OT and by request - a little touch of humanity

[maxg]

This is broken down into a number of replies to my own post - just to make sure nothing is lost in posting:

Strange! I have received a number of requests from members of this forum to write my impressions of the Olympic Games. It is something I have toyed with for a while - but never thought others would actually want it enough to ask....quite an honor really.

Further, with the fairly recent clampdown in this forum on off-topic posting I was more than a little put off. Post it in the General forum? I am a fish out of water over there.

I suppose I do occupy a fairly unique position to comment on the Games. I live in Greece but am not Greek, saw the Olympics in 5 different ways and 4 different locations as follows:

For the opening ceremony I was on the Island of Trikeri - my island I like to think. 11 people got together to watch. At our disposal a 14 inch color TV with its sole mono speaker all there was to provide the ambience. Well not quite all. In a moment of sheer brilliance we dragged the TV outside and ran an extension cable into the house for power. We placed the set under an old Olive tree and sat round on plastic chairs in wonder. In other words possible the most poignant way to watch short of being there. I'll cover the highlights for me lower down.

Day 2 still on the island, 3 back in Athens and 4 to 11 off to Manchester. 12 onwards back in Athens.

I got to see the games from the Greek POV - the English POV - live - on 15 digital channels from around the world over Satellite, and finally in retrospect after the finish.

So without further ado - here, for what they are worth, are my impressions:

[maxg]

THE BUILD UP

History should look at these games as the ones with the lowest expectations of success -ever. Nobody really thought the Greek would pull it off. Fear of Terrorism was an ever present backdrop to rumors of incompetence and the sight of incomplete buildings and cement mixers churning with mere days left.

A huge number of nations advised their citizens not to go - with a large degree of success only for their TV coverage to howl at the almost empty stadiums during the first week.

Of course, with the benefit of 20:20 hindsight we can see that the Games were never likely to really be a target. Greece has few enemies amongst the groups and states that have a reputation for terrorism, and the disaster that was Munich has not been lost on them.

The incompetence is another story. Few are better than Greeks at appearing to be totally directionless, and yet, when the going gets tough, they really can pull it out of the bag, and did, in style.

Yes the paint may have still been wet. Yes we probably spent 50% more than we needed to have done and a few areas outside of the stadiums may have looked distinctly make-shift, but credit where it is due, these games were a massive success.

Sad that 1.5 billion was spent on security. We didnt need to have done that. It was pandering to the paranoia, not least of the US, largely for people who in the end did not come.

Testimony to Greece again though. Here is a lesson in non-intrusive security again more on this later but the world has a new benchmark for this kind of thing.

THE OPENING CEREMONY

I am not going to run through all the ins and outs of the ceremony. It was quite brilliant IMHO. Rather, lets look at it like this:

Grandpa what do you remember of the Opening Ceremony of the Athens games?

Well child, 2 things stick firmly. A small boy in a large paper boat sailing across a small lake and waving to 3 billion people. A lone runner going around a track past milestones of games past. Past 1896, 1900, 04, 08, 12 and then falling over. 3 billion sharp intakes of breath. 3 billion sighs of relief as they realized the fall was symbolic of a war that should never have been, that stalled the games. So brilliantly illustrative of both the history of mankind and the story of the build up to the games that the second hiatus, 39 to 45, was merely a pause on the track.

In other words the simplest things.

This ceremony was Greece not Hollywood. Oh, there was a big show and it was magnificent, drawing on all the wonders of ancient Greece and utilizing sometimes blinding effects. But these are the things we associate with Games across the world.

Then there was the huge parade of competing teams, with one of the largest cheers of the night going to the team from Iraq merely for being there. Wonderful that the whole thing was done in alphabetical order according to the Greek alphabet I wonder how many people across the globe were trying to guess who would be the last team out. Must have made a nice change for Zimbabwe!

But ultimately the thing that distinguished this ceremony from any other I have ever seen was the boiling down of the whole thing to the individual. One athlete, one child the stuff of life.

