ATHENS 2004

The return of the Olympic Games to their home in Greece will be cause for celebration in Greek communities and households around the world; I hope that the celebration of the 2004 Summer Olympics will be particularly joyful in Sydney.

Four years ago, Australians of Greek descent helped Sydney eagerly and expertly embrace the Olympic Games, adding a magnificent chapter to the Games' legend and long history. Working together, Sydney's Games were a testament not only to the technical and organizational skills of modern Australia, but also to the strength and continuing importance of the ancient Greek ideal of the Spirit of the Olympic Games. And, at a time when so much is standardized and marketed, when spectacle so often threatens to overwhelm substance, it was a gift to see the Olympic Spirit so honored and embraced four years ago.

The Olympic Spirit has been a defining characteristic of Greece and Greek communities for many generations. You can feel it in the determination with which Greeks emigrated around the world, prospering in and embracing countries like Australia, while maintaining the best traditions of our home cities and islands. You can see it in the philoxenia, or open hospitality, that defines Greek households and has roots in both ancient myth and in the truce among combatants once observed around the Olympic Games. And you can hear it in the intensity with which we compete, and the spirit with which we celebrate the victors once our competition has ended.

The Olympic Spirit exists on a human scale - the human scale that will define the Athens 2004 games. It is a passion for excellence, and the search for the best in humanity, that transcends political and social boundaries and makes the Games uniquely important.

We are proud of the stadiums now being completed in Athens, as Olympic preparations accelerate; proud of the new subway and transportation network arising in the city; proud of the new jobs we are adding and of the new parks and clean air that will be the hallmarks of our future success. Athens is emerging as a secure, modern, and efficient Olympic City. But we move forward in part by looking back, finding guidance in the same Olympic Spirit that has always inspired Greek communities like Sydney's, and which was so evident during the Sydney Olympic Games.

On August 13th, the Sydney Greek Festival will end and the Olympic Games will begin. Though separated by time and distance, the two celebrations will be doubly linked. First by the Spirit of the Olympic Games, which anchors Greek communities wherever they are found. And second, by a warm invitation to all the people of Sydney and Australia, who have so strengthened and enhanced this defining aspect of our culture.

Best regards,
Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki
President
ATHENS 2004 Organising Committee for the Olympic Games