Organisers Plan for Big Olympic Send-off
Sounds like a party, all right. Olympic organizers outlined plans for the closing ceremony, saying popular Greek singers will inspire a party atmosphere. There will be 2,100 volunteers performing Greek folk dances, and the stadium floor will become a field of 45,000 strands of wheat.
At least one symbolic wedding will also take place, with table cloths and wine set out. The audience will participate in the ceremony by clapping.
About 100 performers will wear bells, representing Koudounati, an ancient tradition traced back to Bacchanal rituals. Bacchus was the mythical god of wine and revelry.
At least two segments of Sunday's ceremony will feature performances by well-known Greek singers including Sakis Rouvas. His song, ``Shake It,'' placed third in a Europe-wide contest in May. Others include Greek pop stars Anna Vissi, George Dalaras and Marinella.
``It will be like an invitation to eat, drink, dance and sing with us the Greek way,'' said Dimitri Papaioannou, the show's conceptual creator.
The medal ceremony from the men's marathon will also take place during the ceremony.
After speeches by dignitaries, Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyianni will hand the Olympic flag to Beijing officials, who will organize the 2008 Summer Games.
An 8-minute segment will follow by Chinese performers.
``In a highly emotional moment we say goodbye to the flame with a symbolic keeping the flame in our hearts,'' Papaioannou said.
Aussie celebration: Some teams might be a little down after losing the gold medal. Not those high-spirited softball players from Down Under.
Minutes after collecting their silver medals, Australian players and coaches overran the media lounge at Helliniko Sports Complex. They bought dozens of beers and swigged with writers and photographers, nearly clearing out the refrigerator.
The Aussies never have been shy about their enthusiasm for suds.
Brendan Kingman, whose sixth-inning single led Australia a 1-0 victory over Japan in the baseball semifinals, lists ``having a beer with my mates'' among his hobbies, which also include water skiing, golf and spending time with his family.
The United States beat Australia 5-1 for the softball gold medal.
No Mas: U.S. gymnast Annia Hatch has come back after a five-year retirement, made a speedy recovery from a devastating knee injury and thrived at age 26 in a sport dominated by teenage pixies.
But sticking around for 2008? That would be pushing it.
``I don't think so,'' Hatch said Tuesday. ``My head is not into another Olympics. Right now, I just want to enjoy this experience.''
She sure has a lot to enjoy. The gymnast, who retired in 1996 after her native Cuba failed to send her to the Atlanta Olympics, won a silver in the team competition and then added another on the vault.
``It just feels like a really amazing story,'' Hatch said.
Athens International Airport will impose restrictions on passengers from Sunday through Tuesday to cope with the enormous volume of flights after the Olympics.
An airport announcement released yesterday said passengers will not be allowed into the departure area until three hours before their flight. Airport officials said 878 flights are scheduled on Monday alone.
Softball and soccer: Who says the Greeks haven't caught on to softball?
After the gold-medal game between the United States and Australia, volunteers at the softball stadium broke out a bat and ball for an impromptu game. It lasted only 10 minutes, though, because one of the players splintered the wooden bat.
That's when the groundskeeper noticed them on the field and chased them away with a garden hose. That didn't discourage the volunteers, who located a different ball, set up cones in the outfield and played the game they know better -- soccer.
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