And yes there were things that didnt quite work. Bjorg may be a big star but she fitted into the rest of the show like an elephant in a tutu, and the lighting of the flame

Well it was a brilliant idea. Lets not have the man go to the flame, lets have the flame come to the man. The trouble is that in lighting the thing it just looked like a giant cigarette especially as it merely glowed till half raised. My mind is an evil thing sometimes. I couldnt help looking at this as an opportunity lost. Had we put an advert for Silk cut on the top side of the holder and an advert for Viagra on the underside we would have made a killing. Of course it meant the actual intended effect was somewhat lost.

[maxg]

THE GAMES THEMSELVES

Many performances to go down in history here. I wont pick any out I think my impressions and those of others would concur.

For a while it looked like the whole thing might be overshadowed by drugs testing especially for the 2 Greek athletes, Thanou and Kederis. Ultimately I think that story will merely add to the legend of these games. A modern Greek tragedy to add to those we have inherited from times past and just maybe a blockbuster film in the making that will help pay for some of these festivities.

Overall the events worked some were startlingly well catered for (the Kayaking course supposedly the best ever made for example) and others utilized Greek imagery to great effect (the sight of horses jumping over small Greek fishing vessels is not one I will ever forget). Events happened on time with few judging errors and no-one seemed to miss the bus.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

Everything looked splendid, at least on camera. Athens has never been cleaner and never been prettier. Having catered for up to five times the number of visitors than we actually got transport was a breeze.

Security was outstanding and the real secret the volunteers. To illustrate:

One of the events I attended was the sailing. I went with my brother in law. We didnt really know where we were going other than the general area. Didnt matter. Exiting the taxi we bumped into a volunteer who directed us, 2 American ladies (some did come) and 3 Italians in the right direction. That volunteer spoke Greek, English and seemingly Italian with no problems at all.

100 yards further down another volunteer. Asked where we were heading we told him. He had us sit down for a moment explaining it was a long walk and arranged a mini-bus on the spot to take us to the ship (ship read on).

The mini bus came to a halt at a check point. We all got out passed through metal detectors and had our bags searched. Now interesting point. Being searched is an intrusive thing, and yet the security people were so friendly, and so apologetic for the inconvenience that it was almost a pleasure. At this check point, as in others I passed through, they had most languages covered and chatted as they checked about the games, the heat and so on, all the while asking if people were enjoying the games, the facilities and just about anything that came to mind.

Ultimately it was more like making a new acquaintance than being subjected to security.

On the other side of the checkpoint another mini-bus to take us to the boat itself.

We filed in and chose our seats all placed around tables. We ate, we drank and we set off. The boat followed the competitos in each event. Close enough to see what was going on (particularly if you had the foresight to bring binoculars and camera with zoom lenses) but not so close as to interfere with the event itself.

During the 5 hour trip (not bad for 90 Euros a ticket food included), I chatted with people from various countries including the 2 American Ladies. It was funny that they brought up the security. They could not believe how much less intrusive it was that it had been in Atlanta (veterans of 8 games summer and winter they told me). In fact they were convinced that there was no security on or around the boat itself.

With a grin I pointed out the 2 guys going in and out of the mirrored glass fronted office behind them. Heckler and Koch submachine guns unless I am very much mistaken. Look up - see the TV helicopter? Look higher up see the black helicopter that aint no TV copter. Cast a glance, if you care to, at the horizon see that grey hulk sitting low in the water dont think that is another cruise ship.

Throughout the trip instructions over the Tannoy what is going on in the event and where in English, Greek and French. Several volunteers drifting from table to table ensuring everyone is having a good time and understands what is happening. Of course they speak a dozen or so languages between them in addition to the announcements.

Summary outstanding. Simply breath-taking.

[maxg]

THE CLOSING CEREMONY

If the opening ceremony was ancient Greece the closing ceremony was all modern Greece. A party for those that had worked so hard in reality, but still littered with moments of brilliance.

Images Greeks see every day without ever really noticing them were there in abundance. The Datsun van loaded to the gunnels with watermelons and a string of Gypsys in tow a common site on roadsides across the country but who really ever saw them.

Long tables of people dining and celebrating. Ludicrous volumes of food and drink on tap. Golden Fields of wheat. Nightclubs spilling out into the night air. Tourists in too bright attire wandering aimlessly down ancient streets. Images of a modern state at peace. And then the culmination:

A small girl looks up into the night sky in the direction of the Olympic flame with a smile playing around the corners of her mouth. She purses her lips and blows gently, dousing the Olympic flame.

