Between now and August, as the Athens Olympic Games refocus world attention on modern Greece, millions of outsiders will come face-to-face with that nation, with all its flaws and enchantments.
He has taken personal responsibility for the success of the Athens Olympic games in August 2004, a time-consuming chore thanks to infighting among organisers and delays in building new sports and media facilities.
The Russian had won all major titles since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, but she has been out of form so far this season and failed to clear her final height of 4.80 meters.
Nearly nine years after the Athens Summer Olympic Games, American shot putter Adam Nelson has been declared a winner at those games.
"The clock is ticking towards 2004 when the whole world's eyes will be on Athens as the Olympic Games are held there, " said Richard Allan MP, head of the marbles campaign group Parthenon 2004.
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The event was staged between Marathon, the village which gave the event its name, and the Panathinaiko marble amphitheater in the center of Athens where the modern Olympic Games were revived in 1896.
Just eight years ago Greece hosted the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
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When the Ancient Games were revived as the Modern Olympic Games in Athens 1896, local hero Spiridon Louis won the marathon -- as he should have -- to bring his country international recognition and fame.
The Greek authorities faced a race against time to get the Athens Olympic Park ready for the 2004 games.
In August, we will have the chance to spot stars for the future when the Olympic Games arrives in Athens.
Gatlin won the Olympic gold medal at the Athens Games but his promising career was derailed in 2006 by a positive drug test that led to a four-year ban.
This picture of a graffiti laden swimming pool is part of a Getty Images slide show by photographer Matt Cardy of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex seven years after the Games.
In Athens, host of the 2004 Games, many Olympic venues have been abandoned.
Making its way to Britain, the flame will first take in Greek archaeological sites including the Acropolis and Olympic Stadium in Athens, site of the first modern Games in 1896.
"Matthew Mitcham had it all to play for and he threw it away, " said BBC commentator Leon Taylor, Olympic silver medallist in the synchro event at the Athens Games in 2004.
Four years on from Athens and the Olympic torch finally reached its destination at the Beijing Olympic Games.
The newly formed British Olympic Association, presided over by William Grenfell, a silver medallist in the 1906 Athens Games, had only 10 months to organize the global multi-sport event.
It has promised the International Olympic Committee that a proper mosque will be available in Athens before August 13th, the opening day of the games.
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While he would have loved to have a few more weeks to achieve the Athens standard, McKee acknowledges that the Olympic Council of Ireland appear to have their act together as regards pre-Games planning.
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