Olympic madness

In the beginning there was Adam and then Eve, then the Olympics… Ok, so that’s not really how it happened, but the Olympics has such a long tradition one can almost say it’s been there since the beginning.

It first started 2 780 years ago, more or less the same time Rome was founded and the Etiopian dynasty was established in Egypt.

Imagine chariots racing and hoards of men running foot races, and you're picturing what the original Olympics were all about. It was a way of honouring the Olympian Gods who were believed to be the first to hold Olympic Games. Later it also became a way for the ruling classes to prepare for war.

The first Olympic Games ever was called a Stade, which was basically a six hundred-metre dash. Today there are more than 28 different disciplines, including sports from cultures all over the world, such as archery, softball, taekwondo and water polo.

And if you’re thinking those must have been the days, no steroids or cheating - you’re wrong. Apparently, the Ancient Greek athletes ate sheep testicles to booste their performance.

In 393 AD Emperor Theodosius abolished the Olympic Games for being "too pagan". Only 1 500 years later did a French aristocrat named Pierre de Coubertin revive the games because he was worried that young Frenchmen weren’t getting enough physical education at school. And so the first modern Olympiad took place in Athens in 1896.

This year the Games will for the second time in history take place in Athens, Greece from 13 to 29 August.

With only two days left, it’s almost impossible to believe that only half of the 5.3 million tickets have been sold. Most of the hotels are still empty and are dropping their prices rapidly. Allegedly, people aren’t buying tickets because they are scared of terrorist attacks. Others simply blame it on typical Greek tradition – always leaving everything to the last minute (sound like us?).

Whether there will be spectators or not, there will definitely be athletes, 10 500 of them to be exact. If 10 500 athletes don’t sound like a lot to you, think about it this way: it's the entire population of Koffiefontein.

But that’s not all… For every athlete attending there will be at least two journalists. And if you think 21 500 journalists are a lot, keep in mind there will be at least 45 000 security personal helping out. Which means there will be almost as many security guards as there are penguins on Robben and Dassen Eiland put together.

The big question obviously being, what is everyone going to eat? According to estimates at least 50 million meals will be provided daily in the Olympic village. More than 100 tons of food will be used. That’s enough food to feed the whole of Soweto, three times a day for a whole week.

But with heat waves lashing out at athletes it will be water and not food they worry about. Earlier this week Hendrik Mokganyetsi, the South African 400-metre national record holder, was taken to hospital after he collapsed from heat exhaustion during a training session. Australians can’t take the heat either. Their swimming and rowing teams refuse to take part in the opening ceremony to avoid standing up to six hours in the high temperatures. Sissies!

In case things heat up under the covers as well, the Games officials have accepted a donation from Durex of 130 000 condoms for the athletes. That’s a minimum of 12 condoms per athlete.

The two biggest problems at this year’s Games seem to be stray dogs and drugs.

Athens has one of the largest stray dog populations in Europe. There are an estimated 9 000 – 12 000 unwanted dogs on the street. Some communities are scared that the dogs will be poisoned or killed inhumanely as a quick fix.

Michael Zacharatos, communications manager for the Athens Olympic Committee said dogs would be neutered and confined in care units and returned to where they were found after the Olympics. A number of dogs has already been removed from the Olympic village.

Drugs are also a growing problem. Ananova.com reported, “International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge predicted there will be more failed drugs tests at this year's Games in Athens than there were in Sydney four years ago.”

In the Sydney Olympics 12 people tested positive for performance enhancers. They expect there will be much more this year because they have doubled the number of testers.

Those failing their drug tests won’t be the only ones banned from the Olympics. Sports ministers from Zimbabwe, Myanmar and Belarus', Yuri Sivakov, will be denied access. Zimbabwe's Aeneas Chigwedere and Myanmar's Brigadier General Thura Aye Myint are already barred from entering the European Union as part of political sanctions.

Afghanistan on the other hand will return to the games after being banned for five years because the Taleban prevented the participation of women in the Olympics.

From the 199 countries taking part, China has the biggest delegation this year. The Greek team also has its biggest delegation since the first time the Olympics was held in Athens.

As predicted this year’s Olympics will be a spectacular event. There are more than 300 medals to be won, and you don’t want to miss any of it. So get your couches ready, set, go!