202 national teams that participate in the Athens Games, which went on for about one and a half hours, to simulate the actual parade on Friday night, the show is impressive, stunning, heart stopping and even moving. Don't miss it, on Friday night, at 18.45 GMT or 13.45 pm EDT.
The Tuesday rehearsal was given in front of about 70 thousand spectators, all of who raved in front of the cameras, outside the stadium, after it was over, around midnight. Entrance to the Stadium was free, but cameras and cell phones were not allowed, to avoid taking snapshots of the ceremony.
Still, some Athens newspapers, the same ones that expressed rage when the Daily Mirror of London printed details of the ceremony about two weeks ago, carried photos of the opening ceremony on the Wdnesday editions.
Lastly, those that were reluctant to come to Athens because of he traffic and the pollution and all the other urban ills that have plagued the city in the last 20 years will be dissappointed to learn that the streets are almost empty of traffic, like in Sydney 4 years ago, and clear blue skies, without the usual grey smog that lines the horizon, reign over the venues and the sites of the host city of the 2004 Games.
Those Athenians that were not interested in the Games or were loath to spend two weeks with traffic restrictions and Olympic traffic lanes have decamped to the islands en masse and the city has reverted to its annual August recess of traffic and noise and pollution. It's almost blissful.
