August 28, 2004 11:39 am
Greek pride shines in Olympic spotlight
ATHENS, Greece - With the end of the 2004 Summer Olympics just hours away, Gina Anastasiou of Athens has a proposal for the International Olympic Committee.
``The Games were born here, and they should bring the Olympics back every four years. It would only be fair to have them here,'' said Anastasiou, draped in a blue-and-white flag of Greece.
She's not the only one who feels that way. Ask any Greek and they will tell you the same thing. Greeks are proud of the games they invented, proud of their country and proud of their athletes.
As the Greek water polo team prepared to go up against Serbia and Montenegro in Friday's semifinals, a stadium full of Greeks was there to rattle that small corner of the world in the Olympic Aquatic Centre.
If the fans are not shouting ``Hellas,'' they are chanting ``Omadara, Ellarada.'' The two phrases translate into ``My team, my Greece.'' When they are spoken, they are reminders of that pride. But when they are shouted in unison by thousands, as they were Friday, they make a loud statement that no one will ever break the Greek spirit.
The Greeks lost 7-2 to Serbia and Montenegro and instead of going for a first water-polo gold, they will play Russia on Sunday for a bronze medal. The outcome did little to dampen the crowd's enthusiasm. Fans erupted in joy for each of Greece's two goals and booed in anger every time Serbia and Montenegro scored.
Athenian Sofia Tripa said she always gets emotional by the public exhibition of Greek pride.
``It gives me goose bumps,'' she said, pointing at the skin on her arm.
``We know we are a very passionate people,'' said Michael Rachis, who had a Greek flag draped shoulder.
For Greek fans, the hometown highlight of these games will be Fani Halkia and the way she whipped Olympic Stadium and 62,000 fans into a frenzy by winning the 400-meter hurdles.
Thousands of flash bulbs lit the night sky - when she started the race and again when she leaned on her knees and kissed the track. The noise, so loud and continuous for so long, rocked the composure of some of the best athletes in the world.
``When that Greek girl ran that 400, that was beyond what I could ever imagine,'' said American gold-medal pole vaulter Tim Mack, who missed his attempt in the midst of the celebration.
``What happened in the venue is beyond words. It was like an earthquake,'' Halkia said.
The headline in the next morning's Kathimerini newspaper read: ``Fani Halkia stuns Greece with gold''.
``It's not just one thing, but a combination of things such as the crowd, hard work, and he power of the Greek spirit and soul,'' Halkia said the next morning.
Halkia has one of six golds for the home country, which has 14 overall medals through Friday's competition. That leaves Greece 17th in the overall medal standings. But perhaps it's because the victories come less frequently for a country that is among the smallest to host the Olympics that the celebrations are all the more raucous. Neutral observers say the passions of the Greek fans equal and in many cases exceed what was demonstrated by the exuberant Aussies in Sydney four years ago.
Early in the men's basketball competition, Greek fans filled the 12,000-seat Helliniko Indoor Arena for a preliminary game between Greece and the United States.
They began singing songs and waving their blue-and-white flags 25 minutes before the 10:15 p.m. tipoff. When the Greek team took the floor several minutes later, the volume increased significantly, the noise bouncing off the metal interior of the building, an old airplane hangar.
The U.S. won 77-71, but trailed midway through the fourth period as the crowd roared. Even the U.S. players seemed moved by the support of the Greek fans afterward.
"They had us energized, too," said U.S. forward Lamar Odom. "We like to play in this kind of environment."
Michalis Zacharatos, spokesman for the Athens Olympic Committee, could not provide the statistical data to show that events featuring Greek teams and athletes were better attended than those that didn't, but ventured to say that was the case.
``It is only logical that the home crowd support its home athletes,'' Zacharatos said. ``But at the same time, I think we have also shown support for other countries as well. We are discovering new sports and becoming more outgoing.''
The public display of pride is a carryover from May, when Greece's soccer team stunned all of Europe by winning the Euro Cup 2004 championship.
But the Olympics have not been non-stop glory for the Greeks. They've also been a source of controversy and discord. Construction delays and security concerns made international headlines prior to the start of the Games, and the price tag of $8 billion far exceeded the $5.6 billion budget, leaving many Greeks to question their value. Plans for many of the new venues in post-Olympics Greece are up in the air.
Then, on the day of opening ceremonies, Greece's two most-celebrated athletes, sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou, skipped a drug test and were later admitted to a hospital after reportedly being involved in a motorcycle accident. The two withdrew from competition.
By Friday, however, none of that mattered anymore to Orestis Karakatsanis, who just wanted to cheer for the Greek water polo team.
``I just want to support my home country, and that is why I am wearing my flag,'' he said.
For many Greeks, it has been equally important for the rest of the world to appreciate their country as they watch the games on television or in person.
Dimitris Papaiannou, artistic director and choreographer of the opening ceremonies, tied in Greece's rich history of art, mythology, architecture and literature into a colorful pageant. In a tribute to the ancient games, medal winners are being crowned with an olive-branch wreath. And the different regions of Greece have been represented at each medal ceremony as volunteers dressed in authentic costumes of the country deliver the medals.
``I hope people have been able to understand something of our history by watching the games,'' said Elena Papavassilou. ``It is important for us to have these games back where they began. This is an inheritance for us, and we wish they could be here forever.''
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