Greece bids Olympic Games 2004 farewell
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

ATHENS (Greece): The 2004 Olympic Games came to an end on Sunday with a spectacular closing ceremony in Athens. The main stadium turned into a giant wheatfield start of the show which featured traditional Greek music and dance.

Later, 250,000 balloons cascade from a night sky exploding with spectacular fireworks. Despite various doping scandals and poor attendance figures, the 2004 Olympics have been well received. “The Games have been a great success,” said International Olympic Committee spokesman Giselle Davies.

Earlier confounding sceptics by completing preparations in time for the opening ceremony, organisers promised that the Games will depart Athens in style.

“Greece is going to go out with one big party,” said Lois Jacobs, producer of the closing ceremony. They really did a fantastic job - I am very, very happy about the Games IOC president Jacques Rogge said hailing Athens success

The opening of the Games was overshadowed by the missed drugs tests of Greek athletics stars Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou. And a steady stream of failed drugs tests along with a slew of protests against results on technical grounds threatened to undermine the Olympics’ return to their spiritual home. But pre-Games fears over construction and security proved groundless and the two-week extravaganza had many highlights, including two notable athletics doubles. Kelly Holmes carried the flag for Britain at the closing ceremony after her double gold in the 800m and 1500m helped the team beat their medal haul from Sydney four years earlier. And Morrocan Hicham El Guerrouj became the first man since Paavo Nurmi in 1924 to win both the 1,500m and 5,000m.

Earlier in the Games, US swimmer Michael Phelps had scooped six gold medals. “It has been a good Games,” added Jacobs.

“The Greeks have been very hospitable and what people feared has not transpired.” One fear that did have substance was that of low ticket sales with many events watched by sparse crowds.

However, when present, the Athens public were not afraid to make their presence felt with crowd pressure forcing a delay to the men’s 200m and an upgrade to the marks awarded to Russian gymnast Alexei Nemov in the men’s horizontal bars.●