Free-spirited Sydney gears up for the next Olympics

Sydney has been extensively promoting itself since officially being named host of the 2000 Olympics Games in September 1993. The Jakarta Post's reporter Sugianto Tandra was invited recently to visit Australia's New South Wales capital by the city's tourism authority and Ansett Australia. Following is his story.

SYDNEY (JP): Although the Olympics 2000 are still three years away, Sydney has already started the countdown.

One thing that any traveler to Sydney will feel on arrival is the omnipresent mood the Olympics have already created.

This is obvious in the city's extensive promotion of itself -- by the Tourism New South Wales (TNSW) -- as a free-spirited harbor city.

For some travelers, the Olympic mood is noticeable before they even arrive in Sydney, capital of the Australian state of New South Wales.

Sydney 2000 Official Partner, reads a colorful logo of the millennium's global sports event painted on the right side of an Ansett Australia plane which flies between Sydney and Jakarta.

In-flight movies carry advertisement promoting the luminous city.

New South Wales, with a population of more than six million people, four million of them in Sydney, is preparing for a predicted 2.1 million international visitors during the period 1994 to 2003.

Sydney is one of the world's most visited place, but as TNSW puts it: "The 2000 Games will lead to a broadening of Sydney's image as a culturally rich, friendly destination."

Sydney has always tried to promote itself as a tourist destination for fun and games. Now, the Olympics 2000 will stretch "games" to mean sports.

Scott Crebbin, Communications Manager of the Darling Harbor Authority said: "We are now capitalizing on Sydney's Olympic promotions, and positioning Sydney as the one of the world's great destination before and after the 2000 Games."

Olympic fever has almost spread throughout the city.

Flags of Sydney 2000 Olympics and of more than 100 Olympic members line Pyrmont Bridge.

Opened in 1902, it is the world's oldest electrically operated swing-span bridge which opened regularly to allow boats access to and from Cockle Bay.

Enterprising traders have also caught the mood.

Just drop into any store -- not necessarily souvenir stores -- and many of them are selling more than a hundred varieties of colorful brooches related to the international sporting fiesta.

Trendy and fashionably designed T-shirts and calendars -- official and unofficial -- carrying the same theme, are also there for everybody to buy.

The in-house television stations at most Sydney hotels are bombarding guests with promotions carrying messages or advertisement on the Olympics. Local radio stations vibrate with quiz contests offering prizes of visits to some of the city's major attractions.

Over the next three years, the Olympic pitch is expected to grow more fevered in the run up to the Games, which are scheduled for Sept. 15 through Oct. 1, 2000. The Sydney Paralympics will be held following the Olympic Games, from Oct. 18 to Oct. 29.

Sydneysiders, as people here proudly call themselves, are ready to cash in on all the opportunities opened up by the sporting jubilee of the millennium.

"It is the first time that Tourism New South Wales has comprehensively defined the appeal that Sydney has for international and domestic visitors," TNSW Chief Executive Tony Thirlwell said.

"We have to come up with what we believe to be the essence of Sydney."

Sydney is never short of fun and attractions, a boon not only to its citizens but also to visitors. The outdoor lifestyle, blue skies, sandy beaches, nature, friendly and relaxed people, and its food and wine, all support the image of a fun city.

It also touts itself as a place to shop, to dine, to engulf in family activities, to observe wildlife, and to enjoying icons such as the famous Sydney Opera House.

The centerpiece of the Sydney Olympics 2000 no doubt will be Homebush Bay, virtually a city now being built on a former industrial area and sports complex, for the Sydney Games.

The Homebush Bay project, which began in 1993, as soon as Sydney won its bid to host the Olympics 2000, is billed to become the world's best sporting facilities.

The A$1 billion project includes the construction of complimentary facilities and infrastructure, including transport links, parks, services, and technology that will serve Sydney well beyond 2000. An extensive network of trains, buses, ferries, light rail and monorail will guarantee fast and trouble-free transportation to the venues.

The massive project is already working as a tourist spot, with guided tours even as construction is underway.

A typical tour takes tourists to the State Sports Center, Bicentennial Park, Athletic and Aquatic Centers, as well as the proposed Olympic Village, Stadium (110,000 seats) and Velodrome.

The Sydney authority is working in consultation with Greenpeace and other environmental groups to ensure that the Olympic Games will be environmentally friendly.

But the many projects currently underway in other parts of Sydney to welcome the Olympics can also be a source of irritation for visitors.

Jenny Ward, a TNSW tour guide, said there were just too many public works going on these days.

"They are terrible really. If I could just show you around next year, the situation will be better," Ward said.