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Friday, August 13

Greek tragedy one we can live with

ATHENS - Tragedy has hit the host city. Fortunately, it was not the kind that goes boom in broad daylight.

This one merely had locals crying in their Ouzo.

"This is an actual Greek tragedy," a mournful cab driver said.

In the hours leading up to Friday's opening ceremony, people stood in front of storefront televisions, oblivious to the cacophony of whizzing scooters and occasional police sirens. They watched news bulletins centering on two of their own in stunned silence.

A pair of Greek track stars crashed a motorcycle on their way to an official hearing, where they were to finally explain why they've been dodging mandatory drug tests.

One of them, Kostas Kenteris, was the defending gold medalist in the 200 meters and a leading candidate to light the Olympic cauldron. Now, though he and fellow sprinter Katerina Thanou suffered only cuts and bruises, it's uncertain if Kenteris will even compete.

Alas, for the host country, the celebrated return of the Summer Games began with a shot glass of shame, with broken hearts and not broken plates.

Homer couldn't have penned it any better.

Yet in some ways, it's the perfect twist to what could be a stunning Olympiad. In addition to inventing sports fans - America simply added the wave and the giant foam fingers - the Greeks also invented tragedy in the form of theatrical competitions. The team that chanted the best tale would feast on first prize, which was always a nice, fat goat.

In fact, the word "tragedy" comes from the Greek word tragodiai, which literally means "goat songs."

Thanks to the Greeks, we have a convenient word for athletes like Bill Buckner and Scott Norwood. We call them goats.

There is more than great symbolism marking this Olympic homecoming. There is tangible proof that the Olympic movement can have great impact on the host city. Environmental efforts have cleaned up a filthy city, repaved crumbling roads. The mass transit systems will surely ease the notorious congestion, so bad that drivers are asked to alternate days on which they commute to Athens based on odd- and even-numbered license plates. (The rich sidestep this problem by purchasing two cars.)

If all goes well and the Games end on their own timetable, Greece could make the Olympics palatable for smaller cities around the world, cities also seeking a gateway to their own future. That would be a wonderful legacy for a nation that first discovered the remarkable power of sport.

Still, while the Greeks are already in a state of self-congratulation over the apparent readiness of these Games, a minor miracle for those who toured the place only a few months ago, there is much to be proved over the next three weeks.

There is the disconcerting sight of teenage boys carrying powerful rifles, assuming the heady role of protecting the Games. Unlike other Olympiads, main thoroughfares remain open, and many secured entrances seem to beckon trouble.

This visitor walked out of a side door to the press center Friday, stunned by the lack of supervision. Thirty yards to my right, two military personnel busily traded Olympic pins. As I stood there watching, my shock became their shock and I quickly held up my credential, lest their embarrassment lead to quick triggers.

While the venues look magnificent, the workers still labor on finishing touches and, clearly, it would be wise not to touch the paint. If these seem like minor concerns, they may point at much bigger problems. The Times of London quoted an Albanian construction worker questioning the integrity of some structures, especially if too much water works its way into the foundation.

"We have been praying it does not rain, because we ran out of concrete halfway through," the worker said. "There is more sand in that stadium than concrete."

By the way, the ancient Greeks called their Games agones, which became our word for agony, now the working definition of being a Cardinals fan. So we can thank them for that, too.

Yet agony is a word no one wants to hear over the coming days.

It is time for all the thorny issues, security, safety, drugs and anarchist groups itching to see their names in the newspaper, to fade into the background. It is time for the athletes and medals and stories of triumph, most notably from a host city that could prove its doubters wrong.

Let the agones begin. Please.

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