The Ancient Games began in 776 B.C. in Olympia, which is about 200 miles west of Athens in the Northern Peloponnese region of Greece.
The Games were contested in Olympia nearly 300 times over a span of about 1,200 years. Which means Athens has some catching up to do.
The modern Olympics began in Athens in 1896. This return trip marks the 28th version of the Summer Games.
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BABASHOFF, SHIRLEY: Around the world, Olympic drug police are chasing cheaters and righting wrongs. Yet, 28 years later, they have done nothing to rectify the amazing injustices suffered by Babashoff.
Babashoff had a chance to be the Mark Spitz of the '76 Games. She was a contender in four individual events and two relays. She ended up with one gold, four silvers, a fifth place and a suspicious outlook.
In every race in which she came up short, Babashoff lost to East Germany. When she noted the deep voices and masculine appearance of the East German women and suggested they might be using steroids, Babashoff was ridiculed as Surly Shirley.
Years later, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was learned East German athletes had been fed steroids in a state-sponsored program. The leaders of the sports program were later convicted in court.
At a time when drug cheats are being pursued like never before - and Olympic medals are being stripped - doesn't Babashoff deserve reparations?
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CALORIES: About 7,000 a day for U.S. weightlifter Shane Hamman. How else would you expect him to maintain a 47-inch waist and 35-inch thighs?
Hamman, the American record holder for virtually every category in the unlimited weight class, is back for his second Olympic team.
Hard to say which is Hamman's most distinctive characteristic. His 5-foot-9, 350-pound physique, or his long, braided beard?
[Getty Images]
Panathinaiko Stadium was built for the 1896 Games, the first Olympics in more than 1,500 years. It was renovated for this year’s Games and will be the site of the archery contest and the marathon finish line.
[AP photo]
The Ancient Games were not held in Athens. Actually, they were held about 200 miles west. To help change this misconception, we’ve added this picture of the Parthenon. Think Parthenon when you think Athens.
[Getty Images]
Did you know the torch relay is the product of Nazi Germany? It first appeared in the 1936 Games.
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DRUGS: The Balco scandal will continue to reverberate in Athens, but drugs in the Olympics is not a new story.
In Sydney in 2000, teams from Bulgaria and Romania were threatened with expulsion after positive drug tests. At least 10 athletes tested positive in both the '84 and '88 Games, including Ben Johnson.
Our favorite positive test? It wasn't a weightlifter, wrestler, boxer or sprinter. Nope. Paul Cerutti, a trap shooter from Monaco, was nabbed for amphetamines in 1976.
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EKECHEIRIA: A truce - literally translated as "holding hands" - by neighboring kings that ensured the Ancient Games would not be marred by wars or territorial disputes.
Terms were inscribed on the Discus of Iphitos in the Temple of Hera that essentially meant all battles would come to a halt for a three-month period during the Olympics. It also meant all spectators for the Games could travel freely from region to region without fear.
Ekecheiria remains the ideal for the Olympics today and lives on through the International Olympic Truce Foundation.
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FIELD HOCKEY: When we, in the U.S., talk about the good ol' days in Olympic field hockey, we are being very specific. As in two good ol' days.
The U.S. women won their only Olympic medal in Los Angeles in 1984 when they got bronze. The men won their only medal, also bronze, in 1932.
At least they've gotten the heartbreak out of the way early this time. For the second straight Games, the U.S. has failed to qualify in field hockey.
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GYMNASIUM: We have come to think of today's gymnasiums as the sites for prep and collegiate contests. In ancient Greece, a gymnasium was more of a health club. A place for training and preparation for athletic events.
A double row of columns and a portion of a grand entry still exist from the original gymnasium built at Olympia in the second century BC.
The names of winners from previous events were inscribed on the walls of this gymnasium where athletes would come to train in the final weeks before the competition.
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HARRIGAN, LORI: A lot of Olympians support their athletic careers with day jobs. In Harrigan's case, it's more of a night job.
A two-time gold-medal winning pitcher for the United States, Harrigan is a security supervisor at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas.
That means it is her job to boot out Dennis Rodman's rowdy entourage.
The oldest member of the U.S. team at 33, Harrigan threw the first complete game no-hitter in Olympic history in 2000.
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IPHITOS: Remember Vince McMahon's brain storm for the XFL? Same thing. Except Iphitos had it easier. He had to please gods, not network executives.
Iphitos was the king of Elis, a city about 50 miles from Olympia. As legend has it, Iphitos checked in with the oracle of Delphi who suggested war and plagues in Greece might be solved by a sporting competition.
