Tension in Athens air

There is a feeling of anxiety among athletes, officials, journalists and spectators at the Athens Olympics.

It isn’t only the thought that security may be compromised during the 16-day festivities. What is also bothersome is the increasing commercialization of the Summer Games–a deterioration of the Olympic spirit.

Of course, security is a primary concern and that is deep in the organizers’ consciousness. A bomb scare could trigger panic in a city where over 50,000 visitors from all over the world are converging to celebrate the return of the Olympics to the Games’ birthplace.

"Security is the elephant in the room as well as on the streets of the Plaka and at the foot of the Acropolis," wrote Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated. "The Athens Games are the first Summer Olympics in the post 9/11 world and there are some 70,000 military personnel on the ground. Security from around the globe has descended upon Greece, be it NATO providing sea patrols or AWACS surveillance planes. Organizers have spent more than $1.4 Billion on safety, four times as much than the Aussies did in Sydney. Still, danger lurks around every news report. The bomb blasts in Istanbul were a reminder that these will be a very anxious Games."Mobilizing security forces was done on a massive scale. Some 45,000 people are responsible for security at the Games–25,000 police, 7,000 soldiers, 3,000 coast guards, 1,500 firemen, 3,500 private security agents and 5,000 specially-trained volunteers.

Olympic authorities are dreading a reprise of the 1972 murders in Munich and the 1996 bomb explosion in Atlanta. They marked the darkest chapters in Olympic history.

In Munich, the fierce politics of the Middle East reared its ugly head at dawn on the 11th day of competitions. Life Magazine recalled the incident:

"Palestinian terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes hostage in the Olympic Village and killed two there. The other nine died later along with five terrorists during a police attack at an airport. A conflict arose whether the IOC (International Olympic Committee) should cancel events. Pressed by President Avery Brundage, members voted to let the Games continue."

Terrorism returned to the Olympics in 1996. A bomb was detonated at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on the eighth day of competitions, killing one and injuring 110. Last year, a certain Eric Robert Rudolph was arrested on suspicion of setting up the explosion and remains under indictment.

Athens was the sentimental choice to host the 1996 Games as after all, it was in Greece where the Olympics began 100 years before. But the IOC was blinded by the $898 Million rights fee, including $456 Million from the CBS network.

Critics lashed out at the IOC for ignoring Athens and said the tragedy that struck Atlanta was revenge from the gods. "It was as if Atlanta had to pay the price for its original sin–being chosen for the Centennial Games ahead of Athens," said Life Magazine.

A few weeks before the start of the Athens Games, terrorists blew up a police station in the city. That sent a warning signal to organizers to stay on their toes.

"The Olympic Games, the queen’s coronation, the presidential inauguration–same thing," said Olympic documentary filmmaker Bud Greenspan, quoted by Mike Penner in the Los Angeles Times. "Terrorists look for places to get their message around the world for nothing."

But writer Bill Plaschke expressed hope that the sanctity of the Games would prick the terrorists’ conscience.

"Let us hope that in today’s world of war, in an Athens surrounded by the threat of terrorism, the most defining tradition of the ancient Olympics is strong enough to survive another month," wrote Plaschke almost pleadingly.

"One thing the Baron (Pierre de Coubertin who revived the Olympics in 1896) and the ancients would understand and applaud: Organizers are imploring all humankind to respect Ekechiria–the Olympic truce–and to cease hostilities during the fortnight," said Life Magazine. "Last year, 190 member states of the United Nations co-sponsored a Greek resolution asking for peace during the Games. Such pleas have gone unheeded in the past and violence has visited the arena."

Whether Plaschke’s appeal for a ceasefire or the organizers’ prayer to respect Ekechiria will be ignored or not remains to be seen.

The other concern is the increasing commercialism that has reduced the Olympic vision into dollars and cents. Additionally, there are nagging problems that taint the integrity of the Games–the doping scandals, the corruption in awarding hosting bids and the favoritism in choosing winners in subjective events.

In the wake of a dimming outlook for the Games, IOC president Jacques Rogge, a Belgian surgeon now on his fourth year at the helm, has emerged like a knight in shining armor, riding a white horse.

In 2001, Rogge was elected to succeed Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain as IOC president. He outpolled Un Yong Kim of Korea and Dick Pound of Canada in a three-way joust.

There are positive signs that point to a moral ascendancy under Rogge.

"It is too soon to conclude what the defining character of Rogge’s presidency will be but it is already quite different from any of his immediate predecessors," observed Pound in his book Inside the Olympics. "Rogge is more fiscally responsible than Samaranch who favored the grand geste and was obsessed with the prestige of the organization. He is very much committed to the fight against doping in sport, a matter on which Samaranch was equivocal at best. He is more concerned with rationalizing the structure of the IOC administration than Samaranch. Accountability starts at the top. Officials’ own conduct in the management of sport must be like Caesar’s wife, be seen to be above reproach. They have a responsibility to act fairly, impartially and within the letter and spirit of the governing rules. The same sport leaders must also demonstrate their commitment to the philosophical foundation of the Olympic movement, making sure that their actions support the principles of non-discrimination and mutual respect."

For his part, Rogge reiterated in a message before the start of the Athens Games that the future of the Olympics lies in the defense of the intrinsic values of sport and through an unending battle against the dangers confronting it–drugs, corruption and violence.

"Athletes are at the core of the Olympic movement and motivate young people through the image they portray," said Rogge. "Our task is to inspire young people to take part in sport and to educate them through sport. Sport can teach them to respect rules and their opponents, allowing them to integrate into society and to develop a sense of teamwork. It also brings them hope, health and happiness."

A trouble-free Games in Athens will be a victory for humanity and the setting stage for the rekindling of the Olympic spirit that is a unifying force among people of all races, persuasions and aspirations.