Athens 2004 - Opening Ceremony

The symbolism of Greek history, inevitably intertwined with mythology, formed the basis of the introduction of the athletes at the Olympic Stadium, linking, as it did, the emergence of the country and its peoples from the elements. It had the surreal overtones of water ballet and moving Elgin marbles and was held close to the floodlit monuments of the Acropolis to display the spirit of Athens. It was played to a packed stadium where every IOC member and other VIPs came under the spotlight at some time.

The parade of athletes was led by a Greek flag – the tradition is that Greece, as the founder of the Games, is a permanent host – but not the team as the host nation’s athletes, as is good manners, leave the stadium open to the guests and bring up the rear. The Greek alphabet produced a new order, one that seemed even to those who understood, a touch bizarre when St’ Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and San Marino all came in ahead of Angola. It baffled even more when the USA came in immediately after Zimbabwe and just before Japan; Great Britain slotted between Mauretania and Mexico!

It became obvious that the bigger nations were not producing all of their athletes and only four of Britain’s sailors were amongst Team GB – the Star crew, Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell, and the Tornado pairing of Leigh McMillan and Mark Bulkeley – as they “marched” into the stadium. Most of the rest were sailing the following day and the ceremony went on past midnight and the transport system back home is insufferably slow.

Marching is a thing of the past; there is much greater informality about the entry of the athletes – it is a happy occasion and it had its highlights. Among them was the appearance of the flag carrier for Madagascar – quite the pick of the show – and the cheer that greeted the small contingent from Iraq. Interestingly, Denmark was remarked on being the country of Paul Elvstrom and Canada was cheered in by the ISAF President’s daughter, Martha, waving a huge Canadian flag. Maybe it was simply politically correct that the Afghanistan team was led by a woman, bearing in mind how the rest of her gender are treated in that country.

The Blairs, Tony and Cherie, cheered the British team’s entry enthusiastically. It was led by flag bearer, Kate Howie, the most senior member of the British judo team. Representation that Iain Percy, a Sydney gold medallist, should carry the flag had been made, but he lost the vote to Howie.

The athletes, after completing a circuit of the track were assembled in the centre of the arena – the ingredients of what appeared to resemble a giant confection on completion - with the Greek contingent in their beige jackets providing the final icing on the cake. And then there were fireworks (almost certainly coincidental with those at Cowes to mark the end of the Week), spectacular, as might be expected, to mark the homecoming of the Olympic Games.

After a rather odd contribution from Bjork, there was a reminder of all the cities of the Modern Olympics with two gaps for the interruptions of the World Wars, before the Presidents of ATHOC, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, and the IOC, Jacques Rogge, began their long walk to the podium, where under an Olive tree (the olive branch symbolism was everywhere) they welcomed everyone to Athens and gave the Olympic Games a Welcome Home. Rogge began his speech, to tumultuous applause, in Greek before using the other two official languages of the Olympic, French and English.

Jacques Rogge, the IOC President, has a long connection with sailing, dating back to his win of the Cadet Championship at Burnham-on-Crouch and on through two Olympics in the Finn class, where today his son, Philippe, is the class President. He thanked the Greeks, their authorities, and especially the volunteers, before condemning the use of Drugs in sport. As a former Chairman of the IOC Doping Commission, Rogge has a special reason to attack this menace. From his place in the stands, the Greek President, Costis Stefanopoulos, proclaimed a general welcome.

The Olympic flag entered the stadium, borne at shoulder level by eight white suited bearers and completed a spotlighted circuit of the track in the darkened stadium before being handed to members of the Greek Navy for the ceremonial hoisting at the flag pole to match the Greek flag on the other. The 108 years old graphics on the Olympic flag, symbolising the uniting of five continents at the Games, was not lost on many. There were more fireworks when it was fully hoisted.

The Olympic oath was taken and the massive screen in the studio showed a representation of flame turning into a dove and then into a Mercator representation of the world before the Olympic flame was borne into the studio, the end of its round the world journey. There were five runner changes before it was handed to the athlete who climbed the long staircase to light the beacon, that for all the world looks like the blow off of an oil rig, and stand as the beacon was elevated to its position over the stadium.

That athlete was Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, the board sailor who won a gold medal for Greece at Savannah in 1996 and was hailed as the latest in a line of “Greek Gods.” It should be remembered that when King Constantine won gold in the Dragons at Naples in 1960, he was similarly hailed, but that was before the Colonels deposed him. “Niko” is still a darling of the people and featured in poster ads for the Games for more than a year. Lighting the torch was his latest accolade.

The ceremonials over, the Games of the 28th Olympiad can begin.

Full results with mark by mark roundings are at sailing.org/olympics2004