athens 2004 official report -...

Environment

ATHENS 2004Environmental Programme

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Faliro Olympic Complex.© ATHOC/A. Panayiotou

Aerial photo of worksat Schinias Olympic Rowingand Canoeing Centre.© ATHOC/C. Vergas

Galatsi Olympic Hall.© ATHOC/C. Voulgari

Pursuant to the 1999 adoption of the OlympicMovement's Agenda 21 on "Sport for SustainableDevelopment", the International OlympicCommittee has identified the Environment as theThird Pillar of Olympism, together with thefundamental values of Sport and Culture.The IOC is convinced that the Olympic Gamesmay act as a catalyst for the implementation ofenvironmentally friendly activities.

For example, the enormous project ofconstructing new Olympic Venues couldprovide an opportunity to implementinnovative "clean technologies" andenvironmental planning, to minimise theresulting environmental impact, or even to assistthe transformation of the environment in areaslacking the necessary infrastructure.

Additionally, since Sport has particular access toyoung people and the Olympic Games areconnected to ecological recommendations, theGames provide an awareness opportunity for alarge number of people, who may in turn act as"multipliers" of these values in the future.

Athens, as the Host City for the 2004 OlympicGames, was in a position to improve itsinfrastructure, its image and its collective practices,so as to make a significant step towards sustainabledevelopment. The Olympic Games represented atthe same time a means and an opportunity.A means to facilitate interventions for thetransformation of the city in critical areas, andan opportunity, since the Games could providea focus for environmentally friendly expression,creativity and business activity for an significant partof the community. The Bid File commitmentanticipated the legacy of the Athens Games.

In March 2000, ATHENS 2004 adopted theBasic Principles for its Environmental Policy forthe Olympic Games. Its strategic goals were:

• To organise and host the Olympic Games in ahealthy environment.

• To contribute to the improvement ofenvironmental parameters in Athens and thegreater Attica area by strategic intervention.

• To develop environmental awareness.

The principles for achieving these goals were:

•To comply with (and even go beyond) Greekand European legislation in force.

• To develop a comprehensive programme ofenvironmental activities.

• To achieve cooperation of Governmentagencies, local authorities and the private sector

Thus, the "Olympic Environmental Alliance" wasestablished to promote productivecooperation and communication between publicagencies, the private sector, local authorities, theSponsors, and Non-Governmental Organisations,in order to actively participate in the hosting ofsuccessful Olympic Games with outstandingsport performances, while minimising theimpact on the environment.

Within this framework, and in compliance withrelevant national and European legislation, theobligations for the adoption of environmentallyfriendly measures during Olympic activities maybe summed up as follows:

The Environment as theThird Pillar of Olympism

ATHENS 2004Environmental Strategy

Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad 293

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Cleaning and waste managementservices in venues.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

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Ano Liossia Olympic Hall.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)/P. Saitas

• Commitment within the framework of theHost City Contract to implement Olympicactivities in a way that embraces the notion ofsustainable development and, where possible,to serve the promotion of environmentprotection.

• To ensure citizens' awareness of theenvironmental aspect of the Olympic Games,with state and local authority assistance.

• To use solid and liquid waste rationally, torecycle, to preserve natural resources, and toconserve the natural and cultural environment

• To make special provisions for the use andremoval of used chemical products and metalelements in an effort to protect theenvironment, in line with national and Europeanlegislation in force.

• To identify Waste Management as thekeystone of ATHOCs environmental strategyand to include environmental parameters in theoperational development of the CleaningServices and Environmentally SustainableWaste Management Programme in theOlympic Venues.

A staff member responsible for environmentalissues joined the Organising Committee in1999, while ATHOCs EnvironmentalProgramme began officially in March 2000. TheEnvironment Department was established in2001 with two distinct areas of responsibilityand axes of operation: (a) the EnvironmentalOperations programme, which was also

exclusively responsible for Cleaning Servicesand Environmentally Sustainable WasteManagement in the Olympic Venues, and (b)the Environmental Awareness programme.

The Environmental Operations Section startedstaffing gradually in the beginning of 2002.This particular section was responsible for thepreparation of various operational plans forservice provision, per Venue, for the test eventsand the Olympic and Paralympic Games, alwayswithin the framework of the Venue Team.

The Environmental Awareness Section evolvedin parallel, but developed further with theappointment of a second Manager in March2003.

The Cleaning Services and EnvironmentallySustainable Waste Management Programme inthe Venues for the Olympic and ParalympicGames was implemented through a sponsoringtender (Games Supporter tier), whichdesignated the consortium "Cleaning andWaste Services (CWS)".

During Games-time, the Venue EnvironmentalOperations deployed 52 paid staff in the Venueand Assistant Venue Cleaning and WasteManager positions, all specialised andexperienced in environmental issues, as well as45 volunteers and 2.800 contractor staff. Threepeople staffed the Environmental OperationsCentral Team, the Head of which was a memberof the Main Operations Centre (MOC),responsible for all relevant operational issues ofservices provided in the Venues, while, at thesame time, a representative for environmentalissues participated in the Region OperationsManagement Centre, which was part of theMOC and was responsible for broaderenvironmental awareness issues.

ATHOC's EnvironmentalOperations Structure

294 Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad

Environmental Awareness


Enjoying the green in theCommon Domain of the HellinikoOlympic Complex.© ATHOC/A. Panayiotou

Waste separation and recyclingbins at the Peace and FriendshipStadium (SEF).© ATHOC/C. Vergas

Environmental awareness inpractice at the Common Domainof the Athens Olympic SportsComplex (OAKA).© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

The design of the Environment mark wascompleted in March 2002. The mark depicts apair of hands extending through the tree's greenfoliage towards the sky, symbolically embracingthe world, representing human beings andnature becoming one.

Through this mark ATHOC wanted toemphasise that "all appropriate measures andcare will be taken for the celebration ofhumanity to become the celebration of theenvironment. In this bilateral relationship, natureprovides for humanity and humanity takes careof nature".

Additionally, the Organising Committeelaunched a range of licensed products (t-shirts,backpacks, lapel pins, plates, mugs, bags, postersand stickers) which carried the environmentmark and environmental messages such as"The Environment is Us" and "green my day".Thus, the mark was communicated to the widerpublic and ATHOCs Environment Programmewas promoted further.

Sponsors used the same mark in some of theiradvertising campaigns for environmentallyfriendly products, such as the communicationcampaigns of Coca Cola, McDonald's, Hyundai,Shell, Cleaning and Waste Services (CWS).

Before and during the Games, ATHOCpublished several informative leaflets in orderto raise public awareness. These leafletscovered issues such as the importance ofrecycling, spectator environmental behaviour inthe Venues, use of public transportation.

They were distributed to spectators and staffduring the test events and the Olympic andParalympic Games.

Informative Leaflets for SpectatorsA leaflet entitled "Environmental Code ofConduct" (in Greek and English) was specificallycreated for spectator environmental conductduring the Games, which described whatspectators should do in order to reduce impacton the environment, such as using publictransportation to and from the OlympicVenues, refraining from micro-littering,minimising the volume and production ofwaste, recycling plastic bottles by disposing ofthem in the appropriate bin, etc.

Two separate leaflets for "Integrated Cleaningand Environmentally Sustainable WasteManagement Programme in the Olympic andParalympic Venues", which were distributed toGames spectators and workforce respectively,described in detail the materials that wererecycled during the Olympic Games, the wastebins used in order to promote their systematicuse, and the steps followed from the momentthe material is thrown into a waste bin until it isdisposed of at the respective sites. Theseleaflets were prepared in cooperation withCleaning and Waste Services (CWS), and500.000 copies were printed for spectators and60.000 copies for Games staff, in Greek andEnglish. The leaflet prepared for spectators wasco-signed by the United Nations EnvironmentalProgramme (UNEP).

Among the informative leaflets for spectators,there were some that described environmentalprojects carried out in certain Venues, as well asthe particular relationship specific sports havewith the environment. Such leaflets werepublished for Equestrian, Modern Pentathlonand Beach Volleyball, and were distributed

Environment Mark

Environmental Publications


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Transplanting olive treesfrom the Markopoulo OlympicEquestrian Centre.© ATHOC

during those test events and during theOlympic and Paralympic Games, at the Venueswhere these specific sports were held.

Informing the Wider PublicThe publication "The Environment is Us"(in Greek and English) described theenvironmental challenges that were to beaddressed by ATHOC, as well as the respectiveenvironmental aims. It targeted young men andwomen of primary and secondary education.

Specific activities that were realised, such as thepromotion of environmentally friendly modesof transport and the Olympic EnvironmentalAlliance, are described in the leaflet entitled"Olympic and Paralympic Games of Athens2004 & Environment".

In addition, there were systematic briefingsregarding activities of the EnvironmentalProgramme in other ATHOC informativepublications (e.g. Newsletter).

the Venue Teams were fully developed andstaffed.

Regarding volunteers in particular, special printand electronic material was prepared,promoting the Recycling Programme of theATHENS 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Gamesand requesting their active support.

Environmental Awarenessfor Teachers and StudentsWithin the framework of cooperation betweenATHOC, the Ministry of Education and theGoulandris Museum of Natural History whichbegan in 1999, organised educational visits for atotal of 170.000 elementary and high schoolstudents took place at "Gaia", the Museum'sEnvironmental Research Centre.

Additionally, as part of the "Olympic EducationProgramme" in cooperation with the Ministryof Education, several special seminars onenvironmental issues were organised forteachers of primary and secondary education.Educational material developed by the Museumentitled "Earth, humans and the challenges for asustainable future" was re-issued by ATHOC,including the informational-educationalpublication "The Environment is Us".

Environmental Training

ATHOC carried out environmental training forthe entire staff of the Venue Teams. At thesame time, ATHOC cooperated with externalagencies to carry out educational activities onenvironmental issues, as initiatives held withinthe context of the Olympic Games.

Games Workforce Environmental TrainingA training programme was organised for theVenue Teams staff which included thepresentation of ATHOC's policies andprocedures for the environment, as well as adetailed explanation of the RecyclingProgramme of the Olympic and ParalympicGames. The training programme was carriedout for every Venue Team by the respectiveVenue Environmental Operations ManagerTraining began in the summer of 2003 for thestaff participating in the August 2003 testevents and was completed in July 2004, when all

Awareness Activities

As part of the Environmental AwarenessProgramme, ATHOC undertook a series ofactivities which had immediate effects on theprotection and improvement of theenvironment in specific areas, and alsofunctioned "symbolically" to raise publicawareness on environmental issues, whilepromoting the Games.

Cleaning Mount ParnithaIn 2002, on the occasion of the WorldEnvironment Day on 9 June, the EnvironmentDepartment organised an excursion to MountParnitha to clean the area where the Olympic


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Tree planting at the Gardenof Nations in the Olympic Villageby volunteer NOC Assistants.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)/P. Saitas

Mountain Bike Venue would be located.This initiative intended to demonstrate theimportance of maintaining a healthy naturalenvironment and of public participation in thiseffort. Staff from ATHOC, the AcharnesMunicipality, the Parnitha Forest Service, theFire Department, members of sporting andmountaineering clubs, as well as local studentsparticipated in the cleaning of the area. On thisday out, 100 cubic metres of waste and a largevolume of debris was collected.

Olive Tree Transplanting ProgrammeATHOC's Environment Departmentimplemented an unusual operation for Greekstandards: transplanting 600 large olive treesfrom the site of the Markopoulo EquestrianCentre before the beginning of constructionworks there in 2003. Following their removal,the olive trees were transferred to a nurserywhere they were maintained until the spring of2004. They were then transplanted to theirnew location with the cooperation of the publicagencies responsible for construction of theVenues to the Faliro Costal Zone, the OAKAand Helliniko Complexes and the SchiniasRowing and Canoeing Centre, thus activelyparticipating in the "greening" of these Venues.

Tree Planting in the Olympic VillageIn May 2004 a tree-planting event wasorganised as a symbolic gesture in one of thegardens of the Olympic Village, the Garden ofNations. National Olympic CommitteeAssistants, volunteers who had already beenselected and were in the process of beingtrained, planted a total of 100 trees,representative of the flora of countriesparticipating in the Games.

Marine Area Clean-Up in PiraeusAdditionally, on the occasion of the WorldEnvironment Day on 5 June, ATHOC organiseda "Sparkling Greek Seas" event, primarily withstudent participation, at "Votsalakia" (the "littlepebbles" beach) in Piraeus, in collaboration withthe Municipality of Piraeus and the Athens

In June 2004, the Environment Departmentcooperated with the United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP) to organise aseries of activities to raise public awareness onenvironmental issues during the hosting of theOlympic Games.

The promotion of the Recycling Programme atthe Olympic Cities of Thessaloniki and Patraand the Municipality of Maroussi (whichincluded the OAKA Complex and some MediaVillages) was among these activities, with thecooperation of the relevant Municipalities.

Another important function which wassupported by UNEP was the creation of aninformative leaflet on the "IntegratedProgramme for the Provision of Cleaning andEnvironmentally Sustainable WasteManagement in Olympic and ParalympicVenues" for the spectators of the Games, inEnglish and Greek, which aimed to promoterecycling in all the Olympic Venues. The leafletwas distributed in the Venues and was also insetin high-circulation newspapers.

Also, closer to the Olympic and ParalympicGames, the educational material "TheEnvironment is Us" was translated into Englishand, upon signing the Memorandum ofUnderstanding with UNEP was sent toeducational institutions abroad.

Special Synergies with Sponsors

The Olympic Games represented anopportunity for world-wide promotion of new

Cooperation with UNEP

Environmental Foundation (AEF). The eventincluded various activities, such as thedemonstration of a marine area clean-up bydivers led by Jean Michel Cousteau, and adisplay by the Greek National SynchronisedSwimming Team.



Bottle recycling containers usedduring the test event at theMarkopoulo Olympic EquestrianCentre.© ATHOC/C. Voulgari

Hyundai Santa Fehybrid electric car.© ATHOC/V. Tsilibokou


environmentally friendly technologies either atresearch and development level or not yetcommercially distributed. Within thisframework, ATHOC cooperated closely withOrganisations internationally for the promotionof products and innovative methods, whichdemonstrate the evolution of global technologytowards more viable solutions.

Indicative examples that concern Sponsors ofthe Games and constitute the model are themodel hybrid (electrical) car "Santa Fe" byHyundai, and the autonomous hybrid lightingunits using solar and wind energy created byPanasonic.

Additionally two Sponsors developed projectsespecially for the Olympic and ParalympicGames through which the environmental goalsof ATHENS 2004 were promoted: Coca Colasupported the creation of a TV and radio spotwhich endorsed ATHOC's RecyclingProgramme and was aired during the Olympicand Paralympic Games. This initiative wasendorsed by UNEP Heineken designed,developed and used in all the Olympic Venuesbeer cups made of recyclable plastic (PET),which bore designs promoting wasteseparation and recycling.

Finally, ATHOC, in cooperation with KODAK,organised an innovative programme forrecycling used batteries, which was a

At Games-time, Environmental InformationDesks operated in most of the Olympic Venuesfor spectators and members of the OlympicFamily, located in areas of concentratedpopulation movement. In the Olympic Village,the Environmental Information Desk wassituated at a central junction of theInternational Zone. The Desks were operatedby Environmental Operations volunteers, whodistributed the relevant information leaflets andbriefed people on environmental issues and theRecycling Programme.

In addition, there was special environmentalbilingual signage in all the Olympic Venues, forexample: "Help save water", "Please keep theVenue clean", "Recycle". Similar messages wereannounced on the Public Address System andwere displayed on the Videoboards andScoreboards of the Competition Venues.

fundamental part of the EnvironmentallySustainable Waste Management Programme.Custom designed containers were placed in allOlympic Venues for the collection of usedbatteries. This programme was extendedfurther to the greater Athens area, through theKODAK Express Stores.

EnvironmentalInformation Desks


Special Environmental Activities


A venue of particularenvironmental significance:Schinias Olympic Rowing andCanoeing Centre.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

Marine pollution readinessexercise around the Agios KosmasOlympic Sailing Centre.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)/A. VIachos

Aerial photo of worksat Schinias Olympic Rowingand Canoeing Centre.© ATHOC/C. Vergas

In 2000, ATHOC began briefing the PublicAgencies responsible for the construction ofOlympic Venues about the importance of"greening" them, as part of the environmentaldimension of the Games. Within thisframework, and in cooperation with theMinistry for the Environment, Physical Planningand Public Works (MEPPPW) and theOrganisation of Urban Planning andEnvironmental Protection of Athens (ORSA), astudy on "General Guidelines for Planting" wasdeveloped. This study provided guidance oneco-systems and microclimatically appropriateplanting in Olympic Venues, with specificationsfocusing on compatibility with the Greek andespecially the Attic landscape, and specifiedissues of quality, quantity, maintenance,environmentally friendly irrigation andprotection of the existing plant life (throughreplanting).

Additionally, within the framework ofcooperation provided by the Memorandum ofUnderstanding with the Ministry of Agriculture,more than 350.000 plants, bushes and treestypical of Greek flora were donated by

The Schinias Olympic Rowing and CanoeingCentre represented a special case for theenvironmental performance of the OlympicGames, since certain environmentalorganisations, such as WWF (WorldwideFund for Nature), the Hellenic OrnithologySociety, the Hellenic Society for the Protectionof Greek Environmental and Cultural Heritage,the Hellenic Society for the Protection ofNature, were opposed to the selection of thatparticular site as a prospective OlympicCompetition Venue. The ensuing dialogue led toa biotope management plan that significantlyimproved on initial planning, and alsoaccelerated the statutory measures for theprotection of the biotope.

The Olympic project of Schinias, thoughcontroversial, functioned as a catalyst and aworking tool for the rehabilitation of thebiotope.

The ecological features of the area had beendegraded and the landscape had beensignificantly altered, due to inappropriate andnoisome usage, uncontrolled residentialdevelopment, installation and operation of anairstrip, an abandoned military base, as well asillegal waste dumping. The Olympic projectprovided the opportunity to accelerateplanned rehabilitation works, and implementnew works, such as removing the airstrip,diverting the Makaria natural spring water intothe lake of the Rowing Centre, restoring the

Greening the Olympic Venues

The environmental activities within Venuesconcerned mainly the ATHOC Functional Areaof Environmental Operations, Cleaning andEnvironmentally Sustainable WasteManagement Services. These services wereprovided consistently across all Venues.However, there were certain Venues that hadparticularities requiring either special measuresand services or consideration of specificenvironmental parameters during planning orconstruction. These special projects wererealised either by ATHOC or by otherAgencies in cooperation with ATHOC.

Schinias Olympic Rowingand Canoeing Centre

ATHOC to 26 Municipalities of the Attica area,in order to reinforce their increased landscapingneeds and to increase greenery in view of theOlympic Games.


"natural" function of the wetland from thewater overflow of the Schinias Olympic Rowingand Canoeing Centre (which had ceased in theprevious 80 years due to draining works), andconstructing a state-of-the-art fire detectionand extinguishing system to protect the coastalpine forest of Schinias. At the same time, itcontributed to the protection and sustainablemanagement of the wider area, throughappropriate statutory regulation: a PresidentialDecree which declared the biotope area aNational Park in June 2000, Governmentdecisions for a management plan and operatingpolicy of the Schinias National Park, alsofounding a management agency for it, andincorporation of the specific area in theNATURA 2000 European Protected AreasCatalogue, as a protected natural ecosystem.

