THE Olympics is unlike anything I have ever covered. The sheer scale of the event is not only staggering in its physical proportions but also in its representation of the human spirit.
There is just so much to write about if you are interested in people doing extraordinary things. It is only when you witness the anguish on the face of a competitor who has won a silver medal but has based the previous four years of his or her life on getting a gold that you realise what the Games is all about.
For most, coming second is not what they are there for. Of course, the beauty of the Olympic principle — the taking part that counts — means that there is always a constituency of athletes for whom a medal of any hue is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
For a few, merely being involved is an honour and they could not much care if they came last, so long as they did their best. There is no indignity in finishing last, as Sonia O’Sullivan, of Ireland, did in the 5,000 metres. Already a proven champion, it was her goodbye to the Games and she was all smiles and waves for her final lap. It was a moving moment.
That the Olympics means different things to different people hits you when an event that has captivated the imagination of your country barely registers on another national Richter scale.
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On one of the biggest days for Britain when Matthew Pinsent won his fourth gold medal, nearly 20,000 of the 21,500 accredited journalists in Athens could not have been less interested. They were charging in the opposite direction to see a Brazil volleyball player or a South Korean table tennis star, and so on.
Similarly, as Paula Radcliffe limped off the track in the 10,000 metres, the largely Greek crowd were ignoring her to cheer a local javelin thrower who had won a bronze medal.
The diversity of the Games is mind-boggling. With 202 countries represented, there are stories happening for someone virtually every hour. The range of sports means that non-specialist writers have to learn the rules as they go along.
I was introduced to the thrill of slalom kayaking, the nervy tension of archery and the brutal exposure to failure of gymnastics. I also wrote about table tennis, the long jump, swimming and basketball for the first time. Most were sports to which I would not have been drawn naturally. I am glad I was.
I arrived at the Games with a good deal of trepidation. I thought we would be slogging across a dusty, polluted city on unreliable public transport in the unbearable heat. Yes, it was hot, but I take my hat off to the Greeks for devising an air-conditioned Olympic transport system that worked.
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Furthermore, Athens has been transformed. It is a beautiful, clean and vibrant city with plenty going for it. Its image as a tourist destination can only have been enhanced.
Security was never an issue, albeit often a chore at the hands of a rigidly by-the-book volunteer force. It seems that Athens overspent wildly on keeping the venues safe, although what price peace of mind? There was no terrorist incident, which in the present political climate can be considered a triumph.
Everyone said Sydney could never be topped, but I think the Greeks put on a splendid show. The 2004 Games felt like a celebration of what sport should be. It is strange to leave it all behind. The anticlimax is like a bad hangover. I just wonder what the Greeks are going to do with all those stadiums.
MY HIGHLIGHT
Basketball: Puerto Rico’s comprehensive win over the United States, whose roster of NBA stars failed to live up to the hype and were outshone by the collective will of a team paid less than the cost of LeBron James’s left shoe