Greece makes game attempt at preparing for Olympics
By Beth Teitell
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
So it's May, and the Olympics are coming up fast for Greece. Girls, are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Somewhere in that lovely country there's a Mrs. Greece, tense and peevish, saying, “You know, it's coming up in August, have you done anything?
“The centerpieces haven't been ordered, no decision's been made on passed hors d'oeuvres vs. pasta and sushi stations, the invitations need to be addressed . . .”
And yet, Greece insists it's going to be ready. “In Greece, we are like ‘Sirtaki' dance,” the mayor of Athens told CBS' “60 Minutes.”
“We start very slowly, and then we speed up. And then, at the end, you cannot even follow how quickly it goes.”
Hey, that's the same assurance I gave my mother at my wedding, as I dashed off placecards as the guests searched for their seat assignments.
But even as a fellow procrastinator, I'm wondering how Greece got itself in this Sirtaki squeeze.
Was it too intimidated by the incredible job Sydney did to get started? Remember all that pageantry at the beginning of those Olympics? The fire and waterfall? It's the Olympic equivalent of inviting Todd English over for dinner. Guaranteed to give you chef's block.
Or perhaps Greece thought it could rest on its laurels (Ancient Greece was where it all started, both games and wreath-wise).
The Olympics are supposed to start in August, and it's not hard to picture the domestic scene as the torch bears down.
Greece (frantically phoning a neighboring country): “Look, I'm sorry to call you at this late date, but is there any way you could take the discus? And maybe synchronized swimming?”
It will make for very tense moments at the EU breakfast table the next day, I can assure you.
Meanwhile, as Greece races to finish the tram, the marathon route and the main Olympic Stadium, the International Olympic Committee has taken out $170 million worth of insurance in case the Summer Games are canceled because of terrorism or other catastrophic events such as earthquakes.
No word on whether the policy covers We Meant to Get Around to Finishing the Roof Over the Swimming Stadium and other Acts of Sirtaki.