The case of Schinias was an environmentalchallenge that was achieved through thesystematic effort and persistence of ATHOCand the State, with continuous monitoring bythe European Commission, the Council ofEurope and the Non-GovernmentalOrganisations for the protection of theEnvironment.

ATHOC actively participated in theestablishment and realisation of the SchiniasNational Park, not only through the temporarymanagement committee, but also through theBoard of Directors of the Schinias NationalPark Management Committee. ATHOC madecontinuous efforts to improve the operationaldesigns of the Olympic Rowing and CanoeingCentre towards a more environmentallyfriendly direction. In cooperation with thecompetent services of the Ministry for theEnvironment, Physical Planning and PublicWorks (MEPPPW), which was responsible forthe construction works of this Olympic project,a large part of the actions and interventionswere envisaged in the administrative study forthe National Park and the relevantGovernment decisions. Additionally, and incooperation with the MEPPPW departmentresponsible for this particular project, briefingswere carried out for the competent services ofthe European Commission and theInternational Agencies/Organisations, such asthe Berne Convention and the Council ofEurope, among others.

Within the framework of ATHOC'sEnvironmental Programme, a series ofparameters were monitored at the field of playof the Olympic Rowing Centre, such astemperature, salinity, BOD5, COD, total bacilli,residual bacilli. Throughout the implementationof the Water Quality Monitoring Programme,between July and September 2003 andbetween June and September 2004, the qualityof the water was excellent, almost equivalent tothe water in most monitored beaches. Theimplementation of such a pioneering WaterQuality Monitoring Programme occurred in theframework of cooperation with theEnvironment Committee of the InternationalRowing Federation (FISA).

Within the same framework of cooperation, inJune 2004, ATHENS 2004 contributed to thedevelopment of the "FISA EnvironmentalPolicies and Guidelines", which determined the

The safe hosting of the Olympic Gamesrequired the implementation of an integratedInsect Control Programme, for mosquitoes inparticular, which were both a nuisance and apublic health concern. An appropriate methodhad to be found, which would be both effectiveand environmentally friendly.

According to the decision by the ProjectMonitoring Group (OPE), this was assigned byATHOC, following an international tender, to aspecialised contractor. The work started in thebeginning of May 2004 and continued for theduration of the Olympic and ParalympicGames. The aim of the project was the absoluteprotection against insects in all the open-airspaces of Olympic Venues, including theSchinias Rowing and Canoeing Centre, theMarkopoulo Equestrian Centre, the AgiosKosmas Sailing Centre and the Olympic Village.

The wetland of Schinias in particular, coveringan area of 10.000.000 sq.m., represented thelargest mosquito-breeding site in the AtticaBasin. Due to the ecological particularities ofthe area (protected natural ecosystemNATURA 2000), all spraying applications wereconducted with extreme precision, and onlybiological products were used, always followingsamplings at the potential mosquito breedingsites, which had been located after theecological mapping of the wetland. The sameprocedure was implemented for other flyingand crawling insects. In total, 70 man-monthswere required for samplings, inspections,spraying and baiting applications and 20.000mosquito larvae samplings were conducted at4.000 mosquito breeding spot-sites.

In contrast to other Host Cities, such as Sydney,where mosquito control projects wereimplemented prior to the Olympic Games,Attica had no such precedent, much less innatural and protected systems like that ofSchinias. The Programme was evaluated by theusers of the Venue and by the local communityand was found to be very effective according tothe results of a questionnaire survey.Indicatively, before the implementation of theProgramme, 500 insect bites per hour wereregistered, whereas, after its implementation,the nuisance was minimised, attaining practicallyzero levels.

Preventive Measuresfor Marine Pollution Incidents

Within the framework of implementation ofcontingency plans for coping with incidents ofmarine pollution by petroleum products andchemical substances in the Agios KosmasOlympic Sailing Centre and the VouliagmeniOlympic Centre (Triathlon), ATHOCdeveloped, in cooperation with a specialisedcontractor for environmental protection issues,the "Oil Spill Contingency Plan". This Plan

Insect Control Programmeat the Venues

environmental specifications for theorganisation of environmentally friendly testevents. This action was part of the OlympicEnvironmental Alliance activities.


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Marine pollution readiness exercisearound the Agios Kosmas OlympicSailing Centre.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)/A. VIachos

The Port of Piraeus, as an entry point to thecountry and as an Olympic AccommodationZone had particular importance in terms of itsenvironmental aspect. The Piraeus PortAuthority S.A. (OLP), which owns and managesthe Port, particularly following the formalisationof its cooperation with ATHOC through aMemorandum of Understanding, and inrecognition of ATHOC's EnvironmentalProgramme, demonstrated significantenvironmental awareness.

Within this framework, OLP monitored thequality of seawater for a prolonged period oftime, in cooperation with expert laboratoriesof the Universities of Piraeus and of Cardiff.It also managed to achieve PERS (PortEnvironmental Review System) certification,achieved by only two ports in Greece andthirteen in Europe.

Additionally, the Piraeus Port Authorityorganised and implemented the on-board

The environmental aspect of the "EleftheriosVenizelos" Athens International Airport as themain entry point for the Members of theOlympic and Paralympic Families and for othervisitors:

The Athens International Airport alwaysimplemented systematic and environmentallyviable waste management. During the monthsof August and September 2004, wastemanagement and environmental inspectionsincreased since there was a waste increase of78% and 33% per month respectively, whileduring the same months, recycling alsoincreased significantly by 235% and 122%respectively.

At the same time, Athens International Airportstaff conducted inspections on a daily basis, forthe existence of birds in sensitive areas of theAirport. Additionally, in order to manage noisepollution, the Athens International Airportconducted noise measurements with aportable unit, while beginning in July 2004meetings were held in cooperation with theCivil Aviation Authority, representatives of localgovernment and local associations, in order tobrief the area's community on noise issuesduring the Olympic Games.

Piraeus Port

concerned the provision of exclusive marinecleaning services, in the form of a donation toATHOC, and readiness in case of pollutionincidents during the Training Period and theOlympic and Paralympic Games.

Additionally, the Teams of these Venues wereprovided with Hellenic Coast Guardemergency response staff and equipment, inorder to handle more challenging potentialincidents of exogenous pollution. In June 2004,a special Readiness Exercise was held forcombating marine pollution in the area aroundthe Agios Kosmas Olympic Sailing Centre, inorder to confirm optimum operationalreadiness of the protection mechanism. At thesame time, all members of these Venue Teamsreceived special training.

Airport

generated waste disposal service, whileupgrading and expanding the existing water andsewage system. During the period of operationof the Port's Olympic Accommodation Zone,OLP offered enhanced environmentaloperations, supplementary to the Cleaning andEnvironmentally Sustainable WasteManagement Services of ATHOC's PiraeusPort Venue Team. These were realised throughthe use of the new large waste bins and thewaste streams separation bins, as well as byincreased frequency of cleaning services.


Venue EnvironmentalOperations and Recycling


Venue Team staff disposing of arecyclable bottle in SchiniasOlympic Rowing and CanoeingCentre.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

Helping keep the Venue clean:Ano Liossia Olympic Hall.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

Waste removal at Ano LiossiaOlympic Hall.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

In 2000 the needs for Cleaning andEnvironmentally Sustainable WasteManagement Services in the Olympic Venueswere depicted for the first time, in line withdevelopments in environmental legislation andthe priorities of the environmental strategyadopted by ATHOC in March of the same yearThe main goals were: (a) to attain a highpercentage of material recycling, (b) to controlthe waste streams by using recyclable packagingmaterial, and (c) to inform all parties involvedabout the waste management programme andcreate an example to be followed in all areas ofoperations.

During the development of the operationalplans for service provision, operationaldiscrepancies of Venues were examined,especially between Competition and NonCompetition Venues, differences relating mainlyto the existence or not of spectators and of aField of Play on the one hand, and hotel-typefacilities on the other.

For Cleaning Services in particular, beyond theoperational particularities of each Venue, thevariety of uses and resulting needs of thediverse areas within a single Venue, as well asthe variety of needs of the different constituentgroups, needed to be taken into accountTherefore, a matrix was created whichcorrelated constituent groups with the spacethey were to use and the respective level ofcleaning that should be provided. This ensuredthat all areas within the Venues would bemaintained to an adequate and agreed level ofcleanliness.

In addition, the use of environmentally friendlymaterials was emphasised. For example, in cases

of Olympic Venues requiring the collectionof food from the dining areas, this wasaccomplished with the use of paper bags.Heineken, a Sponsor of the Games, offeredbeer mugs made of recyclable plastic. The use ofwooden cutlery was promoted in the OlympicVillage and the Media Villages. Olympic Villagesuppliers were obliged to comply withestablished practices, compatible with the goalsof ATHOC's Environment Programme, thusreducing the amount of generated waste andparticipating in the Recycling Programme.

During the operational planning phase ofWaste Management Services inside a Venue, itwas important to determine those areas withina Venue where waste was generated, and tofacilitate those areas by transporting the wasteto temporary storage areas, as discreetly aspossible, until their permanent removal.Outside the Venue, having determined the finalwaste disposal sites, it was necessary todetermine the optimum waste truck route, inorder not to burden the Olympic road networkwith large waste trucks and reduce theenvironmental cost of transport, disposal andtreatment of waste.

Basic parameters that influenced the planningand implementation of this particular operationwere the following:

• Available waste disposal sites.

• Available means of waste storage andtransport.

• Security measures and procedures governingthe operation of the Olympic Venues.

• Timetables, as these were determined by theMaster Delivery Schedule.

Planning Services Provided


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Recycling Centre for wastefrom Olympic Venues.Maroussi Municipality WasteSeparation Unit.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)/K. Mavrona

Recycling at ATHOC HeadquartersWithin the framework of an integratedEnvironmentally Sustainable WasteManagement Programme and aiming tofamiliarise and prepare ATHOC staff regardingrecycling practices and alternative managementof large quantities of paper, a recyclingprogramme was implemented in 2002. Wastebins in three different colours (blue for whitepaper; green for cardboard boxes and red forsoft drink containers and bottles) were placedin various easily accessible points within thebuilding. Moreover; each desk was equippedwith a white cardboard bin for the disposal ofwhite printed paper; which proved verysuccessful since, apart from both container andcontents being recyclable, allowed immediateseparation at the source.

As a result of this effort at ATHOCHeadquarters more than 200 tons of paperwere recycled, thus saving 2.550 trees. Inaddition, the amount of water needed for paperpulp treatment was reduced by 4.725.000 litresand energy consumption was reduced by615.000 kW. This freed up 378 cubic metres oflandfill space in the final waste disposal sites.

Test EventsDuring test events, full scale Cleaning Servicesand Environmentally Sustainable Waste

Management Services were provided and theEnvironmental Awareness Programme waspromoted through leaflets and questionnairesdistributed to staff and spectators.

Beyond operational issues, the experiencegained from the test events was considerable interms of the Recycling Programme. During theAugust 2003 test events, there was extensiveseparation and recycling of materials (plasticbottles, paper and cardboard) carried outsimultaneously in several Venues.

Due to the high summer temperatures, therewas an increase in water consumption anddisposal of a large number of plastic bottles.In cooperation with the Coca Cola Company,Worldwide Olympic Partner; special bins wereinstalled in all the Venues for the disposal ofplastic bottles, thus achieving the main goal ofminimising the burden of the city's Main WasteDisposal Dump in the area of Ano Liossia withplastic bags and bottles, since a large part ofthese materials were separated and recycled.An "Olympic Recycling Tower" was formedfrom recycled plastic bottles of soft drinks andwater; cardboard and paper used in all the testevents of August 2003, 5 metres tall andweighing 3 tons.

The message of how feasible recycling is wasadopted by Venue Team staff and volunteers,through training on environmental issues andvia the everyday practice of test events.During the test events, also for the first time inCompetition Venues in Greece, messagesaddressed to spectators were displayed on theScoreboards and announced on the PublicAddress System, regarding the cleanliness of theVenue and recycling of waste, inciting them toparticipate actively in this effort. These visualand audio messages, which had been usedduring the test events, were also applied duringthe Olympic and Paralympic Games, withsimilar success.

Sustainable WasteManagement - Recycling

A critical aspect of the planning of CleaningServices and Waste Management wasoperational readiness to respond to emergencyincidents: the response time to these incidentswas from the earliest planning phase one of themost crucial indexes in terms of quality ofservice provided. Response time was checkedand adjusted during the test events so as toensure adequate and satisfactory (in terms oftime) service during the Olympic andParalympic Games.


Games-timeDuring Games-time, Cleaning Services andEnvironmentally Sustainable WasteManagement Services were provided in allOlympic Venues.

Within the Venues, waste was separated inwaste streams. Depending on the category ofconstituent group circulating in a particularspace, different waste streams applied. Hence, inareas of spectator circulation, such as spectatorseating and open public spaces, the waste wasseparated in two waste streams: residuals andrecyclables. The remaining operational areashad additional waste streams, such aspaper/cardboard and medical waste. In Venueswhere cooking took place, cooking oils werealso collected. In order to facilitate the wasteseparation programme at the source, differentcolour bins were used per stream, bearingappropriate signage.

Waste Management used specialisedequipment (240 and 1.100 litre waste bins,compression containers, open skips, bins ofvarious types, etc.) in specified areas in theVenues, where waste was stored for a limitedperiod of time prior to being collected andtransferred to areas especially designated forthis purpose. The waste collection took placewith waste trucks or hook lifts for thecompression containers.

The waste disposal sites per stream were thefollowing:

• Recyclables (plastic) at sites holding a permitfor plastic recovery.

• Paper/Cardboard at sites holding a permit forpaper recycling.

• Residuals at licensed landfills.

• Medical Waste at the Central incinerator formedical waste of the Ano Liossia landfill.

• Used cooking oils at sites holding a permit forhazardous waste treatment.

In total, 2.152 trips were carried out betweenAugust and 20 September 2004 for the transferof all waste streams to their respective finaldisposal sites. Another crucial parameter of thisprocedure was the distribution and removalfrom the Olympic Venues of the 20.000 plasticwaste bins that were used. The entireprocedure was monitored by an integratedQuality Control and Reporting System.

Environmental Operations Manager Throughthis List, all issues were monitored and allnecessary adjustments were made for matterssuch as unnecessary use of power and energy,maintenance of green areas, quality of air andlevels of noise, pollution control and protectionof the environment and, of course, levels ofcleanliness and adherence to wastemanagement policies and procedures.

The Cleaning Services provided were generallyacknowledged to be particularly satisfactoryand the level of cleanliness in the Venues high.An important contributing factor was thetraining of the Venue Team (paid staff,volunteers and staff of the Cleaning Servicesand Environmentally Sustainable WasteManagement Supporter) on theirresponsibilities, the level of services to beprovided, and the operational particularities ofeach Venue.

During the test events, as well as during theOlympic Games, questionnaires on"environmental satisfaction" were distributedto the spectators in order to record their viewson the Cleaning Programme and theEnvironmentally Sustainable WasteManagement Services implemented in theVenues. Analysis of the results of thisquestionnaire showed the following:

• 74% of the people asked deemed ATHOC'srecycling activities in the Venues positive orvery positive.

• 73% of the people asked believe thatATHOC's Recycling Programme wouldcontribute to minimising waste volume and topromoting recycling practices.

• 95% of the people asked believe it isnecessary to have a sustainable wastemanagement programme in sporting events.

• 76% of the people asked found the level ofcleanliness in the Venue to be "Very Good".

The Environmentally Sustainable WasteManagement Programme for the Olympic andParalympic Games operated in a mannerexceeding expectations, leaving a significantexperience for the operational contributors, aswell as a great environmental legacy for Greece.

However, the greatest success was that of theRecycling Programme, which was the result notonly of the effective management of the systemand the adequacy of recycling equipment in allthe Venues, but also to the public awarenesscampaign carried out before and during theGames. The active participation of spectators,of the members of the Olympic Family and ofthe Venue Teams' staff had impressive results inrecycling of paper/cardboard and plastic.

In total, 970 tons of recyclable plastic, 675 tonsof paper and 9,8 tons of used cooking oils wererecycled, while 2,7 tons of medical waste weredisposed of appropriately.

Evaluation of VenueEnvironmental Operations

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games,within the framework of parallel monitoringand consistent recording of environmentalissues in all Competition and Non CompetitionVenues, an Environmental Issues Check List wascreated and maintained by the Venue


Image and Messages of Athens

Communications


Original photographic materialproduced by ATHOC and usedin various CommunicationCampaigns.© ATHOC/N. Tassoulas

ATHOCs Communications Strategy was basedon the ATHENS 2004 Vision: Unique Games ona Human Scale. This was developed as follows:

The Olympic Games are returning to Greece,their ancient birthplace and to Athens, the cityof their revival. In 2004, athletes from all nationswill unite in Greece to engage in noblecompetition. The Athens Olympics willcombine history, culture and peace, with sportsand Olympism. The people of Greece shall hosta Unique Games on a human scale, inspiring theworld to celebrate Olympic Values.

The Mission of the ATHENS 2004 OlympicGames was:

• To organise technically excellent OlympicGames and provide the best possibleconditions for the athletes to compete.

• To provide to the Athletes, spectators andviewers a unique Olympic Experience and alegacy for Olympism.

• To present and promote the Olympic Ideals ina contemporary manner through theirtraditional Greek symbols.

• To promote and implement the OlympicTruce through the Torch Relay.

• To control the commercial aspect of theOlympic Games.

• To leave a lasting legacy for the people ofGreece.

• To re-position and promote the cultural andhistorical heritage of Greece to the eyes of theworld.

• To showcase the achievements of modernGreece and its potential for the future.

• To protect and enhance the naturalenvironment and promote environmentalawareness.

• To spread the benefits of hosting the Gamesthroughout the country.

Implementing ATHOCsCommunications StrategyFour "building blocks" were developed toimplement ATHOCs CommunicationsStrategy:

2001 Inform2002 Inform & Inspire2003 Inform, Inspire & Motivate2004 Inform, Inspire, Motivate & Involve

In 2001, the year to INFORM, actions werefocused:

• To raise awareness and generate positiveperceptions of the ATHENS 2004 OlympicGames among Greeks - individuals,professionals, community groups, industryleaders.

ATHOCsCommunications Strategy

ATHOCs Communications Division wasresponsible for defining, preparing andimplementing all communications strategiesand activities of ATHOC towards varioustarget audiences, for managing all operationalcampaigns pertaining to the Games, forproducing copy for all ATHOC outreach to thepublic, media and Olympic Family, for CrisisCommunications, for Event Management andCulture.


This page:

Original photo produced byATHOC and used inCommunication Campaigns.© ATHOC/N. Tassoulas

• To achieve more positive feedback andfavourable media coverage.

• To manage issues and minimise adversereactions in the lead up to and during theGames.

In 2002, ATHOC worked to INFORM &INSPIRE:

• To start generating support for the Gamesamong all audiences.

• To start promoting the spirit and ideals ofOlympism (with the first set of messages aboutthe intangible assets of Athens and the OlympicGames).

• To portray ATHOC as a responsiblecorporate citizen and an organisation that willraise standards and will promote quality of lifein the country.


Throughout 2003, ATHOC continued toINFORM, INSPIRE & MOTIVATE:

• To continue building upon and generatesupport for the Games among all audiences.

• To actively promote the spirits and ideals ofOlympism and ensure those ideals areexpressed through concrete actions that can beembodied in the everyday life of the thirdmillennium.

• To establish ATHOC as a responsiblecorporate citizen and a determining factortowards raising standards and promotingquality of life.


