The Glory That May Be Greece (post-August)
The modern Olympic Games were a great idea, but they have always been subverted to purposes opposed to the principles they were meant to embody, whether it is athletes blood-doping or injecting steroids (as individuals or within state-run programs such as the infamous East German teams during the Cold War, among others), or just governments vying for the right to spend billions on developing one-off athletic theme parks. Sydney’s Olympic site, host to the “best ever” Games, is nearly empty, and costing a packet, too. Despite efforts to privatize the facilities, such as branding the stadium and running a few AFL and rugby games there, the development of Homebush has left a capital black hole smack in the middle of the metro area. As for Greece, assuming Athens ever completes the work for this year’s Olympics, there is some hope for benefit, at least insofar as the improvements to the city’s infrastructure may enhance daily life there from September forward. This was, of course, one of the promises made to the citizens of Sydney, and these promises were kept, if only for the duration of the Games. Those rail improvements, for example? Gone. And having attended the AFL finals last year, that giant stadium, for a premier sporting event, was nearly empty. Athens has the promise of the 2006 soccer World Cup to look forward to, but Sydney had the 2003 rugby union World Cup, where it was only one of multiple host cities around the country, diluting any benefit to Telstra Stadium, and surely Athens will see a similar effect. The Olympics should be scaled down. As for doping scandals, well, either give up and let the athletes pump up, as was done with the “amateur” standing principle when entire professional teams were allowed in, or put some teeth into the enforcement.