Beijing your turn follow that!

[boomac]

A fun and informative read. Tks Max

[neomartic]

Great write-up! Really nice read.

[ygmn]

Thanks for the local insight.....Well written and entertaining....

I love Sailing and wished they showed more on TV here...but NBC and their affiliates....kinda made it hard to find what you wanted to see as channels came online and offline with Olympic coverage...

I will say this NBC HDTV...had some excellent shots of the country...It would last about 5 mins or so to fill in dead air....they showed one house perched atop of some sort of large rock formation...it covered the entire top...I wonder how they built the place...

Some day I would love to see Greece....!

Enjoy your beautiful country Max....you are lucky....

[Zeke_in_KC]

Fabulous storytelling. It even made me a little emotional. (The affect that Olympics have on me is well documented.) I have removed my off topic soapbox blinders, in all cases, because I was THANKFUL to have this post.

I loved the part where you were explaining things to your metaphorical grandchild!

Thanks,

[Marvel]

Great descriptions Max. I have heard that one of the problems with all hosts is that the IOC demands facilities that are really much larger than needed, so the costs multiply greatly. Even more costly when people stay home.

We live an hour and a half from Atlanta, but didn't even attempt to go to any events.

Marvel

[arco]

Cheers, Max!

You just happened to write the best description of the Game's atmosphere I've read. Seriously...

Have a nice (Hi-Fi and otherwise) winter, ahead.

[skaloumbakas]

Cheers Max,

You must've lost all of your vacations this summer, in order to describe so accuratelly all the paste of the Games, from the beginning till the end...

You will allow me to link this Topic from the A.C.A. Forums don't you?

Wish you all the best

[colterphoto1]

Brilliantly written, brought a few tears, thanks for taking the time to record this. I've printed it for my 'history' notebook of life's greatest moments. I think the returning to the normalcy of the games after 9/11 and the midst of war was cathartic.

[maxg]

Thanks for the kind words all - took a while and some effort to write that - glad I did.

Anyone that wants to can link to the piece (as long as Klipsch dont mind). Otherwise - just copy and paste it anywhere you want.

Some word as to the source might be nice...

[skaloumbakas]

How about this?

[middlecreekguy]

Just a couple of thoughts concerning the Greek games.

1. Beautiful back drop. It was like going back in time to see the future....what ever that means.

2. Yes, they spent more on security than anyone before them....but wait until the next Olympics.

3. Hamn should have given the gold to the true winner. But he did the what is now "American Thing" and kept it.

What is the "American Thing"?

I am #1.

We are #1.

And we will accept no less no matter how degrading it makes me or my country look.

What I`m saying here is Paul had a change to be a true hero for ever in the history books.

But no!

It was not his fault that the judges screwed up.

But he will never be looked up on as a great champion because of an honest mistake in the scoring that he could have turned into a positive for himself and our country.

Instead he choice the selfish route and kept the metal he did not deserve.

I believe this example is typical of today`s sports ethic.

Winning is everything. Losing is not excepted.

Other wise this was one of the best Olympics I have ever experienced.

Congratultions Greece on a job well done!

Hope you guys get the games again. Very soon.

[maxg]

Actually Mark that is an extra $10 bn deeper into dept. The last figure I saw for Greece is was already $100 Bn down - so it should be around 110 now - but who is counting...

Just for reference Greek GDP is around $160-180 billion - so it is still less than that.

And yes - there are starting to be many questions about where all this money has gone and why - expect battles ahead.

However, on a brighter note - an increase in Tourism as a result of the games over the coming years of around 30% will just about cover the costs - and as much of them are infrastuctural we do retain benefits from holding the games in the first place.

Still - it will take time to digest the costs - and it may well prove hard on the business environment for a good while to come.

[fini]

Very enjoyable read, Max! I'd love to see a shot of you all under that olive tree. I see it in my mind's eye already, something out of an Antonioni film, I think.

We didn't get a chance to see very much of the games this year. Maybe there'll be a good DVD to rent.

Thanks again!