• To prepare the induction of all audiences intothe ATHENS 2004 "Olympic GamesExperience" (staff, volunteers, spectators,TV audience, etc.).

In 2004, the year of the Games, ATHOC'sactivities and messages were developed toINFORM, INSPIRE, MOTIVATE & INVOLVE:

• To inspire all Greeks to embrace the spirit andideals of Olympism and to embrace, supportand take ownership of the 2004 Games.

• To leave a legacy of pride among the Greeksand an actual legacy of public works, enhancedinfrastructure and a dramatically improvedlifestyle for the city of Athens and the wholecountry.

• To establish the principle of the Olympic Truceas a legacy for all future organisations.

• To manage and minimise adverse reactions inthe lead up to and during the Games.

• To operationally involve all audiences whichare key to the success of the Games.

Brand Values

The following are the primary words that werepromoted throughout the communicationscampaigns of the 2004 Games. These keywordscaptured the essence and substance of theAthens Olympic Games and formed the basisof building the image and identity of the Games:celebration, human scale, participation, heritage.

CelebrationFor the ancient Olympic Games, a truce wasdeclared so that what is good and ennobling inhumankind would prevail.

The Games today are the greatest celebrationof humanity; an event of joy and optimism towhich the whole world is invited to compete


This page:

Original photo produced byATHOC and used inCommunication Campaigns.© ATHOC/E. Kosindas

peacefully. Every four years, humanitycelebrates, embraces and honours sport, andthe world realizes the Olympic Ideals of cultureand peace.

In 2004, Athens offered the world a unique andfestive experience that will remain with us forlife, a point of reference for future generations.

Human ScaleThroughout its history, Greek civilisation hasmade man the measure of all things.

For the homecoming to Greece, the centre ofour attention and the measure of comparisonfocused on the athlete, the individual, the team.Noble competition inspired the athletes toexcel in each of their endeavours, and thus tooppose their human abilities to the massivedimensions of the Games. The Olympic Gamesare the arena where human abilities aredemonstrated and acknowledged; aninspiration that encourages and empowerseach of us to pursue our ideals, high as theymight be.

In 2004, Greece gave the world an opportunityto determine the measure of human greatness.

ParticipationPeople of various backgrounds, differentcultural roots, and different ideas come to theOlympics to participate in a gathering thatshowcases what makes us alike, not what makesus different.

The athletes, spectators, organisers, volunteersand the people who shared in the 2004 Gamesthrough new technologies, participated in ahomecoming to the birthplace of the OlympicGames that enhances Olympism.

In the Olympics, what matters most is to sharethe common vision of promoting peace andfriendship among all the people of the world,through the noble competition of sport.

HeritageThe Olympic Games were born in Greecemore than two and a half thousand years ago.The Games of the modern era were revived inAthens, in 1896.

Today, the Olympics belong to the world -every host city and country adds its owncultural character to the Games. Theuniversality and uniqueness of the Games canbe found in the Olympic ideals, understood inall languages of the world. The Olympic symbolsof Ancient Olympia, the Olympic Flame and theMarathon race are the bridge between theancient and the modern Olympic Games. Theyconveyed the Olympic Ideals and, combinedwith the homecoming of the Games in 2004,renewed the Olympic Spirit and celebrated theancient "Ethos" of the noble competition ofsport.

Key Audiences

The Olympic Games are one of the very fewevents in the world that are truly universal.They therefore attract a multitude of targetaudiences that need to be informed, inspired,motivated and involved with the Games. Thefollowing were ATHOC's key audiences:

• National audiences (Greek public)This is a broad category that included theAthens public in general, but also reachedparticular Athens public audiences such asOlympic Venue communities and "points ofentry" communities. This category also includedthe rest of the Greek public, especially involvinginterest groups (environmental, disabled,religious, ethnic groups, schools and universities)as well as the public of the four Olympic Cities -Thessaloniki, Volos, Patra and Heraklio. Nationalaudiences also included the business, hotel,transport and tourist industry.

•The Government and political audiences(including Olympic city municipalities)


This page:

Original photo produced byATHOC and used inCommunication Campaigns.© ATHOC/N. Tassoulas

• Greek media (print, electronic, regional,national)

• International media

• Rights Holding Broadcasters

• National and international Sponsors

• Olympic Family (IOC, NOCs, IFs, NFs)

• Other international audiences (tourists,Greeks Abroad, international public)

• Non Governmental Organisations, and

• Athletes

The Communications Office continuouslyworked towards designing and implementingtailor-made messages and tactics for each oneof these audiences and assisted all ATHOCDepartments with particular communicationsactivities in their endeavours to reach theiraudiences.

Main MessagesPre-Games: Unique Games on a Human Scale;Athens for the Athletes.

Games-time: Unique Games on a Human Scale;Welcome Home; In the True Spirit of theGames.

and Stakeholders such as Sponsors andBroadcasters). A dedicated Games PromotionDepartment oversaw all programme-specificcampaigns, media buying and coordinatedcommunications activities with externalagencies (Government, Local Government,NGOs, etc.). Through the Image & IdentityDepartment, it created and applied VisualIdentity Elements (Main Marks, Mascots, Medals,Secondary Graphics, Publications, Look of theGames). A dedicated Internet and InteractiveMedia Department promoted the Games on-line, and a Culture, Public Relations & EventsDepartment developed Special Events.

Public Relations and EventsThe Public Relations and Events Departmentwas responsible for managing all events andpublic relations activities of ATHOC. Staffmembers were assigned to specific activitiessuch as supporting the visits of the IOCCoordination Commission (in collaborationwith ATHOCs IOC Relations & ProtocolDepartment), hosting and/or attendingCongresses and Workshops, preparing PressConferences (pre-Games, in collaboration witha dedicated team from the Press Office),organising Events and Exhibitions, preparing thevisits of Olympic-related delegations to Athensand abroad and organising cultural events. Intotal, over the period 2000-2004 the Culture,Public Relations and Events Departmentorganised 1.222 events (out of which 198cultural events).

Internet and Interactive MediaThe Internet and Interactive MediaDepartment was responsible for managing allaspects pertaining to hosting and developingcontent for the Pre-Games and Games-timewebsite of ATHENS 2004(www.athens2004.com) and also developingother means of interactive media (CD-ROMs,electronic editions of ATHOC Publications).The ATHENS 2004 website was the secondlargest communications platform aftertelevision. It was the first time that an

Main Activities

ATHOCs Communications Division, with aGames-time workforce of 202 paid staff and 111volunteers, developed all copy needed forATHOC pre-Games and Games-Time. ItsCommunications Office designed, implementedand monitored the Strategic CommunicationsPlan and activities for ATHOC and the Games.It created and disseminated tailor-mademessages for all key audiences (General Publicin Greece and abroad, Media, Olympic Family


Website statistics

68% of Volunteers applied on-line

2,5 million visitors per day

650 million page views per day

Approximately 10 minutes average page visit

Approximately 5 billion hits

40% visitors from the USA

30% visitors from Western Europe

10% visitors from Greece

CampaignsThe Communications Office developed andran the following operational CommunicationsCampaigns:

• Corporate Campaign

• Volunteers

• Ticketing

• Transport

• "One Year Out"

• Marks Protection

• Environment

• Torch Relay

• Paralympic Games

Communications ObjectivesGames-timeDuring Games-time the CommunicationsOffice managed overall Communications, with73 paid staff and 107 volunteers deployed at 42Venues (Venue Communications Managers andteams) for immediate recording of all incidentsthat occurred within each Venue, to ensure theproper and swift communication efforts andresponses.

This information was relayed to theCommunications Centre (CC), which was partof the Main Operations Centre at ATHOCHeadquarters. The CC's scope of work was toensure that all messages conveyed to the Public,Media and Stakeholders were coherent,consistent and in accordance with the overallCommunications Strategy of ATHOC and ofPartners. As such, it collected and processed allsignificant Communications facts and figuresfrom all Venues in order to prepare ATHOCleadership, spokespeople and others. It thusmonitored the Games activities from aCommunications perspective, and liaised withexternal Partners and Agencies: the IOC,Government Press Offices, Sponsors, etc.

Crisis CommunicationsCrisis Communications were the responsibilityof the Communications Division. In closecooperation with the President, the ChiefOperating Officer, and all ATHOC FunctionalAreas - and over a period of 18 months - allpossible scenarios and issues that could affectthe Games were analysed, processed andcorresponding lines of actions (operationallyand in terms of communications) were decided.More than 2.500 different scenarios wereexamined and responses, holding statementsand press releases were prepared prior to theGames.

Crises were defined as anything reportednegatively in print and/or electronic Media thatcould affect the normal operations of theGames, or the image and reputation of theGames, Greece and the Sponsors; they wereranked by impact.

Crisis Manuals were developed, including:process (reporting, coding and responding),"One Voice" messaging, contacts list of allStakeholders, Crisis scenarios and backgroundinformation on all issues per Functional Area,holding statements per possible scenario, andscenarios for external agencies.

Crisis Manuals were developed for thefollowing ATHOC Functional Areas:Accommodation, Accreditation, Ceremonies,City Operations, Doping, Energy, InternationalRelations, Medical Services, Olympic Village,Press Operations, Security, Spectator Services,Sponsors, Sport, Technology, Torch Relay,Transport and Venue Operations.

Organising Committee presented a website inthree languages (Greek, English and French) andpresented during Games-time all CompetitionResults live. The ATHOC website had a W3Cstandard certificate which made it accessible topeople with a disability.

The architecture of the website was based onthe four communications "building blocks":

Inform: News Room, Sports Coverage,ATHOC activities, Environment andPublications.

Inspire: Olympic Games History, SportsInformation, e-games, e-cards, Screensavers,Wallpapers.

Involve: "Adopt a Sport", Employmentopportunities, Tenders announcements.

Participate: Volunteers Application Form, TorchBearer Application Form, Ticket sales andinformation, Youth 2004, Live Results, AthletesQuotes.

The main areas of the homepage duringGames-time were Daily Review/Preview, MainFeatures, Main Navigation toolbar, Athlete ofthe Day, Photo Pool, INFO 2004 News, DailyHighlights, Quote of the Day, Search/Weather/Time, Medals Standings, INFO 2004 LiveResults, Olympic Village Pulse (e-newspaper),On-line Accommodation, e-shop and INFO2004 Press Releases, Statements, Transcripts.


Image and Identity

Left page:

Official poster of the ATHENS2004 Olympic Games.

At the world's greatest sports event, design isessential for the creation of a visual identity thatwill visually connect the values of the Olympicideal with the values of the Host City. In Athens,the effort to create a unified visual identity thatwould clearly communicate the distinct visionand values of the Athens Games started early. InNovember 1998, the IOC organised a DesignConference in Athens. Designers, advertisingand design agencies were invited and presentedwith the mission and the history of Olympicdesign. The next step was the announcement ofan international tender for the design of theemblem of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games.

After the selection of the emblem, ATHOC setup the Image & Identity Department. TheImage & Identity team's mission was to developthe remaining elements of the visual identityand to take all necessary actions in order toprotect, promote and reinforce this identity.The team worked very closely with allDepartments of the Organising Committee,offering design services and consultation. Aquality control and approvals procedure wasestablished early on to ensure that all designapplications were aligned.

primary values of the 2004 Games - heritage,participation, celebration, human scale - in auniquely Greek design. It is a reference toheritage, since the olive wreath or "kotinos" wasthe prize of the Olympic Games from classicalantiquity. Also, the olive tree was the sacredtree and symbol of the ancient city-state ofAthens. Finally, an olive branch represents theclassical Olympic ideal of peace. The wreath hasthe shape of an open circle; it is an openinvitation to humanity to participate in acommon endeavour, the Olympic way of life,through the greatest peaceful competition ofthe world. Its open, dynamic shape is a pledgefor a universal festival that transcendsboundaries and distinctions. The ATHENS2004 Olympic Games would be a celebrationfull of energy and excitement in whicheveryone was invited to participate. The designis rendered by hand in a free and unrestrictedmanner that highlights the human element. Thepalette of white and blue reflects the Greek seaand sky, suggesting the fluidity and transparencyof water and the brightness of the Aegean light.

ColoursThe colour palette of the ATHENS 2004Olympic Games consisted of twenty distinctivecolours, which brought to mind glimpses ofGreece; the blue shades of the sea and the skythe intense yellows and oranges ofsummertime, the reds and fuchsia of theflowers, the tones of green of the Greeklandscape, the greys of the stone.

The selection of the colours also took intoconsideration two functional needs. Colourshad to work well on television, since they wouldbe used for the Look of the Games elements.Image & Identity and Athens OlympicBroadcasting (AOB) worked together to teston camera colour samples on various materialsbefore finalising the colour codes. Another

The Background

The Visual Identity Elements

EmblemThe emblem of the 2004 Olympic Games wasselected after an international design tenderwith 690 entries by 242 candidates in 14countries. It was unveiled to the public on30 September 1999.

The emblem of the ATHENS 2004 OlympicGames was a wreath made from an olive treebranch. It is a symbol directly related to the four


This page,from top to bottom:

Mascot pose with Greek flag.The same pose was used bylicensee with different flagsto produce various pins.

Panorama graphic.

Right page:

The 35 sport poses of Athenaand Phevos.

consideration was the needs of Sponsors andlicensees. A wide colour palette provided themwith enough flexibility and encouraged them toalign their design applications with the feel ofthe Athens Olympic image.

Panorama GraphicPanorama graphic was the secondary graphicpattern created to visually connect all theelements of the visual identity of the ATHENS2004 Olympic Games. It was combined withthe emblem, the Sport pictograms, the mascotand the main marks.

The composition conveys a panorama ofimages of the culture and the environment ofGreece. The natural elements of Greeklandscape such as the sun, the sea and its wavesare combined with elements from ancientinscriptions and patterns from ancient vases.The Sport spirit is communicated through theancient inscriptions that refer to sport eventsand Olympic champions, as well as by theenergy deriving from the irregular shapes whichimply the dynamism of athletic endeavourThe blue colours of the Greek sea and sky, thegreen tones of the olive trees and orchards, theintense fuchsia of bougainvillea, the grey shadesof stone and marble and the warm orangecolours brighten up the graphic pattern in aunique way. The Panorama graphic uses theenvironment, the forms, the colours and thelanguage of the country, to create a uniquepicture of Greece.

TypefaceGill Sans Hellenic, a sanserif letter, was selectedto be the typeface of the 2004 Olympic Games.The linear forms of the monoline sanserifcapitals that were used for the stone-cutinscriptions of Greece until the 4th century BChave a clean structural logic that evokes thegeometrical theorems of Euclid and a simplicitythat is elemental. Less formal versions of similarletters appear in the painted inscriptions ofGreek vases. The sanserif letter has beenrediscovered several times: by sculptors during

the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century, byneo-classical architects and sculptors towardsthe end of the 18th century, and by modernistdesigners in the 20th century. The typeface GillSans was first made in 1928 from designs by EricGill. The severe geometry of its capitals isrelieved by Renaissance features like the subtlecurve to the tail of Rand small letters thatderive from the calligraphic forms of humanisticscript Gill Sans Hellenic adds Greek charactersto the font.

MascotsIn the beginning of 2001, an international designtender was announced for the creation of themascot. A total of 196 companies and individualdesigners from around the world responded tothe mascot tender 127 entries eventuallyqualified providing the Evaluation Committee awide variety of proposals. The winning proposalwas submitted by the Greek design agencyParagraph Design Ltd. and the creator wasS.Gogos.

Athena and Phevos were presented to thepublic on 4 April 2002 and made an impactfrom the very beginning. Athena and Phevoswere two children, a sister and a brother;related to ancient Greece. The source of theirinspiration was an ancient Greek doll from the7th century BC. The bell-shaped terracotta dollhas movable limbs and is dressed in a tunic.In ancient times, these dolls were known as"daidala". Their names were inspired by twoOlympian Gods: Athena, goddess of wisdomand patron of the city of Athens. Phevos, theOlympian god of light and music, known asApollo.

Athena and Phevos quickly became part ofGreek everyday life and impressed everyonewith their presence during the Games. Differentposes were created to show them engaging incarefree, spontaneous play, reminding us all thatparticipation is worth more than victory.While playing, they did not miss a singleOlympic Sport. They explored every discipline


Left page:

The 35 sport pictograms.

The four main marks ofEnvironment, Volunteers, Culture,Torch Relay.

This page:

Functional pictograms.

with playfulness and team spirit. With a widesmile on their face, Athena and Phevos neverceased to find new ways to meet theirchallenges. The two children symbolised theOlympic ideal, noble competition and equalitythrough creativity and sports. They remindedeveryone that humanity is, and will alwaysremain, at the centre of the Olympic Games.

The mascots were very important for thesuccess of the Licensing programme. Flexibilityand variety became a key consideration for theicensing applications. A special typeface wascreated and a procedure was set in place sothat licensees were able to work with the mascots'creator under the direction and supervision ofthe Organising Committee. Sponsors alsobenefited from these provisions and had theopportunity to incorporate Athena and Phevosin their corporate or product communication.

More than 100 poses were created until the endof the Games to accommodate the needs fordesign applications using Athena and Phevos.

Sport PictogramsSport pictograms are used as the essentialvisual reference for any information related tothe Competition Schedule and the Venues.Each is a separate image showing the Sportsand Disciplines' special features and enablingthe viewer to recognise them immediately.The Image & Identity Department directed thedesign of 35 pictograms representing the 28Olympic Sports and certain Disciplines.

The ATHENS 2004 Sport pictograms wereinspired by three elements of ancient Greekcivilisation. The simplicity of the human form isinspired by the Cycladic figurines. The artisticexpression of the pictogram derives from theblack-figure vases, where solid black shapesrepresent the human body and a single linedefines the detailing of the form. The figures ofthe pictograms are solid and clearly drawn on abackground similar to a fragment of an ancientvase.

While their inspiration was very artistic andcultural, the ATHENS 2004 Sport pictogramswere very accurate in depicting the mostrecognisable movement of each individualSport and Discipline and were approved by allInternational Federations and by the IOC.

Functional PictogramsAnother set of pictograms was created toaccommodate the needs of the wayfindingsystem used during the Athens Games.Functional pictograms are images indicatingservices, facilities, actions, directions, Venues, etc.They are used on signs, maps and publications,and are easily recognisable by the viewer.

Image & Identity decided not to use an existingset of functional pictograms but to redesignthem, in order to bring up to date the objectsshown on most of them and, hence, make themmore visible and recognisable. Although theartistic rendering relates to Sport pictograms, itis more "authoritative" and functional.

Main MarksFour additional marks were designed topromote the important programmes ofCulture, Volunteers, Environment and TorchRelay. They were called main marks to reflecttheir special importance. The main marks of theAthens Games share their inspiration with theSport pictograms. The simplicity of the shape ofhuman form is taken from the Cycladicfigurines, while the artistic expression of thehuman silhouette is taken from the black-figurevases. The figures of the main marks are robustand clearly outlined, and convey a clear anddistinct message relevant to the programmefor which they were created.

CultureThe culture mark was used on promotionalmaterial produced for cultural events organisedby ATHOC. The nine Muses featured on theculture mark, represent an archetypal anduniversal symbol for the inspiration of humancreation. Calliope, Polyhymnia, Euterpe,


Terpsichore, Erato, Melpomene, Thalia, Uraniaand Clio are nine female figures who protectthe arts and convey a global message ofcreativity. In the ATHENS 2004 OlympicGames, the ancient Greek civilisation offered arecognisable symbol for a new era of creationand inspiration. The nine Muses, in blue colourto highlight their Greek origin, became thebearers of the cultural spirit of the AthensGames.