Iphitos and other kings arranged for a temporary cessation of hostilities and the first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C.
The Games would continue, every four years, for nearly 12 centuries before being banned by Roman emperors.
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JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS: Before the gold medal, apparently, there was the Golden Fleece. As one version of mythology has it, Jason and his Argonauts set sail to Colchis to reclaim the Golden Fleece for Zeus.
At some port along the way, Jason came up with a competition for crew members. Some versions say it was to determine the ship's best athlete, others say it was a favor to his friend Peleus.
Whatever the reason, five disciplines were chosen: the discus, the javelin, the long jump, a foot race and wrestling. Thus, the original pentathlon.
The modern pentathlon, which began with the 1912 Games, includes shooting, swimming, fencing, riding and running. The idea was those skills would be needed by a soldier who might cross enemy lines.
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KOZLOVA, ANNA: The quest for an Olympic medal is rarely easy. Still, few have had to wait as long, or have missed as narrowly, as Kozlova.
A synchronized swimmer, Kozlova began her Olympic career with her native Russia as a 19-year-old in 1992. She placed fourth in the duet competition, just percentage points away from a bronze medal.
The following year, Kozlova visited California for a training session and fell in love with the United States. A few months later, she was living in Santa Clara. But there was a problem. She was no longer competing for Russia, and she was not yet a citizen of the USA.
So, at the peak of her career, Kozlova had to sit out international competitions, including the 1996 Olympics.
After getting her citizenship in '99, Kozlova returned to the Olympics as an American in Sydney. In team competition, the U.S. placed fourth. In her duet routine, Kozlova placed fourth.
She is 31 now and a dozen years removed from her first Olympics. She also is 10 years older than duet partner Alison Bartosik.
And Kozlova is still shooting for that elusive medal.
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LIECHTENSTEIN: The Olympics has not been kind to Liechtenstein.
Since its first Summer Games in 1936, the tiny country in the Swiss Alps has failed to win a medal. No country has participated in as many Summer Games without reaching a medal podium.
Word has it, in Liechtenstein, they still talk about the soccer ball that went between Bill Buckner's legs in the '88 Games.
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McDONALD'S: Yes, yes, the fast-food chain has been a frequent supporter of the Olympic movement. But when are the people behind the golden arches going to discover Stacy Sykora?
A two-time Olympic volleyball player from Texas, Sykora is McDonald's biggest advocate. There are days, she says, when she eats all three meals at Ronald's place. She often drags teammates there between workouts.
Sykora, who plays professionally in Italy, says she is hopeful McDonald's hires her as a spokeswoman.
"I don't even need money," she said. "I just want to eat free."
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NUDE: Okay, it is commonly known competitors in the Ancient Olympics were nude. But, along with the athletes, were you aware coaches were also naked?
It seems this custom came about after the Games in 404 B.C. when a married woman scammed her way into the stadium wearing the clothes of a coach.
If you do not think we are living in more enlightened times, consider this alternative from the 2000 Games:
A naked Tommy Lasorda.
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O'REILLY, HEATHER: Will this be the end of something special for the women's soccer in the USA? Or will it be the beginning? It may be both.
The core group of players who won the World Cup in 1999 and helped women's soccer gain ground in this country are likely to go their separate ways after these Olympic Games. Mia Hamm, in particular, already is talking retirement.
But as one superstar leaves, another appears ready to take her place. O'Reilly, at 19 is five years younger than anyone else on the national team, but already is being compared favorably to Hamm.
O'Reilly, who missed the World Cup last year with a broken leg, has ball-handling skills reminiscent of Hamm but has better speed.
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PANATHINAIKO STADIUM: Think Wrigley Field. With olives instead of ivy.
Panathinaiko Stadium (also known as Panathenian Stadium or Kallimarmaro) was built for the 1896 Games, the first Olympics in more than 1,500 years.
Constructed in the heart of Athens, the stadium was the site of the most memorable moment of those historic Games.
The marathon, a long distance race honoring the heroic feat of Greek soldier Pheidippides in 490 B.C., was a first-time event in 1896. The proud Greek hosts expected to win many events, but had been shut out as the Games neared conclusion. Among the final events, the marathon concluded in Panathinaiko Stadium with Greek shepherd Spyridon Louis winning by more than seven minutes.
The stadium has been renovated and will be the site of the archery competition and, yes, the finish line for the marathon.
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Q is the subway line that runs from Brooklyn to Manhattan and has carried Erinn and Keeth Smart to their fencing lessons for the past decade.
