 |
Last updated on February 1, 2009
2004 Olympics
Athens
While the preparations for the Athens games were marred by construction
delays and an epic race to complete venues before the opening ceremonies,
the game's return to their historic home ended as a surprising success.
Participation records were once again broken, with 201 nations and 10,625
athletes taking part in 301 different events.
Nearly as compelling as the competitions were the historic venues used
for the games. Panathenaic Stadium, which served as the main site for the
inaugural modern Olympics in 1896, was the home to the archery
competition. It was also the finishing point for the marathon, which began
in the actual city of Marathon, the staring point of Pheidippides, the
Greek soldier who completed the world's first marathon in 490 B.C. when he
was sent to inform the Athenians of the Greeks victory over the
Persians.The shot put was held in Olympia, home of the ancient games.
American swimmer Michael Phelps emerged as the face of the games. He
tied the Olympic record by winning eight medals, six of them gold.
Americans also dominated on the track, sweeping the top three spots in
both the men's 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash, with Shawn Crawford and
Jeremy Wariner each earning gold, respectively. In the 100-meter dash,
Justin Gatlin took home the gold medal with a time of 9.85. He was
followed closely by three other competitors also under 10 seconds, making
the event the most competitive track event in Olympic history. In the
women's 400-meter hurdles, upset winner Fani Halkia delighted the home
crowd.
Inspirational stories were not hard to come by in Athens. Indeed, the
Iraqi soccer team overcame adversity to advance to the semifinals, and
U.S. gymnast Paul Hamm won gold in the all-around competition despite an
early fall. Swimmer Jenny Thompson became the most decorated U.S.
Olympian, winning her 12th medal as a member of the 400-meter medley
relay. The Argentinian men's basketball team defeated Italy to win the
gold medal, becoming the first non-U.S. team to win the title since
professionals were allowed to play in 1992.
While the games turned out to be more successful than many imagined,
they were not without flaws. Many of the venues were awash with empty
seats during major events, a stark contrast to previous games. Also, 24
athletes tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, a reminder that
today's drug culture is inescapable, even in the ancestral home of the
Olympics.
Despite these problems, Athens will be remembered for mixing remarkable
athletic achievement with historic reminders of the heritage and spirit of
the game. The legacy of the games is sure to live on in Athens, as Olympic
construction modernized the city in a way that would have been impossible
otherwise, bringing new venues, roadways, public transportation systems,
and even a new international airport. Thanks to athletes, organizers, and
fans alike, the bar has been set very high for the 2008 games in
Beijing.
Information Please® Database, © 2008 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
More on 2004 Olympics from Infoplease:
|
|