VolunteersThe volunteer mark was used in a wide range ofdesign applications developed during the effortto recruit the Athens Games volunteers.The mark, in the shape of a heart, depictedvolunteers hand in hand. The volunteers are theheart of the Olympic Games. By giving theirtime and energy, they embody the Olympicideal. Their involvement is vital to staging thegreatest human celebration, the OlympicGames. ATHOC created a mark to symbolisethe volunteer spirit. Its design and red colourconveyed the warmth, cooperation and unityamong volunteers in this unique celebration.

The red colour was chosen for all designapplications for volunteers. The main mark wascombined with Panorama graphic always in redhues.

EnvironmentThe environment mark depicted mankind atone with nature to symbolise that respect forthe environment is one of the focal points ofthe ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games. Theenvironment is considered the third pillar ofOlympism along with sports and culture.Therefore people, sport and the environmentare closely linked. A clean and healthy naturalenvironment is essential for Athletes.

The illustration of the main mark was in greencolour; which was then used as the main colourfor all environment design applications. ThePanorama graphic was always used in greenshades for these applications.

Torch RelayThe Torch Relay mark of the Athens OlympicGames was designed with the intention topromote the uniqueness of the 2004 OlympicTorch Relay. In the mark, a human form issymbolically depicted running on the globepassing on the spirit of the Games. The 2004Olympic Torch Relay went around the world tospread the message of Olympism to allcontinents. The flame became an ambassador ofhuman ideals, peace, and the Athens vision.Greece travelled along with the flame all overthe world and invited everyone to participate inthe greatest celebration of humanity.

PythiaAll guidelines regarding elements of visualidentity, along with the presentation of eachelement were put together to create the visualidentity manual of the ATHENS 2004 OlympicGames. Every Organising Committee is obligedto develop such a manual and the ATHENS2004 Organising Committee was the first todevelop an electronic interactive manual in theform of a DVD. ATHOC's manual was namedPythia, after the priestesses at the ancient oracleof Apollo in Delphi, Greece. Like the oracles,this DVD intended to provide answers to anyquestions relating to the visual identity of theAthens Games.

Apart from Pythia, various others manuals weredeveloped to cover needs of constituentgroups and to make sure that every designapplication related to the Athens Games wouldbe aligned. All manuals were produced in anelectronic format (PDF files accompanied withsupporting .eps files when necessary) to make iteasy to pass the information quickly and cost-free.

Publications Design GuidelinesPublications Design guidelines were preparedto assist designers to implement the style andtone developed by the Image & IdentityDepartment. It was important that a consistentlook and feel was maintained for all publications.These guidelines were used when publicationswere produced either internally or withexternal partners. All layout grids (style sheetsand libraries) were provided in QuarkXpress™.Also provided were Adobe Illustrator® .eps filesto be used for covers as well as certain innerpages. The guidelines explained in detail theprocess of using all files, with design examplesprovided in the last section. All users wereprovided with two CDs, which included all therelevant material along with the PDF documentof the guidelines. The heaviest user was theATHOC Sports Publications Department,which produced a vast amount of publicationsand managed to maintain a consistent look byusing the Publications guidelines.

Wayfinding ManualA major part of the Olympic experience for allvisitors is the many journeys that they need toundertake to fulfil their commitments at theGames. While the Host City is in Olympicmode, a temporary overlay creates newpathways and restrictions on the existingpatterns of movement. Easy and efficientmovement in and around Venues and publicareas is critical for all Games participants,namely: local and international spectators,Athletes, officials, Media, Olympic Familymembers, VIPs, Sponsors and staff.

Image Management

Usage guidelinesDetailed guidelines were developed for everysingle element of the visual identity of theAthens Games. These documents includedclear directions for the correct usage of eachelement in conjunction with all other elementsof the identity. Users were guided with visualexamples. A separate set of guidelines wasdeveloped for the special needs of Sponsors

Manuals

after close collaboration with the SponsoringDepartment. Additional information wasincluded to indicate ways to combine Sponsors'elements with the Athens visual identity.

All guidelines were produced in PDF format tomake it easier to distribute to hundreds ofdesigners and agencies that developed designapplications using these elements.


This page,from left to right:

Pythia, the first Olympicinteractive visual identitymanual.

Manuals with design guidelinesfor maps development andapplications of Culture, printmedia, Look of the City.

The aim of the wayfinding signage system is toprovide consistent and seamless informationstandards across all environments for alljourneys, which is immediately recognisable anduniversally understood by all visitors.The Olympic signage must be present andconsistent for the full Olympic experience fromarrival to the departure from the Host City.

The ATHENS 2004 Olympic GamesWayfinding Manual was developed by Image &Identity and was intended to providecomprehensive guidelines for the design andplanning of all wayfinding signs for the AthensGames. The 330-page manual comprised ofthree sections:

• Wayfinding strategy: identified all the issuesthat needed to be addressed for wayfinding.

• Signage design: contained detailed designdrawings of the signage design and graphicstandards.

• Signage application: provided guidance andinstructions for the signage plans of a range ofVenue types.

Map Design GuidelinesOne of the most challenging design projects foran Organising Committee is the maps thatneed to be developed and used in thewayfinding system of the Games. Maps aremostly used on signs and in publications. Theyneed to be informative, consistent, clear andlegible, aligned with the rest of the designelements. They contain different informationdepending on the user they target: Athletes,spectators, Olympic Family, Media, drivers ofvehicles of each constituent group. Thedevelopment of all maps required is anenormous project and very oftenunderestimated.

ATHOC's Image & Identity Departmentstarted the development of the designguidelines for the map creation as soon as

enough information was available to decidewhich elements were necessary and whatprovisions needed to be made. The guidelineswere created by an external contractor underthe direction of Image & Identity.

The manual included a comprehensive set ofguidelines describing the design and layout of allmaps as deemed necessary by ATHOC.The manual was divided into relevant sections,starting from the general rules and followed bya set of examples. The final section was theactual set of instructions in serial order,resembling the steps to be followed in thecreation of a map.

Design Ideas for BroadcastersIn an effort to provide all Rights HoldingBroadcasters (RHBs) with as much design inputas possible while addressing their special needs,Image & Identity developed some ideas thatcould work as a source of inspiration whenRHBs were developing Games-time designapplications. While they were encouraged tocreate their own visuals according to theirspecific needs, they were provided with ideasand examples for screen applications, studioand equipment branding.

Rights Holding Broadcasters were alreadysupplied with Pythia, which offered them allnecessary assistance regarding the use of thevisual identity elements. This additional manualinvited them to make an extensive use of theseelements, thus further enhancing the Look ofthe Athens Games.

Design Ideas for PressUsing a similar rationale, Image & Identitydeveloped design ideas for the Press as well.The objective was to encourage Press to useelements from the visual identity of the Gameswhen covering events. Although Press hadlimited rights when using these elements, due tothe protection of the ATHENS 2004 Symbolsand Marks, this manual provided Design Ideasfor Print Media that would allow them to be in



Athens Olympic Sports Complex(OAKA). Olympic Stadium.Gold medallists V. Campbell,A. Bailey, S. Simpson andT. Lawrence of Jamaicadisplay their medals on the podiumafter winning the women's4x100 metre relay event.© Getty Images/D. Miralle

The ATHENS 2004 OlympicGames medals.© ATHOC/Y. Prinos


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An aerial view of the podium atthe Olympic Stadium, AthensOlympic Sports Complex (OAKA).Gold medallist S. Baldini of Italy,silver medallist M. Keflezighi ofUSA (L) and bronze medallist V.Lima of Brazil celebrate during themedal ceremony of the men'smarathon.© Getty Images/S. Franklin

Olympic MedalsThe Olympic medals for the Athens Gameswere presented on 2 July 2003. Thispresentation was the final step in a long processthat involved nine Greek artists who kindlyaccepted the invitation to participate in a designtender for the creation of the Athens medals.Elena Votsi submitted the winning entry.

Since the Amsterdam Olympic Games in 1928,the medals' main side had kept more or less thesame design. ATHOC's aim was to modify thismain side in order to include Greek elementsthat would highlight the close bonds betweenGreece and the Olympic movement.Therefore, candidates were asked to includethe goddess "Nike" of Paeonios and thePanathinaiko Stadium in their design for themain side of the medal.

"Nike" of Paeonios is a statue exhibited in themuseum of Ancient Olympia and is a directreference to the Greek origin of the Games.The statue, created in 421 BC by the well-

known sculptor Paeonios, depicts the goddess"Nike" who was worshipped in ancient times asthe personification of victory, in the stadium asin the battlefield. Historical research showedthat the goddess "Nike" was always presentedas "winged", descending from the gods to singpraises and crown a winner.

The Panathinaiko Stadium, also presented onthe main side of the medal, highlights the revivalof the Olympic Games which took place in 1896in this venue.

On the reverse side, three elements aredepicted. The eternal flame that is lit in Olympiafor every Olympic Games, the opening lines ofPindar's Olympic Ode composed in 460 BC tohonour an Olympic wrestling winner, and theAthens Games emblem.

After the presentation of the Athens medals,the IOC approved their new design anddecided to adopt it for the Games to come.

The look of the Olympic medals wascompleted with the multicoloured ribbonwhich was designed bearing patterns from thePanorama graphic and the ATHENS 2004logotype.

Olympic TorchThe invitation for the design of the Olympictorch was dispatched in the beginning of 2002.Thirteen proposals by Greek sculptors andindustrial designers were submitted, aiming toprovide design and engineering answers to arather demanding brief. Much backgroundresearch was conducted and contacts withprevious Organising Committees and torchmanufacturers were made, in order to puttogether the final brief and come up with thefunctional and artistic criteria to be used for theselection of the torch design. Also, all candidateswere invited to study the torches from almostall previous Olympic Games. The selectionprocess ended on 15 January 2003 with thepresentation of the winning entry, submitted by

Major Olympic DesignApplications

the spirit without infringing upon legallyprotected rights. Design examples for brandingon title pages or sport presentation in insidepages, in black and white, using the emblem,Sport pictograms, mascots, and Panoramagraphic were offered to the Press along withbrief presentation of these elements.

Culture Design ApplicationsAnother manual developed by Image & Identitycovered the special design applications requiredfor the ATHENS 2004 Culture Programme. Thecore theme was the culture main mark with theancient nine muses and the guidelines indicatednot only the correct use of the mark, but alsooffered directions for the creation ofpublications, posters, tickets, CD cases,advertisements, banners and media backdrops.



The Torch Relay aircraft, namedZeus.© ATHOC

Illustration by A.Varotsosdepicting the inspiration forthe torch design.

Andreas Varotsos - a Greek industrial designerAn olive leaf served as the inspiration for thefirst Olympic torch that would travel to all fivecontinents; an inspiration highlighting theheritage of the Games and linking the torchdesign with the main element of the visualidentity of the Athens Games, the emblem.

The torch was designed to resemble an oliveleaf; its form is drawn from the leaf's lines andharmonious shape with the two-toned sides.Its ergonomic design, dominated by curves -yet very simple, establishes the torch as thecontinuation of the Olympic flame. It is made ofmetal and wood.

Olympic Torch Relay LookThe Torch Relay of the Athens Olympic Gameswas to be unique. The Relay would go aroundthe world and would spread the message ofOlympism to all continents. The torchbearerswould carry the flame across the world, anambassador of human ideals, peace, and theAthens vision.

This immense venture required a series ofimportant design applications that would reflectthe spirit of the Athens Relay on everyoccasion. Image & Identity developed most ofthese applications. The Department alsodeveloped a manual presenting the overall lookand separate applications, along with guidancefor the correct implementation.

The overall look was created by a combinationof distinct colours and patterns from thePanorama graphic. Seven colours from theGames colour palette were selected for theTorch Relay Look. The orange was the dominantcolour, a reflection of the Olympic flame and theTorch Relay celebration. Three blues - areference to Greece - and two warm greyscompleted the Relay colour palette. Twopatterns from the Panorama graphic werechosen for the Torch Relay design applications.The pattern with the concentric circles evokesthe sun, a dominant element in the ceremony

taking place in ancient Olympia to light theflame for every Olympic Games. The otherpattern included ancient script with the wordOlympia, creating an immediate link to thelocation from which the Relay originated.

The look was completed by the Torch Relaymain mark in any of its official forms:

• Original mark: used by ATHOC.

• Composite logo: The main mark wascombined with the logos of the two Torch RelaySponsors. ATHOC used this form, while eachSponsor had the right to create an exclusivecomposite logo including their own logo, anduse it for their applications.

One of the most important applicationsdeveloped for Torch Relay was the uniformsthat were designed for the torchbearers,support runners and staff. Since the flamewould visit cities in winter or summer differentuniforms were designed to fit both seasons.The torchbearer uniform was white accordingto Olympic tradition with elements in blue, theolive wreath being the dominant one. The mainmark was used on this uniform. The otheruniforms were more colourful, always withinthe palette limits, and bore the composite logo.

Another important application was the designof the branding on the aircraft that carried theflame around the world. It was the firstimpression for the audiences welcoming theflame in their country. The look was completedby the diplomas, stage backdrops, streetbanners, branding on the vehicles and all thepromotional material.

Other ImportantDesign Applications

Image & Identity developed more than athousand applications in order to coverATHOC's design needs. Some of them were



Casual uniforms ofGames-time workforce.© ATHOC/D. Kalopisis

The design of the ticketsfor the Opening and ClosingCeremonies© ATHOC

considered more important due to theexposure they received or their innovativeness.

TicketsFour different templates for tickets weredesigned for the Olympic Games. Twotemplates were to be used for the Opening andClosing Ceremonies' tickets. The third templatewas for the souvenir tickets (pre-booked anddispatched to spectators in advance). Finally, thefourth template was intended for the thermaltickets (sold through ticket kiosks Games-time).

Accreditation Cards andVehicle Access Parking PermitsAn assortment of Accreditation Cards andVehicle Access Parking Permits (VAPPs) wererequired to cover the different needs of variouspeople or vehicles during the Games. All ofthem were designed by Image & Identity andused elements of the Panorama graphic invarious colour combinations. The look of thevarious Accreditation Cards was enhanced bythe multicoloured lanyards especially designedfor this purpose bearing Panorama graphicpatterns and the ATHENS 2004 logo.

UniformsThe look of the casual Games staff uniformswas developed in-house based on the appareldesign provided by the Official SupporterThe emblem and the patterns of the Panoramagraphic were the dominant elements of thedesign and contributed to the joyful look of thestaff during the Games. A strategic decision forcost purposes was made early on that uniformswould be the same for both paid staff andvolunteers and that there would be no colourcoding for the different Functional Area staff.For the Functional Areas which required adistinction, elastic armbands of different colourswere designed and manufactured.

The official uniforms were designed by SophiaKokosalaki, a Greek fashion designer with aninternational career Worn by senior ATHOCstaff, they were simple and functional.

A colour variation of the two uniforms wasdeveloped for the Technical Officials.

Sport PostersImage & Identity designed 28 posters whichpresented the respective Olympic Sports.The theme of the posters was the Sportpictograms. Each poster could functionindependently. All 28 combined togetherproduced a giant cormposition. They wereprinted in two sizes: normal and mini postersize. The mini posters were presented alltogether as a collection.

Artistic PostersEver since the revival of the Games in 1896,posters were designed by painters and graphicartists to promote the Games anddemonstrate the artistic level of the hostcountry. The Organising Committee created apanel formed by personalities of the art worldand asked them to identify a list of 28 Greekartists. These artists were then invited to createa work of art especially for the Athens Games,which would be used to develop 28 posters (adirect reference to the number of the Games).

Nikos Alexiou, Michalis Arfaras, DimitrisArvanitis, Yiannis Bouteas, Christos Caras,Pantelis Chandris, Alekos Fasianos, VassoKyriaki, Antonis Kyriakoulis, Yannis Moralis,Kyriakos Mortarakos, Dimitris Mytaras, NikosNavridis, Angelos Papadimitriou, MariaPapadimitriou, Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki,Pavlos, Jannis Psychopedis, AlexandrosPsychoulis, Sotiris Sorogas, Marios Spiliopoulos,Panagiotis Tetsis, Theodoros, Costas Tsoclis, EleniVernadaki, Zafos Xagoraris, Constantin Xenakisand Manolis Zacharioudakis were the 28 artistswho participated in the project. Their works ofart illustrated 28 posters which were printed intwo sizes: normal and mini poster size. The miniposters were presented all together as acollection.

Medal Ceremonies PodiumsThe development of the medal ceremonies



D. Tampakos performs on theparallel bars at the OlympicIndoor Hall during the men'sgymnastics artistic qualification.© AFP PHOTO/O. Andersen

Britain's K. Sotherton andSweden's C. Kluft compete in heatone of the women's heptathlon100m hurdles at the OlympicStadium in Athens.© AFP PHOTO/J. Haynes

D. Tampakos of Greece competesin the men's artistic gymnasticsring finals at the Olympic IndoorHall in Athens.© Getty Images/C. McGrath

podiurns turned out to be an interesting designproject with both functional and graphic designchallenges. The need for a light and flexiblepodium led to the design of the light modularsystem, which was easily transported andextended to cover the needs of Sports with alarge number of Athletes receiving a medal.The four sides of each modular part werecovered by Panorama graphic and also bore theATHENS 2004 logotype or the Olympic rings.No matter how these parts were combined,the end result always guaranteed the Olympicbranding for the television and photo coverage.The podium system was designed by anexternal industrial designer under the directionof the Image & Identity Department.

Equestrian Show JumpsThe show jumps designed for Equestriantraditionally reflect the history, the landscapeand the culture of the Host City. The challengewas to come up with designs that respected theSport tradition and at the same time wereintegrated with the overall Look of the Games.

An external designer was invited to work onthe project under the direction of the Image &Identity Department. Inspiration was providedby various sources: the contribution of theGreek spirit in the arts and sciences, such as thePythagorean Theorem, the Archimedes atom,the fragments of ancient vases depicting horses,the amphitheatre, the horses on the Parthenonfriezes; Greek landscape and architecture, suchas the doors of the house all over Greece, theCycladic houses, the wooden boats; the Greekhistory and mythology with references to theMinoan maze and the symbols of the ancientGames; the Games visual identity elementswere also used - the Sport pictogram, theemblem, the Olympic rings.

The collaboration and input of many specialistswas required to achieve the end result that waspresented during the Games - a result that didjustice to the Sport and the desired Olympicimage for the Sport.

Web DesignFor the first time, the official website wasdesigned taking into consideration the overalllook and feel of the Games. Technical issueswere overcome and the elements of the visualidentity were successfully integrated into thewebsite design, making each web page anintegral part of the Athens Olympic image.

• Ensure elements are strategically positionedin such a way that the Olympic rings and theATHENS 2004 visual identity are reinforcedand viewed by Athletes, spectators, televisionviewers, Media, Olympic Family members.In terms of design, the Panorama graphic, theemblem, the ATHENS 2004 logotype and theSport pictograms were the protagonists of theLook of the Games. The mascots were alsoused on one decorative element and in thescoreboards animation.

Kit of PartsThe Kit of Parts (KOP) included a standard setof graphic applications that would be used in allVenues. These applications were all developedusing the elements of the visual identity.Different patterns from the Panorama graphicserved as the background for all applicationsand made the Athens Look of the Games sovibrant and joyful. The applications included inthe KOP were the banners, the fascias, thecorrals, the barricades, the fence fabric, the tableskirts, the media backdrops, the computercover and commentary position treatments, thepaper posters and the paper stands.

