OTHERS: 2004 Olympic Games - The Other Sides

Summer Olympic games 2004 in Athens, Greece is starting today August 13, 2004.
Thought I need to put this article on this event here on the blog.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0813/p18s01-hfcs.html
'The healing of the nations'

Since their inauguration in 1896, the modern Olympic Games have mirrored the times in which they have been held. World wars canceled the Games in 1916, 1940, and 1944. Boycotts substantially reduced the number of competitors in Montreal in 1976, Moscow in 1980, and Los Angeles in 1984. And security for athletes, spectators, officials, and the media has been a key issue for the organizers since the Games in Berlin in 1936.

This year in Athens there is more than the usual concern about possible disruption from outside. There are fears that political activists - including terrorists - might seize the opportunity to try to interfere with an event that is the antithesis of what would seem to be their agenda ........

...... The 2004 Summer Games promise to be as valuable as any other in uniting people of all ages and nations in a commitment to give of their best, not only in competition, but toward the healing of nations.