Keeth, the first American fencer to be ranked No. 1 in the world, and Erinn, a three-time national champion, took up fencing when they were 11 and 12 after their father read about the Peter Westbrook Foundation. Westbrook, the last U.S. fencer to win an Olympic medal with a bronze in '84, began the program to introduce inner city youth to fencing.
Naturally, the Smart siblings got their share of strange glances while carrying their swords on the subway. It did have its advantages, though.
"Going home at night," Erinn said, "we always felt safe."
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RUGBY: It's just our luck that baseball is an Olympic sport and rugby is not. After all, in the last three Olympiads, the U.S. has won only one gold medal in baseball and did not even qualify for the Games in Athens.
As for rugby? The U.S. is two-for-two in gold medals. Of course, that was 1920 and '24. But a hot streak is a hot streak.
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SEVEN: That would be the ratio (7-to-1) of security personnel to athletes at the Olympics in Athens. About 70,000 guards will be in place as part of the largest security force ever seen at the Games.
Cost for the system is expected to top $1.5-billion, more than doubling the amount spent at the Sydney Games four years ago.
NATO is providing air cover, the United States and other nations have asked permission to bring armed guards for their teams and American athletes have been warned to stay away from public transportation.
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TORCH RELAY: It is stirring. Uplifting. Traditional.
It is also a product of Nazi Germany.
While a flame in honor of Zeus had been a part of the Ancient Olympics, the torch relay is a fairly recent innovation.
Dr. Carl Diem, a German scholar, originally came up with the idea of a torch relay from Olympia to Berlin for the 1916 Games. The Olympics, however, were canceled that year due to World War I.
When Berlin was awarded the Games again in 1936, Diem revived his idea of a torch relay. By now, Hitler had come to power in Germany and decided to use the Games as a way to promote his regime. Leni Riefenstahl's film Olympia captured the majesty of the torch relay, which began an Olympic custom.
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UEBERROTH, PETER: He will go largely unnoticed during the next few weeks. He will have little impact on the Games of 2004.
But, have no doubt, Ueberroth is the key figure in the needed reform of the United States Olympic Committee.
The former commissioner of baseball will run an 11-person board of directors that will replace the unwieldy, and ineffective, 125-person board that helped steer the USOC into the ditch.
In recent years, the USOC has presided over a sports program rife with bribery scandals in Salt Lake City, drug problems in track and field and ridiculous amounts of infighting and turnover in its ranks.
Ueberroth may not have all the answers, but he should at least keep the USOC from public embarrassment in the future.
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VOLLEYBALL or VISA: Either works for Misty May and Kerri Walsh. The duo has been among the top beach volleyball teams in the world but gained their greatest fame in a 30-second commercial for the credit card.
First aired during the Super Bowl, the spot shows May and Walsh playing volleyball on a sheet of ice in their bathing suits. The commercial was filmed in Malibu, where ice was imported, and in the mountains outside of Los Angeles where the temperature hovered around zero.
"We'd do a couple of takes in our Speedos and then throw the parkas back on," May said. "They had these propane heaters and everybody was standing as close as they could. I looked down and said, "Oh, my gloves are steaming.' It turns out, they were on fire. That's how close I was to the heater."
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WOOD, OSCAR: This is the other side of a doping story.
When Faruk Sahin, the national Greco-Roman wrestling champion at 145.5 pounds, was suspended following a positive drug test, Wood became the No. 1 seed at the Olympic trials.
A relative unknown on the international scene, Wood defeated 2000 Olympian Kevin Bracken in consecutive matches to earn the berth to Athens. Competing for the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, Sgt. Wood was on maneuvers during the wrestling competition in Sydney in 2000.
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X GAMES: Thankfully, nowhere in sight.
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YAO MING: Plenty of players can make the jump from the NBA All-Star Game to the Olympics this summer. Let's see, there's China's Yao Ming. And Peja Stojakovic with Serbia and Montenegro. Andrei Kirilenko in Russia. Dirk Nowitzki for Germany and Jamaal Magloire with Canada.
There's even, believe it or not, a couple of Americans.
Of the 12 players on the U.S. Olympic roster, only Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson played in the NBA All-Star Game earlier this year. That means nearly 20 All-Stars passed on the opportunity to play for the USA in the Olympics.
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ZEUS: The Temple of Zeus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. A 40-foot tall sculpture of the Greek god was the centerpiece in the sanctuary at Olympia.
The Games would begin with sacrifices to Zeus and foot races often ended at the altar of Zeus. Unfortunately, all that remains today is a platform. The statue was eventually removed by the Romans and destroyed in a palace fire.
-- Information from Tony Perrottet's book The Naked Olympics, and Davide Wallechinsky's The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics was used in this report.