Venue DesignsAfter the completion of the KOR the Image &Identity team proceeded with the design of theelements to be placed in Olympic Venues.In addition to the use of the KOP elements,custom-made items were designed toaccommodate the special needs in each Venue.Based on the Operational Design Drawing ofeach Venue, which was produced during theVenue Operational Planning cycles, afternumerous visits to the construction site formeasurements, and in collaboration with therest of the Venue Team, it was possible todevelop the first Image & Identity Venuedesigns. For each Venue, the location of eachelement was indicated by a special symbol andcode on the technical drawing and itsillustration was presented separately,accompanied by the unique code which linkedit back to the technical drawing of the specificVenue. The Field of Play and the SportEquipment were the first priorities, since inorder to be finalised the approvals of theCompetition Manager, the InternationalFederation, the IOC and the AOB wererequired. It took 10 revisions before the Image &Identity Venue designs were finalised and minormodifications took place even during the Games.

Measuring and QuantifyingThe next big step was to review the wholeproject and make sure that a balance wasmaintained between standard and custommade elements. The result should be neitherboring due to repetition nor expensive due tovast variety. Once this balance was achievedand agreed, each and every element depictedon the technical drawings was entered in aspecially designed Look database. The entryprovided the code that allowed counter-referencing of each element with the drawingsand contained information regarding the type,dimensions, Venue location, material, requiredfinishing, cost, etc. Through the database it waspossible to quantify the Look needs and, hence,move to the next level: prepare the tenders forthe procurement of all these elements, in linewith Greek and European legislation.

The Look of the Games

The most challenging project for the Image &Identity team was the planning andimplementation of the Look of the Gamessub-programme. The challenge lay in thecomplexity, the size and the tight timeframe ofthe whole project. Namely, it was required to:

• Develop a Kit of Parts (KOP) comprising of astandard set of graphic decorative applications.

• Apply, produce, install, maintain anddecommission decorative KOP or custom madeelements across all Olympic Venues to ensure thata consistent and integrated image is achieved.



Chinese archer X. Haifengcompetes beside opponentD. Hrachov of Ukraine duringthe elimination round of themen's archery individual eventin Panathinaiko Stadium.© AFP PHOTO/R. Gacad

R. Kunkel of USA competesin the women's diving 3 metrespringboard semifinal eventat the Olympic Aquatic Centre.© Getty Images for FINA/D. Berehulak

K. Babington of Ireland ridesCarling King over a jump duringthe individual show jumping eventat the Markopoulo OlympicEquestrian Centre.© Getty Images/J. Squire


Aerial view of the Olympic BeachVolleyball Centre.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)/P. Saitas

Athletes compete in heat oneof the women's heptathlon 100mhurdles at the Olympic Stadiumin Athens.© AFP PHOTO/DDP/J. Eisele


Artworks

Fence fabric

Barricade covers

Banners

Paper banners

Corrals

Media backdrops

Paper stands

Small decals

Table skirts

Fascias

Vomitories

Ground graphics

Custom elements

2.000 pieces

60.000 metres

7.000 pieces

6.700 pieces

16.000 pieces

1.700 pieces

50 pieces

500 pieces

18.000 pieces

1.000 pieces

15.000 square metres

1.200 square metres

130 pieces

More than 1.200 locations

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Athens Olympic Sports Complex(OAKA). Olympic Tennis Centre.© ATHOC/C. Vergas

The Image & Identity team carried out atechnical study, so that correct and adequatetechnical information could be included in thetender documents to enable potential suppliersto bid for the production and/or installation ofthe Look elements. This exercise wasparticularly important for the custom madeelements to be installed in the Venues. The factthat most Venues were not completed whenthis process was carried out added to thedifficulty and complexity of the process.

The tender process lasted more than a yearand led to the appointment of nine majorcontractors who contributed significantly tothe success of the Look project.

Project DeliveryThe Image & Identity team included 51 staff whomade sure that all Olympic Venues weredressed for the Games. They were assisted bythe contractors' staff, approximately 350people, in delivering the Look of the Games:

Look of the CityThe Image & Identity Department worked veryclosely with the City Operations Departmentfor the development of a KOP that wouldaddress the City's special needs. The KOP and

There are certain groups who contributedgreatly to the success of the Image & Identityprogramme.

SponsorsIn their effort to capitalise on and promotetheir sponsorship, Sponsors develop numerousdesign applications using elements of the visualidentity of the Games. They have the power toenhance the Games communication throughtheir promotions and products. Therefore, itwas deemed critical that they understand theATHENS 2004 visual identity and be able toembrace it. Meetings with the Sponsors andtheir ad agencies, concrete design guidelinesand an Image & Identity team member always athand to offer solutions and consultation made itpossible for most Sponsors to develop anOlympic Games identity for their brands,promoting their uniqueness whilst alsointegrated with the overall Look of the Games.

LicenseesThe licensing products were the first "vehicles"communicating the intended image of theAthens Games. The importance of a licensingprogramme integrated with the Athens visualidentity was identified early on, and the closecollaboration with the Licensing Departmentled to the development of four Style Guidesthat guaranteed the design consistency and theinclusion of Image & Identity in the approvalsloop. A close relationship with the licenseeswas another key to success: meetings with theirdesigners, design solutions, guidelines for the

Critical Interactions

the guidelines for the correct application wereput together in a manual, which was thenhanded to City Operations to be used for thedelivery of their programme. The manualincluded designs of street banners, localcouncils' banners, fence fabric, bridgetreatments, decorative ribbons, and cityentrances treatments.


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Helliniko Olympic Complex.Olympic Baseball Centre.© ATHOC/A. Panayiotou

packaging design, consultation and a dedicatedImage & Identity team member.

Athens Olympic BroadcastingThe Host Broadcaster, Athens OlympicBroadcasting (AOB), was a major partner in theendeavour for a unique and successful Athens

Look of the Games. They were always ready tooffer consultation on the performance of theproposed designs on television and to testcolours and materials on camera. Theyeducated and assisted the Image & Identityteam by indicating branding opportunities inthe Field of Play and on Sport Equipment.


Left page:

A. Bessonova from Ukraineperforms with a ribbon at theGalatsi Olympic Hall.© AFP PHOTO/K. Nogi


USA's Venus Williams serves atthe Olympic Tennis Centre.© AFP PHOTO/J. Demarthon

Puerto Rico's P. Papaleo dives fora return in his men's preliminarybeach volleyball match at theOlympic Beach Volleyball Centre.© AFP PHOTO/P. Desmazes


Press and Media


Filming during theproduction of an Olympic relatedTV programme featuringfootballer C. Karembeu.© ATHOC/Y. Prinos

The studio set of an Olympicinformational TV programme.© ATHOC/C. Cunliffe

Teleconference with ATHOCPresident Gianna Angelopoulosat Salt Lake City during anOlympic informational broadcast.© ATHOC/Action Images

Besides Press Operations, that aimed toprovide services to facilitate the work ofAccredited members of the Press during theGames, it was a priority for ATHOC tocommunicate with the domestic andinternational press and to inform public opinionat home and abroad on all topics surroundingOlympic preparations and the Gamesthemselves. This responsibility fell to a specialPress and Media Office, under the competencyof the Information and Press OperationsDivision.

The Press and Media Office was responsible fora wide range of services, including thespecialised actions of producing informationalmaterials, both print and electronic, organisinginterviews and supervising publications. At thesame time, the Press Office was responsible forimmediately advancing the positions andinitiatives taken by ATHOC to the centres thatformed public opinion, which was accomplishedby keeping open lines of communication withGreek and foreign journalists.

However, besides being a transmitter, the PressOffice also simultaneously operated as areceiver, absorbing developments and trendsthat could affect Olympic preparations or therunning of the Games. Keeping abreast ofdomestic and international news, became a toolthat permitted ATHOC Senior Management toweigh the impact various factors might have onthe Games. As a corollary, data analysis and theformulation of possible scenarios that wouldrequire special handling became part of thedaily operation of the Press Office.

supervision of the ATHOC President. Thisdecision clearly indicates the importance placedby the Organising Committee on the role ofthe Press and on handling issues relating topublicity surrounding the Games.

The Division was formed to include thefollowing Departments:

• Greek Media Department

• International Media Department

• Publications Department

• Olympic Information Cycles andOrganisational Support Department

• Audiovisual Material and Archive Department

At full growth, the Office operated with a paidstaff of 115, with a wide range of expertise, whileduring the Olympic Games, was also assisted by25 volunteers (6 for the Paralyrmpic Games).The effectiveness of the services provided andwork produced were a function of the qualityof the people employed, and overall the finalresult was considered to be accomplished andeffective.

Besides the human resources, the smooth andefficient operation of the Press Office wasbased, as expected, on the use of currenttechnology and the advantages this provided.The specialised technological requirements ofthe office were satisfied with the use ofpublishing software and software for datacapture from the international press agenciesand the media. Infrastructure was also in placeto monitor domestic and internationaltelevision channels. Another system utilised wasthe sending of mass SMS text messages togroups of journalists. However, the use of

Organisation

Administratively the Information and PressOperations Division came under the direct


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Venue tour for internationalmedia at the Athens OlympicSports Complex (OAKA), inNovember 2001, more than two-and-a-half years before theCalatrava roof slid into place overthe Stadium.© ATHOC/Action Images

cutting edge technologies, with innovationsintroduced for the first time in Greece, wasaccomplished in the sectors of television andaudiovisual production and the archive: theseutilised ultra-modern digital media to produceand archive materials, which were combinedwith specialised software applications. It wasthus possible to support the journalists,television stations and ATHOCs partners,offering full and competent coverage relatedto the Games.

The Press Office infrastructure supportedseveral activities, most noteworthy being:producing and editing films for OrganisingCommittee presentations and about theprogress of the Olympic preparations fordistribution to television stations; reproducingvideotapes for distribution to television stationsin Greece and abroad, and to internationalnews agencies; dispatching material to televisionstations broadcasting nationally, utilising OTE(Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation)optical fibre networks; and converting andencoding television material for use inmultimedia applications and the Internet.

The infrastructure also included a multi-functional hall at ATHOC Headquarters.This was a conference hall capable of beingcompletely rearranged to support projectionfacilities, simultaneous translation, multimediaapplication use, etc.

At the same time, specialised communicationscommenced with the media, as did thepreparation of the materials to feed reportingand extensive coverage of the plans presentedby Athens.

Three years before the Games, strategy on thefinal structure of the Press Office wasformulated, and a substantial framework ofguidelines had been drawn up for its Games-time operations. During this period, theoperation of the individual departments andsectors acquired momentum. Particularimportance was placed in informing Greekpublic opinion and international press regardingthe plans for Athens and the status of itspreparation. Obviously, all initiatives and effortsbecame increasingly intense and wide-rangingas preparations progressed. Certain initiativesundertaken included: producing print, electronicand television information material, invitationsto international press representatives,promoting the positive effects that the Gameswould have on the Greek domesticinfrastructure, organising interviews with seniorATHOC staff, etc.

Strategy

Pre-GamesThe general strategy of the Press office wasdrawn up four years before the Games, in 2000,setting out the general guidelines, incorporatingnew staff and developing methods for regularcollaboration with the IOC and all the agenciesinvolved. It was a point in time when mediainterest, in Greece and abroad, was limited.However, the completion of the Sydney Gamesmeant that all eyes focused on Athens.

Communication withInternational Media

The operational goal of the International MediaDepartment was to promote Olympicpreparation as well as the maincommunications message of ATHENS 2004.In order to achieve this goal, a strategy wasdesigned for handling requests fromrepresentatives of international Media; anextensive list was created for recipients ofinformative material (over 7.000 entries), toinstitute a more effective and direct means ofcommunication with the representatives of theMedia; while the "News Room" section of theofficial ATHENS 2004 website was redesignedto form a more user-friendly interface withrepresentatives of the Media.


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Venue tour for internationalmedia at the Main Press Centre(MPC).© ATHOC/Action Images

In order to attract the interest of theInternational Media, a series of feature storieswas developed, providing in-depth coverage ofthe Olympic preparations, while Press Officerepresentatives participated in majorinternational events in order to provideinformation to representatives of theInternational Media in attendance.

The methods utilised included the consistentuse of central messages and themes in eachcontact with Media representatives, as well asresponding directly to all journalist requests inless than 24 hours. Language-specific deskswere set up in order to deal efficiently with allInternational Media requests (English, French,German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese), and all thePress Releases (over 3.000) and otherinformation materials sent to the mailing list ofthe International Media Department werepublished in English and French, as well as beingplaced on the official ATHENS 2004 website.

In order to keep the Organising Committee up-to-date, issues that could impinge on the imageand the success of the Games were researchedand monitored, and were processed incooperation with liaisons that the Press Officeset up with all ATHOC Departments. AnInternational Media Review Team was set up,which prepared a daily media analysis (covering,on a daily basis, over 200 Media sources fromaround the world in nine languages - English,French, German, Danish, Spanish, Italian,Norwegian, Portuguese and Russian).

The daily International Media Review wasorganised into three segments:

1. Publications and reports regarding the 2004Games: this included articles relating to theOlympic preparation, the changing image ofAthens in view of the Games, and topics whichwere directly linked to the Games (e.g. theCultural Olympiad, the Olympic Truce), as wellas topics which, though unrelated to thepreparation for the Olympic Games, at times

The main objective of the Greek MediaDepartment was to provide a flow ofinformation to the Greek news media andcommunication with its representatives. It wasthe recipient of requests from journalists of theGreek News Media and cooperated with themthroughout the Olympic preparation and atGames-time. The Department created apermanent flow of communication to thedomestic national and regional media.Department staff also handled journalists'requests. For this reason they were required tomaintain a two-way flow of information witheach Department and Functional Area of theOrganising Committee, and during the Games,via the Communications Centre, with theCentral Teams and the Venue Teams, in order toprocess topics to be promoted to the Press orto seek answers to questions by journalists.

The activities concerning the Greek Mediaconcentrated on the following:

Monitoring the Mediaand Corporate BriefingThe Greek news media (print and electronic)were monitored, in order to record data andnote topics concerning Olympic preparationand to channel these to the competentATHOC Departments. Simultaneously, these

Communicationwith Greek Media

affected the attitude of the International Mediavis-a-vis the Games.

2. Publications and reports regarding theOlympic Movement this contained articlesconcerning the IOC and the InternationalFederations, as well as Doping issues.Coverage of sporting events was limited.

3. Sports news: articles concerning NOCs' andFederations' sports policies in view of the 2004Games.


Left and top:

Issues of ATHOC's Officialmagazine ATHENS. 04


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Cameraman and photographerfrom the Press and Media Officefollow the Torch Relay over theRio-Antirio bridge.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

responsibilities grew to include the dispatch ofelectronic information publications to thejournalists covering ATHENS 2004.

The Greek Press "industry" is notable for itsdisproportionately large number ofpublications per capita. Consequently, theOrganising Committee had to retain adedicated team to scan the print and periodicalPress for articles. The newspapers in questionwere 32 and there were an almost equalnumber of magazines. Topics of interest werepublications regarding ATHENS 2004, Olympicpreparations and infrastructure, and potentialconsequences that political developmentsmight have on the Committee's work.

Every day a staff of 12 gathered the news fromall publications and drew up reports, providing aPress overview. At the same time, the teamkept ATHOC staff and Departments informedregarding publications that concerned theirarea of interest, or which needed a response.On a daily basis, ATHOC Senior Managementreceived a volume with the press clippings and aqualitative analysis thereof. Furthermore, theDepartment also monitored two public and sixprivate television channels. Necessaryrecordings took place in collaboration withcompanies providing such services.

The "press e-mail" was a publication sentelectronically on a daily basis. The bulletincontained a general overview of the Greek andthe International Press, updating the materialthe Organising Committee had available for thePress and providing concise news that couldform the seed for a story. Additionally, a systemwas adopted of sending SMS text messages toinform journalists covering ATHOC. During theGames, the "press e-mail" was renamed "GamesTime" and provided information regarding thedaily competition schedule, tickets, culturalevents, the weather, etc.

Local MediaBesides the Media with nationwide distribution,

the Press Office placed particular importanceon the local Media of the four Olympic Citiesand the remaining provinces of Greece. ThePress Office distributed weekly (on average)text and photographic material concerning thepreparations for the Olympic Games, theevents, the works, volunteering, as well as onissues which at times were requested by thelocal media and interested their local public.At the same time, there were telephonecommunications and regular meetings withjournalists' unions, the editors of local Mediaand the journalists on local newspapers andbroadcast stations. Furthermore, the Office alsotook part in every event organised regionally byother ATHOC Departments (Cooperationwith Local Authorities, Volunteers, etc), in orderto help promote these.

Informational ProgrammingThe Information and Press Operations Divisionalso produced and organised broadcasting ofhour-long weekly informational televisionprogrammes that promoted specific facets ofthe Olympic preparation, the benefits of hostingthe Games to the country, as well as interviews,reports, news items that occurred throughoutthe gradual completion of Olympicpreparation. This quality production wasprepared through collaboration with theMinistry of Culture and became an importantmeans of promotion and communication,shaping Greek public opinion, placing emphasison the regions that were directly involved.

Covering the Internationaland Greek Torch RelayBefore and during the Torch Relay, the PressOffice kept the Media informed about itsprogress, with up to two media advisories a day,which included the route, the history of theregion, the events planned by the localauthorities and short interviews withTorchbearers. At the same time, it kept the localMedia informed with maps about the day'sitinerary and was available to provide updatesto journalists by phone.


Responded to 10.400 requests from 7.618representatives of the Media

Communicated with 100 senior writers of theinternational Media on a daily basis

Coordinated over 1.500 interviews with theOrganising Committee's Senior Managementand staff

Organised 730 background briefings at ATHOCHeadquarters

Organised 254 tours to all the Olympic Venues

Organised 28 mass tours of the Olympic Venuesthat attracted over 1.180 representatives ofinternational Media

Dispatched 1.100 publications of electronic andprint information material and 800 cassettes withpre-edited materials regarding the preparationsfor the Games (B-rolls)

The One Year to Go Info Pack was alsodispatched to 2.000 international organisations

All the publications issued by the Press Office,to promote the Olympic Movement, thehistory of the Olympic Games, Olympicpreparation in general, etc, were aimedprimarily to the journalistic world, to opinionmakers, and by extension to inform the generalpublic. These publications included:• The Organising Committee's official magazine"Athens. 04"• The official magazine of the Paralympic Games• An album celebrating 40 years of theInternational Olympic Academy• A collection of 11 short stories inspired by theOlympic Games• A Collector's Edition dedicated to Olympicvictors• A publication regarding the Olympic eventsand great Olympians• A historical publication, The Olympia• A historical publication, Olympic Games,Grand Celebration

A sector that contributed substantially to theoverall work of the Press Office was theOrganisational Support Department, whosemain goal was the preparation and organisationof events concerning the Press. In the first phaseof preparation, these were limited, but along theway, it acquired particular importance, as itsduties were manifold and daily. Its contributionwas also important during the actual Olympicand Paralympic Games.

A dedicated Organisational Support team wasresponsible for organising all the details of PressConferences by the ATHOC President,Executive Directors and General Managers atthe Conference Centre or other locationsoutside ATHOC Headquarters. The spectrumof its duties also extended to various citiesother than Athens, and in some instances evenabroad. The team contributed to the assistanceoffered to the Media during the proceedings ofthe Coordination Commission, in collaborationwith the IOC Press and Media Office.

