Australia is presenting an Olympic "feat that ranks
among the smoothest in modern memory," according to Brock &
Unger of the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, who write, "From the
beauty of the city to the convenient location of venues,
almost everything about these Games is being praised. Much
of the chaos and commercialism of Atlanta is missing."
Around the Rings Publisher and longtime Olympic journalist
Ed Hula: "I'm just so blown away by the advanced state of
their physical preparation here, which has allowed them to
have the foundation to deal with other crises" (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 9/21). SOCOG officials offered a "blunt"
warning for spectators to allow "at least four hours to
travel" to Sydney Olympic Park tomorrow, as the number of
spectators for events is "expected to exceed 400,000, more
than double the number" who have attended events during this
week (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 9/21)....After a "slow start,"
Olympic ticket sales in Sydney "are booming," as 6.3 million
tickets, or 83% have been sold, just over the 82.3% sold in
'92 in Barcelona (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/21)....Olympic Park
visitors are "enduring" two-hour lines to shop at the
Olympic Games Superstore so "they can contribute to a
record-breaking binge of souvenir purchases." SOCOG's
Consumer Products Marketing Manager Madeline Cohen: "Demand
has simply been amazing" (TORONTO SUN, 9/21).
NO CURE FOR THE SYDNEY FLU? In Toronto, Maki & MacLeod
report that there is a "flu bug ... spreading through the
athletes' village," but because of "strict Olympic drug
rules," athletes "can't take medication." Canadian Centre
for Ethics in Sport CEO Victor Lachance: "Athletes now are
scared. ... It's a completely unintended consequence to a
doping control program" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 9/21).
