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Level 3 – Intermediate
An Olympic success story
Before the Athens Games got underway, many people in the media had predicted chaos. They said that the Greece wouldn’t be ready in time for the Games. But all the critics were wrong. Greece got its act together in time and the 2004 Olympic Games were a huge success. The Greeks can be proud of their Games which were as good as those in Sydney in 2000.
The opening ceremony was a superb 4-hour show which enchanted the audience with special effects. The high point was a temporary lake in the middle of the stadium which underlined the importance of the sea in Greek history. It disappeared as if by magic just before all 10,000 athletes from 202 countries paraded into the stadium behind their national flags. The show closed with a song from Bjork about mother earth while her dress transformed itself into a map of the world which stretched over the heads of the athletes.
The Sporting events started the following day and carried on for two weeks. There were tears of joy as records were broken and tears of disappointment when stars failed to perform as well as expected. All the events went off smoothly with only a few judging controversies in gymnastics, fencing and swimming. According to the Olympic Committee’s president, Jacques Rogge, it is almost impossible to avoid controversy in some sports.
One Olympic record which Athens broke was the war on doping. A record 22 athletes were tested positive for drugs and were excluded from the Games. However, this was due to the increased number of drug tests and not because there were more cheats on the track. Commenting on the high number of athletes who tested positive, Rogge said that he was pleased with the progress in the fight against doping.
The only shadow over the Games was the cost which was a huge $7.5 billion and which will take Greece years to pay off. One of the causes was the massive security bill which reached $1.4 billion. Because of the international terrorist threat, the Greek government had made security its priority. Over 70,000 police were at work and there was even a NATO force on standby during the Games. Many Greeks say that the countries which were most at risk, including the US, the UK and Israel, should have helped pay the bill.
But for spectators all over the world the Games were a fantastic festival of enjoyment. In the closing ceremony, after the flame had been extinguished, the Olympic torch was handed to a Chinese athlete to start its four year trip around the world to Beijing where the 2008 Olympics will be held.
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C2 Mastery