During the preparatory period, "OlympicInformation Cycles" were also organised forrepresentatives of the Press, for the first timeand with exceptional success. Their focus wasto present the events of the CompetitionSchedule and particularly those that were lesswell known in Greece. There were a total of 16such educational events in Athens and in the

Photo Productions and ArchiveATHOC's photographic archive was mainlycomprised of original material produced fromthe time of the Bid up to and including theGames. The archive numbered approximately750.000 photographs, divided into 5.343themed categories. A select portion of theaforementioned photographs (approximately9.500) was filed electronically, in high resolution,in a Data Base. These filed photographs weresearchable by many criteria, including date,photographer, location, topic, people, title,category, etc. The analogue materials (film,photographs) were stored in archives, while thedigital material on hard drives and optical media(CDs and DVDs), with a total capacity of 2.400GB.A select portion of the analogue materialswas scanned and also stored digitally.

The staff of the Audiovisual Material andArchive Department recorded the history ofpreparations for television, following all theevents and the stages of Olympic preparation.Simultaneously, they offered full support to thedomestic and international networks, feedingthem audiovisual material. The televisionmaterial was filed electronically in a Data Base.The filed recordings of television material werealso searchable by multiple criteria, includingdate, title, location, subject, people, description(key words), theme category, etc.

In line with promoting the idea of Volunteering,and also to educate the public about less well-known sports, the Press Office contributed tothe production of a series of shortdocumentaries, which were shown throughoutGreece on the major television stations.

During the preparation for the Games, thePress Office:

Publications

School MediaThe Press Office, in cooperation with a majorGreek newspaper, organised a national schoolcompetition to find the best school newspaper;the best report on the Olympic Games, and thebest drawing inspired by the Olympic Games.Winners (on an individual and a school level)received prizes, including the opportunity tovisit the Main Press Centre (MPC) and theInternational Broadcasting Centre (IBC) asguests during the Games. Five of the prize-winning drawings became commemorativepins.

Audiovisual Material

other four Olympic cities, as well as in Cyprus,and they were attended by hundreds ofjournalists - mostly from the Sports Press -from all over Greece. Within the sameframework, Olympic Information symposiumswere organised, with distinguished speakers andATHENS 2004 staff, as was an annualjournalists' convention, and presentations of theOlympic publications by authors and journalists.

Olympic Information Cyclesand Organisational Support


Greeks Abroad


Images from GreeksAbroad events.© ATHOC

The Greek Community abroad is aninternational community with a worldwidenetwork of more than 3.500 organisations;throughout its 130-year history it hasmaintained close and unbreakable bonds withGreece, promoting the Greek language andculture abroad and continuing to play asignificant part today in many Greek-relatedmatters.

The homecoming of the Olympic Games totheir birthplace was a matter of nationalimportance, one with which the GreekCommunity had already been involved duringthe first bid effort. The successful outcome ofthe second bid generated the anticipatedenthusiasm but also enormous expectationswithin Diaspora circles. For Greeks Abroad,hosting the Games meant that their children,second-, third-, or even fourth-generationGreeks born in foreign countries, would havethe opportunity to live the history of theirorigins through the Olympic Games.

Not only did the fact that Athens would be theHost City for the 2004 Games create a feelingof euphoria for all Greeks Abroad, it also gavebirth to the desire for more direct involvementin this in this great issue of national importance.This desire to participate took on an aspect ofnational duty by the Greeks of the Diasporatowards the homeland. For the communities ofseven million Greeks and Cypriots abroad,scattered in 144 countries, where they live andexcel, a new period in their own relationship totheir country of origin had begun. Theworldwide Greek community expressed animmediate interest in hands-on participationand contribution to the Athens Games.

OrganisationThe Organising Committee created a specialadministrative structure (Greeks Abroad

Department, with in the International RelationsDivision) in order to inform and mobiliseGreeks abroad with the aim of boosting itsefforts to organise unique Olympic Games inAthens.

Partnerships were set up with existinginstitutions supporting the Greek Communityabroad. A Memorandum of Understandingsigned between the Organising Committee andthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs (GeneralSecretariat for Greeks Abroad), initiating theinstitutional and practical support of theorganisational efforts, defining the manner ofcooperation in two basic sectors: informing andmobilising the Greek Community abroad anddrawing volunteers from the Community.This collaborative effort with the Ministry ofForeign Affairs laid the foundations forimproved cooperation between the OrganisingCommittee and Greek diplomatic authoritiesabroad, a relationship which was to proveparticularly constructive and often instrumentalin providing solutions for handling specialmatters vis-a-vis the Greek Community abroadand its involvement in the hosting of theGames.

A special partnership was developed withrepresentative institutions of the Diaspora, suchas the World Council of Hellenes Abroad, theWorld Hellenic Inter-parliamentary Union, andthe Hellenic Parliament Permanent Inter-partyCommittee for Greeks Abroad. A specialmemorandum of cooperation was entered intowith the Presidential Delegate of Cyprus forCypriots Abroad in order to ensure directcontact with worldwide Cypriot organisations.Finally, direct and regular cooperation wasdeveloped with the Diaspora organisations aswell as with individuals in every country whereGreeks reside abroad.


The strategy for approaching the Greeks of theDiaspora aimed to establish ongoing andregular bilateral communication, in order todevelop initiatives and activities from inside theGreek Community abroad, within specifiedframeworks. This project was complex, giventhe variety of communication conditions withthe diverse Greek communities and due to thegeographical scattering of the Diaspora.

A worldwide communication network was setup, supported by a corresponding databasewith contact data pertaining to the GreekCommunity abroad (structured organisations,representative agencies, communicationsnetworks and individuals); to organisationsserving repatriated Greeks and national/localorganisations that operate from Greece incooperation with the correspondingorganisations abroad. The OrganisingCommittee also set up a dedicated emailaddress and a special volunteer hotline forcommunicating with Greeks Abroad.

Long-distance communication took place alsoby means of regular mailings of ATHOC pressreleases, providing informational andpromotional material to Greek communitiesabroad, as well as by means of interviews andpress conferences with Greek media abroad.

The collaborative effort was further supportedby the presence of Organising Committeerepresentatives in Greek communities abroad.The immediacy of this contact was a basicfactor in the close and continuous supportthese communities provided to the Games.These informational campaigns brought to life,in a concrete manner, the vision of Games on aHuman Scale, not only for large concentrationsof Greeks abroad, but also for small buthistorically important cradles of Hellenism, suchas Istanbul and Alexandria.

From 2001 through 2003 campaigns werecarried out on all five continents, aiming towardthe widest possible diffusion of informationconcerning the message of the Athens Games.Within the framework of these campaigns, themembers of the Diaspora organised events ontheir own initiative, by educational institutionsand Greek schools abroad, and even bybusiness associations. These events wereconstantly supported and assisted by GreekConsular Authorities and often involved theparticipation of a broaden non-Greek public.The visits that took place included Australia(Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra); Egypt(Alexandria, Cairo); South Africa(Johannesburg, CapeTown, Durban); the UnitedStates of America (New York, Boston, LosAngeles, San Jose, Atlanta, Chicago, Saint Louis,Puerto Rico, Florida); Canada (Montreal,Toronto, Ottawa); and Europe (Southern Italy,London, Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Munich,Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Istanbul).

The direct briefing of the worldwide Greekcommunity continued in Athens, in the courseof local visits during the preparation period,especially in the summer months. These visits

Given the distance factor, the GreekCommunity abroad was in a position tofunction in a supportive manner towardscentral Organising Committee programmes,and participated and contributed most activelyin Communications, the Volunteer Movement,Olympic Education and the internationalsegment of the Olympic Torch Relay.

CommunicationsThe worldwide Greek Community Mediahistorically have played a significant role not onlyin preserving the Greek language and cultureabroad, but also in preserving close ties withinthe Community. This role came to be amplifiedby the return of the Olympic Games to Greece,a matter of great national importance, whichthe Greek media abroad undertook on theirown initiative to showcase and promote.The Greek Community media were a lively andconstant bridge of communication regardingthe hosting of the Games, a role facilitated bythe Organising Committee and supported byGreek Press representatives abroad. TheDiaspora media were a channel that diffusedinformation towards international media,significantly contributing toward the shaping ofan accurate picture of the progress of the HostCity and of Greece.

VolunteersThe ATHENS 2004 Volunteer Programmetook on a very special aspect when its messagewas received by the worldwide GreekCommunity, which responded early onassiduously and enthusiastically to the call foraction. From an organisational perspective, theparticipation of Greeks Abroad meant thatvaluable human resources, skilled in foreignlanguages, in the organisation of sporting andother large scale events, and other expertise,would be able to cover specific needs of theeffort to host the Games.

The response of Greeks Abroad was unstinting,and this was made absolutely clear in theirdetermination to overcome the particulardifficulties of their participation due to thedistance factor. One of the biggest challengeswas combining the Volunteer Programmephases as implemented at Athens (selectionand mainly training of volunteers) with thespecific obstacles caused by distance. Anotherfactor that could have limited the participationof Greeks residing abroad was the extendedduration of the Volunteer Programme, whichlasted approximately two-and-a-half years.Both factors were dealt with successfully bymeans of special planning. Thanks to thecontinuous and unremitting contact betweenATHOC and the Greek Community abroad,volunteer enthusiasm for the event wasmaintained at high levels up to their arrival inAthens and the other Olympic Cities.

Communicationwith Greeks Abroad

The Contributionof Greeks Abroad

included ATHOC Headquarters, for briefingand distribution of promotional materials.The visits received great public attention andresponse from the local Greek communitiesupon these representatives' return to theirvarious countries of residence.


Applications for participation in the VolunteerProgramme from Greeks abroad were amongthe first received. The final participation figureamounted to 9,5% of the total number ofapplications, which exceeded 160.000 in total.As is true for the entire Volunteer corps ingeneral, volunteers from the Greek Communityabroad were for the most part young, fluent inmore than one language and well educated.

Olympic EducationOutstanding results were obtained by thepromotion of the Olympic Educationprogramme to Greek schools abroad.The idea of Olympism, indissolubly tied toGreek hi story, travel led around the worldthrough the Olympic Education programme,and was promoted to 80.000 students of Greekorigin at 1.900 separate Greek Communityschools abroad.

In addition to a student website, the OlympicEducation Programme was supported by aselect series of publications (books andvideocassettes) issued by the ATHOCEducation & Training Department incooperation with the Ministry of Education.This publication programme, which waswelcomed with enthusiasm by Greeks abroadand in many cases was incorporated into theteaching material, was promoted also incooperation with Educational Counsellorsabroad, and brought the Olympic Games closerto the Greek children of the Diaspora.The Olympic Education programmecontributed to increased awareness of studentsand was especially effective in achieving massparticipation in Torch Relay events thatfollowed in their cities later on.

Olympic Torch RelayThis undertaking, unique in the history of theOlympic Games, brought the GreekCommunity abroad to the forefront in adecisive and definitive manner, as it was calledupon to play a key part in this unprecedentedevent. The Community responded withspontaneous and untiring enthusiasm to therequirements of the event and generouslyprovided anything that was asked. The highlycomplex and many-faceted task of theinternational Torch Relay required, from theorganisational viewpoint, the coordination andefforts of numerous factors. The GreekCommunity abroad fully enlisted its services tothe specific requirements of the mission; itscontribution was critical, achieving strong Greekpresence at each local venue. The already active,full network of contacts and the priorcollaboration with the Greek Communityabroad proved an exceptional base, fertile soilfor the strategic implementation of anorganised and dynamic participation ofHellenism, moreover one that had to be carriedout within a strict framework of specifications,regulations, contractual obligations andOlympic Protocol, all of which were observedto the letter.

This Hellenic contribution created a particularlyfestive atmosphere with strong Greek coloursin local communities. Greeks abroad celebratedthis unique event with particular brilliance and

The Greeks Abroad programme wasimplemented successfully, reaching andmobilising the Greek Community abroad, butits consequences are even greater. The legacybequeathed by the Olympic Games to theGreek Community abroad is deeper andcannot be measured simply in numbers ofparticipating Greeks from abroad, whetheras volunteers or as spectators.

For the first time in the Olympic Games, aspecial programme was created for GreeksAbroad and an official structure within theOrganising Committee was constituted, as aclear recognition of the Greek Communityabroad. Hence, the role it was asked to play inview of the homecoming of the Games wasequally significant. Greeks abroad participatedin the hosting with a feeling of responsibility andpatriotism, realising that a decades-old visionwas about to become reality.

The Greeks Abroad programme managed tobring Greeks living abroad even closer to theircountry of origin, and brought the Communitytogether for the hosting of the Games. Thesuccess of the various programmes and theultimate success of the Olympic Games willforever be an inexhaustible source of pridefor Greeks Abroad, with the globalacknowledgement of their country of origin.Finally, the reassessment of Greece in the eyesof the world thanks to the successful hosting ofthe Olympic Games certainly resounds greatlyand positively in the societies abroad whereGreeks reside.

Assessment

with many side events held on the occasion ofthe visit of the Olympic Flame to their Cities,promoting simultaneously the Olympic Gamesand Greek culture.

The initial preparation of the GreekCommunity abroad took place by means offrequent communications and subsequentlywith local visits by ATHOC representatives asof April 2004. Preparation focused on citieslocated along the route of the Flame with largeror lesser Greek presence; coordinating on-siteactivities and simultaneously publicising theevent in order to mobilise neighbouring Greekcommunities, aiming to maximise the presenceof the Greek element. Naturally, the strongestpresence was to be found at largeconcentrations of populations of Greek origin,yet it was particularly moving to see the Greekflag flying over events at Tokyo, New Delhi,Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, and to witness theexpressions of friendship of these peopletoward Greece and Greeks.

Torch Relay activities, from preparation toimplementation, brought Greeks living abroadcloser to their local societies, with beneficialresults. The Community's active involvement inyet another programme managed to maintainhigh levels of enthusiasm for the OlympicGames until their actual hosting. The resultgenerated strong feelings of anticipation for theGames and eventually higher attendance andparticipation as spectators in the Games.


Licensing


Official opening of the OlympicStore at Plaka, in the historicalcentre of Athens.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)

Images from the Olympic Storeat Plaka.© ATHOC/G. Prinos

The ATHENS 2004 Licensing programme wasa source of revenue for the OrganisingCommittee, but also a way to promote theGames throughout the world. The ATHENS2004 Official Licensed Products promoted thehomecoming of the Games and conveyed thetimeless values of the Games: Friendship, Ethos,Competition, Participation, became aphilosophy and an expression of life before,during and after the Games.

The Organising Committee, through itsLicensing programme, ceded the right to usethe logos and marks of ATHENS 2004 for themanufacture and distribution of products,receiving a specific percentage of the sales.The revenue received supported the OlympicGames and the Greek Olympic Team. Thepurpose of the Licensing programme was tomaximise sales of official products bearing theOlympic marks and the mascots, in Greece andinternationally.

The ATHENS 2004 Product LicensingProgramme implemented:

• A brand-driven licensing programme thatpromoted the symbols of the Games, withquality licensees, seeking high quality productsand controlled commercial growth.

• A retail sales policy that included the "OlympicStores" and the Olympic Venue Concessions.

• An anti-piracy programme whose aim was toprotect the market from counterfeit products.

ATHOC also developed Numismatic andPhilately programmes in association with theBank of Greece and the Hellenic Post, to strikecoins, publish stamps and promote both for theATHENS 2004 Olympic Games.

The companies that participated in theLicensing programme had exclusive rights tomanufacture and distribute bearing the officiallogos and marks of the ATHENS 2004 Olympicand Paralympic Games.

The Official Licensed Products were producedand distributed by Licensees selected through atender process, in accordance with EuropeanUnion Directives. The products were ofmodem design and high quality, and were aimedat Greek consumers, visitors from abroad andsupporters of the Olympic Games throughoutthe world.

During the first phase of the Licensingprogramme, by December 2001, the OrganisingCommittee signed agreements for themanufacture and distribution of sevencategories of ATHENS 2004 Official LicensedProducts. In May 2001 (and during the period2002-2004), a tender was announced for 35product categories. More than 1.085 detailedtender documents were distributed tocompanies, underlining the intensity of interestin the business community about OlympicProducts. The second and final phase of theprogramme lasted from January 2002 toDecember 2004, with the circulation of variouscategories of products, as follows:

The Licensees

The Licensing Department, reporting to theMarketing General Manager; was staffedrelatively early, in order for the key staffmembers to gain experience from previousOlympic Games. Gradually the Departmentgrew to cover four sections: product approvals,advertising and international licensing programme,retail and concessions. At full development,it had a headcount of 28 paid staff.



Original tag with securityhologramme.© ATHOC

Olympic products.© ATHOC/C. Voulgari

• Sportswear

• Hats

• Polo shirts

• Casual wear

• Children's clothing

• Pins

• Jewellery

• Household Porcelain - Ceramics

• Household Glassware

• Key rings and Decorative Magnets

• Leather Goods

• Toys

• Towels and Bathrobes

• Pyjamas and Underwear

• Shoes

• Bags and Travel Goods

• Stationery

• Beachwear

• Perfume

• Posters and Greeting Cards

• Socks

• Sunglasses

• Puzzles and Board Games

• Outdoor Toys

• Frames and Photographic Albums

• Computer Accessories

• Umbrellas

• Linens

• Publications

• Music CDs

• Videogames

Each category was exclusive, i.e. was producedand distributed solely by a single company or asingle joint venture of companies chosenthrough the tender process. Opportunitieswere also offered to the Licensees to producespecial promotional products for National andInternational Sponsors (sponsor premiums),creating synergy.

Special importance was placed on selectingcompanies that were reliable and experienced:projected sales (which were secured throughbank guarantees), distribution and anticipatedpoints of sale, previous experience in licensing,manufacturing capabilities and financialsituation, were all taken into consideration inthe process of selecting Licensees.

The ATHENS 2004 Licensing programmegenerated retail sales of over €530,2 million.Over 120 per cent of the forecast wholesale andthe corresponding revenue was achieved in thefirst phase of the programme. The programmeultimately yielded royalty revenues totalling€88,7 million, 30 per cent above the initialrevenue target, and provided substantialsupport for the Greek Olympic Team and thehosting of the Games. In total over 5.000 SKUswere produced in 39 product categories,by 19 local Licensees, 2 international Licenseesand 2 Licensee-Sponsors, and were sold at over10.000 points of sale throughout Greece.


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Olympic pins.© ATHOC/D. Kalopisis,G. Prinos, C. Voulgari

Beyond the financial results, the presence of theOfficial Licensed Products on the marketpromoted the Games for four years beforethey actually took place. They also offeredconsumers the opportunity to feel that theysupported the Games, increasing theirenthusiasm.

Memorabilia

All ATHENS 2004 Official Licensed Productscommemorated the Games' return to Greece,and celebrated the unique history and values ofthe Olympic Games. Each Product was acollector's item, which ceased to be producedafter the end of the Olympic and ParalympicGames.

Other Products were released as a series, eitherall at once or in stages. A complete set of thelimited edition Products had enhancedcollector value after the Games.

Pins and Countdown SeriesPins are the most popular collectable items ofall Olympic Games, and pin trading isconsidered to be the sport of the spectators.

The Athens Pins drew their themes from avariety of artistic applications, includingemblems, mascots, Olympic values, Sports,Greek landscapes and a wide variety of othertopics. Each Pin had a unique code on thereverse side, as well as a number indicating thetotal number of pins produced of that specificdesign. Pins that circulated in numbers less than35.000 units had particular value as a collector'sitem, while those with fewer than 7.000; 4.000;or 1.000 units had even higher value.

