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Olympics start today in its birthplace

REUTERS, Athens
Modern Greece told the world on the eve of Athens 2004 that the Olympics will be as spectacular as any Games put on by their ancient forefathers.
With a nation's adrenalin flowing, Athens put the finishing touches to its first Olympics for more than a century and Games supremo Gianna Angelopoulos boasted: "Our people are ready."
"The whole world will discover that modern Greeks have the same ambitions and abilities as the ancients who gave us the Olympic Games," she said as the final countdown began for the six billion euro (7.34-billion-dollar) extravaganza.
The organisers have faced a torrent of criticism for years over construction chaos, budget overruns, security
concerns and profiteering.
Now, with everything from traffic to ticketing falling into place at the very last moment, a defiant Angelopoulos said: "When Greeks make a promise, we keep it."
But Greek pride did take one dent in this country of 10 million determined to take centre-stage as an "A-Nation."
A top manager in Greece's state broadcaster handed in his resignation after the station went off air during its Olympic debut on Wednesday, losing the signal for 25 minutes during the soccer qualifiers.
Viewers across Greece watching the ET-1 channel were left with a blank screen midway through the national team's opening evening match against South Korea, due to what the station said was a short
circuit at the television center.
Friday's opening ceremony could be a real Hollywood-style spectacular -Years in the making, boasting a cast of thousands, it has all the showbiz razzmatazz needed to sell Greece to the world in a three-hour epic.
The producers are turning the stadium into a giant sea by flooding the arena. A flaming comet is to shoot into the water and light up the five Olympic rings.
Hundreds of drummers thunder out a human heartbeat rhythm that reverberates around the stadium.
The finale had been kept under wraps but the Greek paper To Ethnos said on Thursday that Olympic 200 metres champion Costas Kenteris would be lighting a giant torch, standing by a blazing olive tree that rises from the shimmering sea.
But many top competitors have spurned the opening ceremony. Joining the interminable parade of athletes could blunt their edge on the eve of the greatest challenge of their lives.
"I can't afford a big night out the day before I compete," said cycling road race champion Jan Ullrich.
The world's two most famous swimmers -- American Michael Phelps and Australian Ian Thorpe -- will also be conserving energy for their titanic struggles in the pool.
(Bangladesh Television will telecast live the opening ceremony from 11.45 pm)