Atlanta and beyond

The 26th Olympic Games which concluded on Sunday in Atlanta, marking the 100th year since the birth of the modern Olympic movement, will sadly be remembered as much for the bomb explosion that left two dead and 110 injured as for the joy it brought to thousands, particularly the medal winners.

The United States had their most successful non-boycotted Olympics since Mexico City in 1968, winning 44 gold medals. Not since the California gold rush have Americans witnessed such gold fever as during the parade of their team at these Summer Games in Atlanta.

All in all, it can be said that Atlanta performed well. However, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Juan Antonio Samaranch stopped short of saying -- as he did in Los Angeles, Seoul and Barcelona -- that Atlanta was the "most successful" Games ever held. Instead, it was merely "the most exceptional", as he told the crowds at the closing ceremony.

Rock 'n' roll reigned supreme at the closing ceremony, which began with a Boyz II Men harmony version of The Star Spangled Banner. Searchlights criss-crossed the sky, which erupted in a barrage of fireworks as the group's voices rose in perfect harmony in the steamy Georgia night. An estimated 3.5 billion people -- two-thirds of the earth's inhabitants -- watched the events on television and almost 85,000 people were packed in the Olympic stadium.

Atlanta promised to give the world the biggest and best Games for the century, and pledged that the city would be the safest place on earth. It certainly was the biggest Games, with a record 197 countries participating. More people attended the events than at Seoul and Barcelona combined. Gold medals went to 24 countries: more than ever before. Four countries won gold for the first time.

But Atlanta had some serious glitches, too. They mainly involved serious transportation problems at the beginning of the Games, communication and security. The total privatization of the Atlanta Games displeased China, which complained almost non-stop since the start of the Games. It took one final swipe at Atlanta on Sunday, accusing the organizers of being arrogant and making profit their top priority. Although China finished fourth on the ranking list with 16 gold, 22 silver and 12 bronze medals, such dissatisfaction is perhaps understandable in light of the declining performance shown by China (and Asia in general) in the Atlanta Games.

Gross commercialism was another much-heard complaint. The costliest contests of the Olympics did not take place inside the sports stadiums but outside, where the world's leading producers of sports articles were vying with each other to make use of the world's biggest sports event to conquer a still larger chunk of the world market for sports goods.

As in previous Games in recent times, doping scandals thrived in Atlanta. Fresh doping controversies marred even the final hours of the Atlanta Games on Sunday, as IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch openly criticized the Atlanta Games organizers. The doping habit seems to have become so incurable that it has led one official to comment that the Olympic Games do not reflect the real situation in sports anymore. "Olympians are better informed about drugs than they used to be. At Olympics nowadays, you do not expect many positive tests."

In a final reflection as the Atlanta Games have come to an end, one thing can be said for certain: The Olympic movement has changed almost beyond recognition since it was re-created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin exactly a century ago. Business and national interests have played their part in transforming the Games and in taking them ever further from their initial ideal of building understanding among nations. Today, as big money and the national prestige of nations are becoming more and more involved, the winning is just as important -- if not more so -- as taking part in the events.

But as modern science and technology continue to push human endurance and capabilities to their natural limits, it seems appropriate to ask ourselves what the future of the Olympic movement will be. Will it be able to maintain -- at least in a meaningful way -- its initial lofty ideals of brotherhood and understanding among nations, or will it become more and more transformed into what can actually only amount to a merciless contest promoted by big business interests and national concerns?