The most popular series of pins were theCountdown Series. These circulated onlandmark dates for the Olympic and ParalympicCalendar e.g. "1.000 days before the OlympicGames". Besides being highly popular, they werealso highly collectable, as they were issued in

only very limited numbers. There were fourcountdown series issued for the OlympicGames: years, months, weeks and days, whilethere were two series for the ParalympicGames: years and days.

NumismaticATHOC cooperated with the competentagencies in order to develop and implementprogrammes of circulating coins andcommemorative coins. The assistance of theGrand National Sponsors, Hellenic Post andAlpha Bank, was necessary in order to achievenational distribution of the coins. They werealso available in 23 countries worldwide,including Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland,Japan, Canada, China, Hong Kong, etc.

The first phase of the numismatic programmebegan in December 2000, in close collaborationwith the Greek Ministry of Economy andFinance and the Bank of Greece. A series of six500-drachma Olympic coins, the last drachmacoin circulated before the currency wasreplaced by the euro, circulated in 24 millionpieces and generated significant revenue for theprogramme.

In May 2004, a commemorative 2-euro coincirculated on the occasion of the AthensOlympic Games. As all euro coins, it was sold atall the branches of the Bank of Greece and atcommercial banks. Its value was the same asthat of the 2-euro coins of the Eurozone andwas legal tender The first Olympic euro coinever to circulate bore a commemorative designon its national face, where besides theperimeter of twelve stars, there was a depictionof Myron's Discobolus (discus thrower), basedon the Roman copy of the fifth century statue.The same face showed the Olympic rings, theATHENS 2004 logo in English and the facevalue of the coin in Greek. The depiction wasdesigned by painter and sculptor P. Gravvalosand the die was cut by sculptor K. Kazakos, whilethe other face of the coin is the commonEuropean 2-euro coin face.


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ATHENS 2004 coins.© ATHOC

The second phase of the numismaticprogramme began in March 2003, with thecirculation of the first series of collectableOlympic coins. It comprised six series, eachmade up of a single gold coin and two silvercoins. The topics for the gold coin were drawnfrom themes of Greek civilisation, while thethemes on the silver coins were drawn fromsport. The complete set of 18 coins (six gold,twelve silver) were issued quarterly up to May2004.

The reverse face of the coins showed thetwelve stars characteristic of European coinsaround its circumference, encircling the emblemof the Games, the olive crown, the ATHENS2004 logo and the Olympic rings, and bore thesymbol of the Greek Mint, the "anthemion" orhoneysuckle palmette. They were the firstOlympic euros, with a nominal value of 100euros for the gold coins and 10 euros for thesilver The collection was issued to proofstandard (the highest numismatic quality) andwas accompanied by a numbered certificateissued by the Bank of Greece. There were fewercoin designs circulated in comparison toprevious Games and the number of series waslimited. Fewer than 160.000 gold coins and800.000 silver coins were placed intocirculation.

To commemorate the Olympic Torch Relay, alimited number of 10.000 numbered collectionswere circulated. The Olympic Torch RelayCommemorative Coin Collection consisted oftwo gold and four silver coins. The gold cointhemes were drawn from the lighting of theFlame at Olympia and the delivery of the Flameat the central altar while the silver coins showedthe route of the Flame from Europe to theother four continents, with artwork created byP. Gravvalos and K. Kazakos.

A numbered certificate issued by the Bank ofGreece accompanied each coin collection andthe revenue generated was utilised to supportthe Games and the Greek Olympic Team.

The connection between the Olympic Gamesand philately dates back to the first modernGames in Athens in 1896. A year before theGames, the Organising Committee of thoseGames faced funding difficulties to completethe venues. Two Greek philatelists proposedthat the Greek state issue a series ofcommemorative postage stamps, and part ofthe revenue they generated was utilised for thevenues.

The series of 12 stamps circulated on 25 March1896, the first day of the Games, now ofinestimable artistic and collectable value, as theywere the first Olympic stamps in the world andcontributed to the organisation of the Games,marking the start of an important institution forthe Olympic Games.

The Hellenic Post as a Grand National Sponsorof the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Gamessupported the national effort to organiseUnique Games on a Human Scale. The HellenicPost designed and implemented an innovativeand ambitious programme of issuing Olympicpostage stamps, in order to promote Olympicvalues and the global ideals of the OlympicGames, to promote Greek culture andcontemporary Greek art, honour the Olympicspirit and mobilise the international communityto move in harmony to the rhythms of Athens.The Greek Olympic postage stamps weregood-will ambassadors, travelling to everycorner of the globe, carrying the message of thehomecoming of the Olympic Games.At the same time, Hellenic Post createdcollectable items of great artistic value, withparticularly innovative characteristics, throughthe 15 series of collectable Olympic postage

Philately

The coins were available for sale at OlympicStores, branches of Alpha Bank and of theHellenic Post, as well as at a limited number ofauthorised sale points throughout Greece.


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Helliniko Olympic Complex.Olympic Softball Stadium.Official Merchandise outlet.© ATHOC/A. Panayiotou

stamps issued from November 2000 up to2004. Major contemporary artists contributedto this effort, including Alekos Fasianos, MinaValyraki, Costas Tsoklis, Pavlos and many otherrenowned artists.

The programme included commemorativeseries of Olympic postage stamps, Olympicsheets, as well as special editions of the Mascots,Olympic Moments, etc. Through thisprogramme, Hellenic Post sought to offereveryone an opportunity to capture uniqueOlympic experiences for all time, impressed inminiature works of art of timeless value: thepostage stamps of the ATHENS 2004 OlympicGames.

violations resulting in civil action and criminalprosecution. The Organising Committeegranted the right to use the logos to ATHENS2004 Olympic Games Sponsors, as well as toOfficial Licensees for commercial use.

In order to protect all its products and symbols,ATHOC developed and implemented a systemfor locating illegal counterfeit products. AllATHENS 2004 Official Licensed Products hadto bear advanced anti-counterfeiting systems(holograms), as well as clearly marked logos,allowing consumers to discern immediatelywhether the products were genuine. The retailpoints of sale for the official licensed productswere approved in accordance with thespecifications laid down by the OrganisingCommittee and the authorised points of retailsale were marked with a self-adhesive authenticlicensee sign that was supplied only by ATHOC.

For the anti-counterfeiting protectionprogramme, a group from the OrganisingCommittee, including lawyers, cooperated withthe Hellenic Police, the Financial CrimeProsecution Service and the CustomsAuthorities. Their aim was to prevent the entryof any counterfeit products into the country, todeal with instances of counterfeit products and,with regular and strict market controls, to avoidsuch occurrences. Over 200 instances of piracythroughout Greece were taken to court, andover 20.000 counterfeit products wereconfiscated (90% of these were imported).

Supporting Services

Style GuideA basic factor of the success of the ATHENS2004 Official Licensed Products was theproduct design. The designs included theemblems, the mascots, the Look of the Games,and other themes relevant to the AthensGames. Great attention was paid to developingthe four Style Guides, with the proposeddesigns. They were developed by a companywith great experience in this sector, incollaboration with the ATHOC Image &Identity Department, and were provided toLicensees. This ensured use of common themesand the integrated look of all productcategories, and reduced approval times.

Anti-Piracy ProtectionThe authenticity of ATHENS 2004 OlympicProducts was ensured by the use of nineOlympic logos. The pictured logos, whole or aportion thereof, as well as the terms "Olympic","Olympiad", "Olympic Games - Greece","Olympic Games 2004" and any related termseither in Greek or in any other foreign languagebelonged to ATHOC, along with the sole rightof their use, and were strictly protected inaccordance with current legislation, with

Olympic Product Sales

The Olympic StoresThe Olympic Stores, which sold exclusivelyOlympic products, offered visitors their firstglimpse of the enthusiasm for the ATHENS2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games.A total of six Olympic Stores and one Store inATHOC Headquarters opened in Athensleading up to the Olympic Games. The firstopened at the Athens International Airport in


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Phevos visits the ATHENS 2004Olympic Products stand at aTourist Merchandise Exhibitionin Athens.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)/S. Axiotis

March 2001, in the Departures area, open to alltravellers and Airport visitors. The secondOlympic Store opened on 17 April 2002 in thecentre of Athens, in a dedicated area of a majordepartment store. The third Store opened itsdoors on 20 December 2002, at the AthensInternational Airport, in the area after boardingpass control, the fourth Olympic Store openedin the popular tourist area of Plaka, the fifth inMay 2003 on the pedestrian street of Korai andthe sixth and largest (700 square metres) in theheart of the commercial centre of Athens inApril 2004.

The Olympic Stores were run by Nuance,exclusive contractor of the "Olympic Stores".The Nuance Group is the largest retail salesorganisation in airport sales, managing 350shops in 16 countries. The goal of the OlympicStores was to promote the Olympic Games toGreeks and foreign visitors, to create andmaintain the consumers' interest in order togenerate additional revenue, and to support theLook of the Games and the ATHENS 2004values.

Additionally, eight retail chains and 600 outletsthroughout Greece participated in thePreferred Retailer programme. The programmecommenced early in high-end stores and mass-market retail; despite the fact that there was nocontractual relationship between these storesand the Organising Committee, a partnershipmentality developed between them.Retailers supported the development of theprogrammes, selling the products, while theywere being positioned as preferred retailers,which were allowed to carry exclusive productlines and conduct promotions.

Venue ConcessionsThe objective was to offer Ticketed spectatorsor Accreditation holders the opportunity topurchase Official Licensed Products atCompetition and Non Competition Venues.Almost all Venues had concessions, and besidescertain selected products from the generalrange, every Venue also offered an exclusiverange of products, part of the "Olympic VenueCollection" for the Events that took place atthat specific Venue. The collection wasparticularly successful and demand quicklyoutstripped stock reserves.

Venue concessions were easily identifiable, asthey were placed near spectator entry/exitpoints and at central locations in the Venues.Additionally, venue concessions were markedand noted on Venue maps. Competition Venuesoperated a total of 84 Venue Concessions.Non Competition Venues operated threeoutlets selling Official Licensed Productsexclusively, while another eleven outlets soldother convenience items as well as the OfficialLicensed Products. The majority of Venue

Concessions were 50 or 36 square metre tents,while in the indoor Venues build-outs wereconstructed, built at the expense of theLicensing Concessionaire, with the exception ofthe OAKA Superstore (covering an area of3.000 sq. m.) and the Olympic Village Store(600 sq. m.). The opening hours were agreedwith the Concessionaire, Spectator Servicesand Venue Operations. A single companymanaged all outlets, in order to ensure aconsistent level of service and fullharmonisation with the policies and proceduresof the Organising Committee.

In recognition of VISA as International Sponsorof the Olympic Games, only VISA credit ordebit cards, VISA travellers' cheques, or cashwere accepted for purchases made within theVenues.

International Licensing ProgrammeIn order to further enhance its Licensingprogramme, ATHOC implemented aninternational Licensing program me, with greatsuccess. Consumers the world over supportedthe Athens Games by purchasing ATHENS2004 Official Licensed Products. In order tomeet increased demand, stores operated in theUnited States, in Asia and in Europe. During theGames, consumers all over the worldpurchased Official Licensed Products from theelectronic shop hosted at the official ATHENS2004 website.

Achievementsof the Licensing Programme

In a relatively small market of 11 million residents,the ATHENS 2004 Licensing Programmegenerated retail sales exceeding €530,2 million.

More than 120 percent over forecast wholesaleand the corresponding revenues were achievedin the first phase of the programme.The programme was ultimately expected toreturn royalty revenues of €88,7 million, 30 percent above the initial target revenue, andsupplied substantial support to the GreekOlympic Team and to the organisation of theGames. The numbers are higher than previousGames, up 40 per cent in comparison to thecorresponding programme in 2000, and evenmore impressive given the limited size of themarket.

According to the IOC Marketing Report, "theATHENS 2004 Olympic Games Licensingprogramme demonstrated the power andprofitability of a fully integrated designprogramme. ATHENS 2004 created amerchandise retail experience thatincorporated the image and Look of the Gamesmore consistently than any programme inOlympic history."


Sports

Organisation of Sports


Meeting with InternationalEquestrian Federation (FEI).© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)

Venue tour of the InternationalHockey Federation (FIH) at theOlympic Hockey Centre.Helliniko Olympic Complex.Executives of the InternationalHockey Federation examinethe field of play.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)

Visit of International FootballFederation (FIFA) at Thessaloniki.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)

The Sports Division was responsible for theplanning and implementation all Sportstechnical requirements, in close collaborationwith and under the direction of theInternational Federations, which according tothe Olympic Charter are responsible for thetechnical control and direction of their Sport atthe Games. It was also the designated singlepoint of contact with the InternationalFederations for all matters related to policy andlevel of service concerning members of theInternational Federations, the Athletes and theTechnical Officials.

Sports Division responsibilities included thefollowing projects:

• Development of the Competition Schedule.

• Development and management of theGames Training Schedulers well asdevelopment of the Pre-Games Training Guidewhich identified suitable sport facilities availablefor the Athletes' training during the Pre-Gamesperiod.

• Sport Entries, eligibility and qualificationcontrol of Athletes.

• Determining, in collaboration with theInternational Federations, the number ofTechnical Officials per Sport and securing thenecessary number of National TechnicalOfficials.

• Drafting, in cooperation with the InternationalFederations, the Field of Play and Training Sitetechnical requirements, and coordinating theprocedures of their certification by theInternational Federations.

• Production of Sports Technical Publicationsand Forms (e.g. Athletes' Entry and EligibilityConditions Forms, Competition Forms) andrelated guides (e.g. Athletes' Guide, Athletes'Sports Entries and Qualification Manual).

• Participation in the Olympic Results &Information Services (ORIS) programme forthe specification of system requirements for theTiming & Scoring and Games Results.

• Training of volunteers in specialised tasks ofCompetition Management.

• Collaboration with the competent agenciesfor securing specialised Games MeteorologicalSupport Services.

The main objective in the process of staffing theSports Division was to meet each Sport'sorganisational needs by employing experienced

Responsibilities

With the slogan "Athens for the Athletes",Athens bid for the Olympic Games of 2004.ATHENS 2004 welcomed the Athletes from allover the world, on whose efforts the Gameswere focused. All Olympic hospitality, trainingand competition services and infrastructurefacilities were designed to offer Athletes from202 nations the best possible environment inorder for them to pursue their best possibleperformance. A total of 10.862 Athletescompeted during the 16 days of OlympicGames and the two additional days of theOlympic Football Tournament, and 3.837Athletes competed during the ParalympicGames respectively.

The positive comments of participants, mainlyof the Athletes and their Coaches, justifiedATHOC's long-term planning of Sports andconfirmed the successful achievement of thetargets set during the operational period.


Provision for the formation of a Sports Divisionwithin ATHOC was made already in the firstcorporate organisational chart issued with theestablishment of the Organising Committee in1998. Staff recruitment for the Sports Divisionstarted in the beginning of 1999, when the 28Olympic Sports were divided into three"groups" with one section manager appointedto head each group. They had a direct reportingline to the ATHOC Managing Director.The Sports Division General Manager wasappointed at the beginning of 2000, and as from2001 the staff recruitment process wasaccelerated.

During the period 2001-2002, the SportsDivision was restructured and the following fiveDepartments were established:

• Sports Planning, with special responsibilityfor Pre-Games and Games Training, SportsPublications, organising and staffing the SportsInformation Centre and the Sports Complex atthe Olympic Village, coordinating all serviceprovisions to the Technical Officials, andcollaborating with the Hellenic NationalMeteorological Service for the provision ofGames Meteorological Support Services.

• Sports Services, which was responsible for thedevelopment of the Competition Schedule, forthe Sports Entries and for Games Results.

• Competition, which was responsible for theorganisation of each Sport's CompetitionManagement and for the coordination of allCompetition-related technical tasks. TheCompetition Managers were under theresponsibility of the Sports Division until theirtransfer and integration into the respectiveCompetition Venue Teams.

• Football, which was responsible for theplanning and organisation of the OlympicFootball Tournament. The Football CompetitionManagers reported to this Department until,also in this case, their transfer and integrationinto the respective Competition Venue Teams.

• Paralympic Sports, with responsibility for thecoordination and supervision of all planningconcerning Paralympic Sports. Implementationresponsibility for Paralympic Sports lay with the

same staff in the same Venue Teams as with theOlympic Sports (with the exception of theSports of Boccia, Goalball, Wheelchair Rugbyand 5-a-side Football, which had dedicatedCompetition Managers).

Furthermore, following a change in thecorporate organisational chart in 2001, theSports Division's reporting line changed fromthe Managing Director to the competentExecutive Director, while in September 2003,with the transition to Games Operationsmode, the Sports Division reported directly tothe Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The Sports Division functioned with the aboveorganisational structure until November 2003,when the transfer of all staff to the respectiveCompetition - or Non Competition(e.g.Training Sites, Olympic Village SportsInformation Centre, etc.) -Venue Teams wascompleted. Following the transition to theGames Operations mode and the transfer ofstaff to the Venue Teams, the Division evolvedinto the Sports Central Team, maintainingresponsibility for exclusive contact with theInternational Federations, for the selection andspecialised training of CompetitionManagement staff, and for all central Sportsfunctions (e.g. Competition and TrainingSchedule, Sports Publications).

During the Olympic Games, the Sports CentralTeam, 22 people in total, was deployed in theSports Command Centre, which was fullyintegrated into the Main Operations Centre(MOC), in a 24-hour operation. In August 2004,at the peak of operations, the total number ofhuman resources deployed in Sport specificpositions included 1.276 paid staff and 6.478volunteers. Throughout the years, the numberof paid staff occupied in Sports evolved asfollows: 44 in 2000, 70 in 2001, 120 in 2002, 281 in2003, and 1.276 during the Olympic Games inAugust 2004. 93% of the paid staff and 97% ofvolunteers engaged in Sports were deployed inCompetition Venues and Training Sites.

Operating Structure

and technically skilled staff, who subsequentlyparticipated in an integrated programme ofcontinuing training. On the other hand, it wasdeemed necessary to organise the Division intoDepartments, each of which was responsiblefor a set of interrelated sub-programmes with"horizontal" application to all Sports (e.g.Competition Schedule, Training Schedule,Sports Publications).This mode of organisationwas accompanied by a strict system of taskcoordination and quality control, based on aweekly work and reporting programme, inorder to ensure the completion of deliverablesto the required level of quality and within theset deadlines.

Communicationand Cooperation withHellenic Federations

The Hellenic National Sports Federations,though they do not have a formal role in theorganisation of the Olympic Games, supportedthe work of the Organising Committee andcollaborated with it on important matters, suchas the recruitment of specialist technical staff inSports, the selection and preparation of theNational Technical Officials, the recruitment ofSports volunteers, the selection of Trainingfacilities, and for the test events.

ATHOC's interface with the NationalFederations was consistent with its relationshipwith the International Federations: regularcontact was maintained, frequent briefings wereorganised, and National Federationrepresentatives attended all meetings with theInternational Federations.



Venue tour of the InternationalFootball Federation (FIFA) at thePanthessaliko Stadium in Volos.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)

Official measurement of theMarathon course byrepresentatives of InternationalAssociation of AthleticsFederations (IAAF).The IAAF representatives measurethe Finish in the PanathinaikoStadium.© ATHOC/A. Panayiotou


Competition Management

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Athlete Information Desk.Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall.© ATHOC/S. Tsakiris

Recruiting the best qualified professionals forthe Competition Management of each Sportwas from the beginning a main priority of theOrganising Committee. For this purpose,ATHOC set and applied strict selection criteria.ATHOC also cooperated closely with theHellenic National Sports Federations, as theyhad the specialist knowledge of each Sport, forthe recruitment of staff with the necessarytechnical aptitude and experience in eachSport Difficulties in recruitment were facedonly with regard to the Sports less well-knownin Greece, but they were addressed throughintense and continuous training, and with thesupport of experienced professionals fromabroad.

