They might be bigger, glitzier and certainly a lot more commercialized, but in spirit at least the modern day Olympics -- inaugurated in 1896 -- have remained remarkably true to the ancient Greek Games on which they were modeled.
The 36-year-old Mr. Scanlon, whose film includes scenes of freshman orientation, Greek "Scare Games" and dormitories strewn with empty pizza boxes, didn't himself have a traditional college experience.
Greek and Turkish war games in the Aegean during the past few weeks have threatened to provoke another flare-up.
As it turned out, it was another contest in Athens (in 1906, but without the status of a fully fledged Olympics) that reconfirmed the games as a Greek-inspired, but peripatetic, sports event.
Olympia was sacred to Zeus, head of the pantheon of Greek Gods and Goddesses, and the ancient Games were essentially a religious festival in his honor.
The Greek champions had won their last five European home games - including a 1-0 victory over Arsenal - and had conceded just one goal in their previous six outings.
Since then Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis has taken personal charge of the Games, promising that making a success of 2004 would be his government's top priority.
Yes, Ascension must pull from the more obscure parts of Greek mythology and history as almost everything else has already been covered in the five games in existence already.
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Whereas the modern Olympics are an international competition -- a record 201 countries will be participating in the 2004 Olympiad -- the ancient Games were, for most of their 1200-year history, an exclusively Greek institution.
The Greek authorities faced a race against time to get the Athens Olympic Park ready for the 2004 games.
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.
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