Athens Clears A Hurdle

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The I.O.C.'s unexpected bullishness stemmed in part from reduced expectations. The alarm was sounded in 2000 by then I.O.C. president Juan Antonio Samaranch, who said the Athens effort was the worst organizational crisis in recent Olympic history. When Angelopoulos-Daskalaki took over the Games organization shortly after, she scaled back extravagant projects. Last February, the I.O.C.'s new president, Jacques Rogge, urged Greeks to forget the frills. Landscaping plans were pruned, a rail line was cancelled and the plastic roof over the Aquatic Center was scrapped.

Even if everything goes well from here, those compromises will be felt. Visitors are being advised to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to hoof it. Some insiders say these

WHAT WILL BE READY VENUES: The I.O.C. says all 35 Olympic sporting venues will be completed by the end of June. MARATHON ROUTE: Deadlines are tight, but organizers insist widening of the 42-km route from Marathon to Athens will be ready by early July. TRANSPORT: Two new railway links should be running by July. NEW ROADS: Gridlocked Athens will get 210 km of upgraded roads and highways. SECURITY: The command-and-control center, consisting of 67 operational hubs, is complete. WHAT WON'T BE READY ROOFLESS: The roof over the Aquatic Center has been scrapped, exposing competitors to searing August rays. TRANSPORT: A rail line to Piraeus has been canceled. LANDSCAPING: Only one-tenth of the city's proposed plantings are now likely. — Anthee Carassava.

Games are likely to be more camera ready than visitor ready — they'll look good on TV but prove less picturesque and user friendly on the ground. "I wouldn't be racing to Athens as a spectator," said one U.S. TV producer. Some of the competing teams are trying to gain a competitive edge by factoring transport chaos into their plans. At least one European rowing squad has booked hotel rooms in Marathon, near the rowing venue, rather than risk the 15-km plus commute from the Olympic village.

The most troubled Games project is also the most historically resonant, embodying both the promise and the frustrations of these Olympics. The marathon — the crowning event in any summer Games — this year will retrace the original route taken by the messenger Pheidippides from the village of Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. to announce the Athenians' victory over Persia. Organizers wanted to widen the route, but a Greek company assigned to the task took two years to complete 2.5 km. Authorities waited until the firm went belly-up this year before finding a replacement. Work originally scheduled to be completed by April now has a wish-and-a-prayer July deadline, without landscaping or other embellishments.

But the roof worked, and there are other bright spots. Greece has finished, on time, a brand-new airport, the Olympic village and parts of a new subway. The Markopoulo Equestrian Center is "an Olympic venue par excellence," said British equestrian Matt Straker, attending a recent test event. Athens itself, an ancient city with enough noisy charm to put Sydney and Atlanta to shame, is being spruced up. Some of the city's 60,000 stray cats and dogs have been corralled. Billboards have been taken down and potholes filled. Organizers say they have already sold 1.8 million tickets, or 76% of their target, for €136 million. (An additional 3.5 million tickets go on sale next month.) They're expecting a full house, even though there will likely be 20% fewer Americans than in previous Games, thanks to the plunging value of the dollar and terror fears. "Considering these Games are taking place under the worst possible global psychology," says a senior organizing official, "these are blockbuster sales." As for Greeks themselves, in a recent poll 97% said they welcome the Olympics, despite all the difficulties. In the village of Marathon, Martha Sirakou, 43, a housewife whose mountain views have been obscured by a new stadium, is ready to greet the world anyway. "This is the price you have to pay," she explains, "for living where it all began."