The Sport Competition Managers, in particular,further to a public advertisement of thepositions, were selected in mid-2000 by arecruitment Committee, which includedmembers from the ATHOC Board ofDirectors as well as National Federationrepresentatives. The main selection criteriaapplied included: expert knowledge of eachSport's technical rules and requirements; eventorganisation experience; managementexperience; very good working knowledge ofthe English language; and computer skills.

The Competition Managers were the "link", themain daily point of contact and collaborationbetween ATHOC and the InternationalFederations. Their appointment had to have theapproval of the International Federations, therewere on-going reviews and evaluations of theirperformance, and their Games-time positionwas not confirmed until after and conditional tothe successful performance of their dutiesduring the respective test events.

For the Competition Managers whoparticipated in the ATHOC Delegation toSydney, eleven of whom had actually beenseconded there for a period of at least twomonths, the experience gained was mostvaluable, as they had the opportunity toimprove their knowledge and transfer backvaluable know-how in the area of theirresponsibility.

For the training of the Competition Managersand of other Competition Management staff onthe specific organisational requirements of theOlympic Games, ATHOC developed aneducation and training programme forimproving English language skills, for upgradingcomputer skills, and in state-of-the-art project,people, time and relationships managementmethods.

With regard to Sport specific training, inaddition to the experience from the SydneyGames, an extensive programme of activeparticipation and observation of majorinternational sport events was developed andimplemented, in order to add experience toknowledge.

Staff Training

Responsibilities

During the Games preparation period, SportCompetition Management responsibilitiesincluded: provision of technical information onthe specific Sport; definition of the technicalrequirements for Competition and Trainingfacilities in collaboration with the InternationalFederation Technical Delegates; an initialproposal for the hosting of a test event for thespecific Sport; identifying the weather forecastrequirements for the specific Sport;


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Preparing the CommemorativeDiplomas. Markopoulo OlympicShooting Centre.© ATHOC/N. Christodoulou

participation in the Olympic Results &Information Services (ORIS) programme forthe development of the Games ResultsSystems; development of the staffing plan forCompetition Management; and recordingSport Equipment needs and requirements.

Within the framework of Venue Teams, duringthe Venue Operational Planning process,Competition Management responsibilitiesincluded: input to the development ofCompetition Venue and Training SiteOperational Designs (in particular with regardto the specifications of Field of Play and Trainingfacilities); on-going collaboration with the otherVenue Team Functional Areas for the planning ofservices to Athletes and Team Officials,Technical Officials and International Federationmembers (especially with regard to Transport,Food and Medical Services); checking thetechnical compliance of Sports Equipment; anddeveloping the Detailed Competition ActivitySchedule (DCAS).

Competition Management personnel was fullyintegrated into the Venue Team of the Sport oftheir responsibility, participated in the staging ofthe respective test event, and were responsiblefor the Sport specific training of all Venue Teampaid staff and volunteers.

At Games-time, the Competition Manager ofeach Sport and/or Discipline, under thesupervision of the respective Venue Manager;was responsible for the on-going

communication with the InternationalFederation Technical Delegate on allCompetition-related issues. In addition, theCompetition Manager was responsible formonitoring implementation of the specificVenue Detailed Competition Activity Scheduleand for the smooth operation and complianceto all policies and procedures related to theField of Play.

The Competition Management administrativestructure was basically the same for all Sports,with only small adjustments as necessary toaddress each Sport's specificities. Under theCompetition Manager; whose reporting linewas to the Venue Manager, the Sport-specificoperations were organised as follows:

• Technical Operations, with specialist paid staffand volunteers, responsible for the operation ofthe Field of Play, of the Training facilities and ofSports Equipment.

• Sports Results, a team which included oneprofessional and one volunteer responsible formonitoring the Results printing and distributionprocess, and one volunteer for coordinatingwith Timing & Scoring.

• Sports Administration, including mainlyvolunteers, was organised in five sections:Athletes Services, Technical Officials Services,Staff Support Services, Secretariat, and SportsInformation.



Reading the Start List atSchinias Olympic Rowingand Canoeing Centre.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

Parnitha OlympicMountain Bike Venue.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos


Training

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Training at the Olympic AquaticCentre, Athens Olympic SportsComplex (OAKA).© ATHOC/C. Cunliffe

For the Athletes' Pre-Games Training, theOrganising Committee does not haveoperating responsibility of the Training facilities,as it does at Games-time. However, it isresponsible for identifying the most suitablefacilities that comply with the each Sport'stechnical requirements as defined by therespective International Federation, and fordeveloping and distributing to the NationalOlympic and Paralympic Committees (NOCsand NPCs) a Pre-Games Training Guide, withthe details of the available Training facilitiesconforming to the relative specifications.

ATHOC started preparing the Pre-GamesTraining Guide in 2000. For its preparation,ATHOC first collaborated with theInternational Federations in order to listeach Discipline's specific training technicalrequirements. A Report on Training TechnicalRequirements was then submitted to theGeneral Secretariat of Sport (GSS), whichwas the agency responsible for theirimplementation. In collaboration with the GSS,and with the agreement of the owners of thefacilities and the approval of the InternationalFederations, the final list of available TrainingSites was compiled, based on the list initially

included in the Bid File. Given that ATHOC hadno further responsibility beyond publishing anddistributing the Guide, the owners of theTraining Sites had the possibility to promotetheir facilities as they best deemed appropriate.

Two Pre-Games Training Guides werepublished for the Olympic Games, in 2000 andin 2003 respectively, and one for the ParalympicGames in 2003. The first Guide was distributedto the NOCs during the Sydney OlympicGames. lt listed and provided information onsports facilities throughout Greece offeringtraining opportunities to Athletes. The secondpublication of the Guide provided detailedinformation on 588 available Training Sites thatmet the specifications of the 37 OlympicDisciplines, and on 110 Training Sites for the20 Paralympic Disciplines respectively.

In order to compile the Guide, the OrganisingCommittee developed a database, whichincluded details on all services available at thelocality of each Training facility, such asaccommodation, food services, transportationand health services - information which waseventually included in the Guide.The information was compiled in collaborationwith the General Secretariat of Sports as wellas with the respective local authorities. Thedatabase registered details on almost 70% ofthe country's sport facilities. It should be notedthat the Greek State invested significantly inupgrading and equipping these Training Sites,which remained as part of the post-Olympiclegacy.

Pre-Games Training

Athletes' Training within the framework ofOlympic and Paralympic Games organisationentails two aspects: offering Training possibiitiesduring the Pre-Games preparation period infacilities and conditions similar to those of theGames, and providing integrated Trainingservices in Olympic Competition Venues aswell as Independent Training Sites duringGame-time. In both cases, the aim is to enableAthletes' best possible preparation for theirparticipation in Games Competition.

Games Training Schedule

Games Training services for the OlympicGames were provided from 30 July to 29August 2004 in the Competition Venues, in 43



Athens Olympic SportsComplex (OAKA).Warm up area.© ATHOC/C. Vergas

Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall.Viktor Mitrou in the warm up area.© ATHOC/S. Tsakiris


Independent Training Sites and in the TrainingCentre (I I Training Sites) inside the DekeliaOlympic Complex. Respectively, for theParalympic Games equivalent services wereprovided from 10 to 28 September 2004 in theCompetition Venues, in 5 Independent TrainingSites and in the Dekelia Training Centre.

For the development of the Training Schedule,further to reviewing the data available fromprevious Olympic Games, it was necessary toidentify Athletes' needs through an extensive,close and systematic consultation with all theInternational Federations and with therespective Competition Managers.Subsequently, and always in agreement with theInternational Federations, the available TrainingSessions were defined and reduced to thoseabsolutely necessary, given that Delegations donot arrive all together and that the trainingneeds once Competition starts are reduced. Inthis effort, care was taken to ensure that theAthletes and Teams of all NOCs and NPCswere offered equal training opportunities in allcases.

The definition of Training Sessions early onduring the preparation period also facilitatedthe planning process for the other FunctionalAreas, in particular Transport Services, FoodServices and Security. Data on the number ofAthletes and Team Officials per TrainingSession, in combination with data on specificrequirements per Sport (for food services orfor the transportation of certain sportequipment), was essential for the planning andscheduling of the services being offered toAthletes during their training, services whose

provision lay within the responsibility of otherFunctional Areas.

Following the approval of the final list ofOlympic Training Sites by the InternationalFederations in September 2001, thedevelopment of the Games Training Schedulebegan. The first draft was available byDecember 2002, while the final Schedule wasissued in March 2004. In May 2004, therespective Schedule for the Athletes' and TeamOfficials' Transport from the Olympic Village tothe Training facilities was also finalised.

The planning of the Athletes' Training in theAthens Olympic Games was most thorough.In total, 19.000 Training Sessions were madeavailable during the Olympic Games, while theirsmooth operation and management wasensured through the formulation and diligentapplication of 11 customised policies and 29specific procedures.

Details on the Games Training Schedule wereincluded in the Olympic News Service INFO2004. In addition, a special Training Office whichoperated in the Sports Information Centre atthe Olympic Village provided Athletes, TeamOfficials, Team Leaders and Chefs de Missionswith detailed information on Training, managedbookings or eventual changes in the scheduling,and updated all the relevant informationavailable on INFO 2004. The Training Office ofthe Sports Information Centre managed intotal 3.362 booking applications, 812cancellation applications and 1.073 requests forschedule confirmation.


Competition Schedule

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Daily programmes stand in theCommon Domain of the AthensOlympic Sports Complex(OAKA).© ATHOC/C. Cunliffe

The number of Sports (28) included in theATHENS 2004 Olympic Games Programmeremained the same as in the previous OlympicSummer Games. Several InternationalFederations submitted their requests forinclusion in the Olympic Games, howeverfurther to a proposal by the Hellenic OlympicCommittee, only the Sport of Water Ski wasproposed by ATHOC to the IOC. Eventually, in2001, the IOC decided not to include anyadditional Sports in the Athens OlympicGames Programme.

With regard to the Disciplines, following aproposal by the International Federations andfurther to the IOC's approval, there were twoadditions: Women's Freestyle Wrestling andWomen's Sabre in Fencing.

Between 2001 and 2004, the following officialreports for the Competition Schedule had tobe produced and distributed to all partiesconcerned:

• Olympic Daily Competition Schedule (Greek,English, French).

• Olympic Daily Session Competition Schedule(Greek, English, French), which was approved bythe IOC in December 2001.

• Olympic Competition Schedule - Phase Level(Greek, English, French), first released in April2002.

Developing theCompetition Schedule

ATHOC, in cooperation with the InternationalFederations, made a significant effort toimprove the structure of the CompetitionSchedule with respect to the daily distributionof Sports competition and the scheduling ofFinals. In conformity with the rules and traditionof each Olympic Sport, an effort was made toallocate Disciplines, especially the 301 Finals,in a way that would facilitate the work ofBroadcasters in all five continents and maximisespectator attendance, whilst also taking intoconsideration the operational requirements. Asignificant improvement was the "decongestion"of the last weekend of the Games, as a numberof Finals were scheduled earlier, certain duringthe weekend halfway through the Games.

The first draft of the Competition Schedule wasproduced in December 2000. It formed thebaseline for further work and collaboration

Releasing theCompetition Schedule

between all Functional Areas and Olympicstakeholders involved. Specifically, during 2001there was close cooperation with theInternational Federations and with the RightsHolding Broadcasters through the HostBroadcaster (Athens Olympic Broadcasting S.A.-AOB), as well as close "internal" collaborationbetween Competition Management, Ticketing,Sport Presentation, Medal Ceremonies,Technology and Transport.

The new Competition Schedule by Day and bySession was first agreed with the InternationalFederations, to their full satisfaction, and wassubsequently approved by the Rights HoldingBroadcasters and, last, by the IOC in December2001. Thereafter, the Competition Schedule wasdeveloped in stages to a greater level of detail(per Phase, per Discipline, analytical), always incollaboration with the Functional Areasconcerned and with the Olympic stakeholdersinvolved, and always through centralmanagement of all reviews and changes.


• Olympic Competition Schedule - Event/UnitLevel (Greek, English, French), first released inSeptember 2002.

• Olympic Competition Schedule AnalysisReport (English).

• Proposal for Olympic Games Draws andQualifications (Greek, English).

Respectively, for the Paralympic Games:

• Paralympic Daily Competition Schedule(Greek, English).

• Paralympic Daily Session CompetitionSchedule (Greek, English), which was approvedby the lPC in April 2002.

• Paralympic Competition Schedule - PhaseLevel (Greek, English), first released in March2004.

• Paralympic Competition Schedule -Event/Unit Level (Greek, English), first releasedin August 2004.

• Paralympic Competition Schedule AnalysisReport (English).

• Proposal for Paralympic Games Draws andQualifications (Greek, English).

The final analytical Competition Schedules ofthe Olympic and Paralympic Games werereleased in July 2004 and in August 2004respectively.

For the development of the CompetitionSchedule and in order to facilitate theregistering and monitoring of updates,approved changes, and different editions, acustomised database was developed andadministered under the Sports Division'sresponsibility. The updated and approvedCompetition Schedule releases were availableon ATHOC's Intranet for internal use, and alsoon the ATHENS 2004 Website.


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A spectator follows the Cyclingcompetition, noting results on theOfficial Daily Programme.Olympic Velodrome, AthensOlympic Sports Complex (OAKA).© ATHOC/C. Voulgari


Sports Publications

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ATHOC Sports publications.© ATHOC

The Sports Division had under its responsibilitya distinct Section responsible for theproduction of all Sports technical as well ascertain informative Publications, concerning the28 Olympic and the 19 Paralympic Sports.

The Sports Publications Section began itsoperations in January 2001. Its responsibilitiesincluded: text composition (or editing in thecases when the original composition requiredinput from other ATHOC Functional Areas);design (look & graphics) in line with thespecifications provided by and in collaborationwith Image & Identity; and desktop publishing(DTP). With the exception of printing, thepublication was realised in-house, enablingmore efficient quality control of the contentand resulting in cost savings.

In total, more than 500 different publicationswere produced, and for the first time theExplanatory Books for all Sports werepublished in electronic form. Also, for the firsttime in Olympic Summer Games, an Athletes'Guide was published.

The main Sports Publications with technicalcontent, whose principal recipients includedAthletes, Team Officials, Technical Officials, theInternational and National Federations and theNational Olympic and Paralympic Committees(NOCs and NPCs), were the following:

• Pre-Games Training Guide for the Olympicand Paralympic Games (for 37 Olympic and 20Paralympic Disciplines), first and second edition.It was also issued in CD-ROM format.

• Explanatory Books for 35 Olympic Disciplinesand 19 Paralympic Disciplines. They were alsoproduced and sent to the NOCs and NPCs inCD-ROM format, with PDF files for printing.

• Eligibility Conditions Forms and Entry Formsfor the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.

• Sports Entries Qualification Manual for theOlympic and for the Paralympic Games.

• Classification Manual for the ParalympicGames.

• Competition Forms for Olympic andParalympic Games: 360 and 200 formsrespectively.

• Olympic and Paralympic Athletes' Guides, 28Olympic and 19 Paralympic Technical Officials'Guides, 35 Olympic and 19 Paralympic TeamLeaders' Guides.

The Sports Publications Section was alsoresponsible for the production of technicaldocuments for the test events, such as EntryForms and Competition Forms.

Sports Publications included also a series ofBulletins, 12 editions in total, as well as 35Olympic and 19 Paralympic Sports Leaflets.These informative booklets were published intwo languages, Greek and English.

Last but not least, during the period 2002-2004,Annual Progress Reports were produced andforwarded to the 28 International OlympicSports Federations and to the 19 ParalympicFederations (IPSFs), as well as Progress Reportsfor the Association of Summer OlympicInternational Federations (ASOIF) and for theGeneral Association of International SportsFederations (GAISF).


Sports Entries


Parnitha Olympic MountainBike Venue.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

Women's Marathon Race start.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

Markopoulo OlympicShooting Centre.© ATHOC/N. Christodoulou

One of the most crucial programmes for thesuccessful organisation of Games Competitionis Sports Entries, responsible for the control ofAthletes' qualifications and entries.Its significance lies in its direct impact on theother Functional Areas' planning, notably onCompetition Management, Results,Accreditation, Olympic Village Operations andNational Olympic Committee (NOC) Services.The Sports Entries Section of the SportsDivision was responsible for collecting, enteringand verifying data on Athletes that had qualifiedfor the Olympic Games, and also for dispatchingthe final entries data list for use by all systemsnecessary for the smooth operation ofCompetition.

The Sports Entries Section managed dataprocessing and entry for all Athletesparticipating in the Olympic Games, the latestinformation on whom was compiled only 48hours prior to the opening of the OlympicVillage. The same staff undertook the respectivework for the Paralympic Games, in combinedoperation with the Section responsible for theAthletes' Classification.

per Sport. Since January 2004, monthly reportsper NOC were communicated to the IOC andposted on a secure site on the IOC Extranet.

The final data was transferred to the SportsEntries Qualification System (SEQ) that wasprovided by the Sponsor Atos Origin.In collaboration with the Sponsor, the specificsystem was upgraded from the previousOlympic Games and operated most efficiently.

Another factor contributing to improvedefficiency was the decision to subcontract thetask of initial data entry. The contractor'spersonnel were extensively trained on everydetailed aspect of the Sports Entries Section'sworking methods and procedures and werefully integrated into the team. ATHOC staffmaintained full responsibility for quality controland change management.

The Olympic systems and procedures forSports Entries were tested in combination withthose of Accreditation in six test events. Theresults of these tests proved extremely usefulparticularly with regard to the finalisation andrefinement of the procedures, considering thatthe organisation of many Functional Areaoperations depended heavily on the dataprovided through Sports Entries.Conversely, no major adjustments to theelectronic systems proved necessary.

Systems and Procedures

For the management of information on theAthletes' qualification, it was decided to developin-house a dedicated database. This tool provedvery useful and critical to the success of theproject. The database was available on theATHOC Intranet and accessible by allFunctional Area Managers (e.g. Olympic VillageOperations for room allocation and for theplanning of services provision to the NOCs),thus allowing continuous access to the mostrecent data necessary for their planningupdates. The database also provided thepossibility to produce reports per NOC and

Data Management

Overall, during the period from July 2003 to July2004, the Sports Entries Section managed datafor more than 40.000 Athletes, analyticalqualification data for 20.000 Athletes, and13.000 Eligibility Conditions Forms and EntryForms. The collection of data on qualificationswas carried out in constant communication


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Estonia's Marko Albert heads outof the water during the swimsection of the men's Triathlonevent at the ATHENS 2004Olympic Games.© REUTERS/Mike Finn-Kelcey

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Athens Olympic SportsComplex (OAKA).Olympic Aquatic Centre. TheSpanish Synchronised Swimmingteam.© ATHOC/C. Cunliffe

with the International Federations, and alsothrough researching and monitoring all relatedinformation on the Internet.

During May to July 2004, the Sports EntriesSection was on a 24-hour operation for 64consecutive days. During this period, its staffparticipated in the official Pre-DelegationRegistration Meetings (Pre-DRMs) with all theNational Olympic Committees, in the fivecontinents. The Pre-DRMs were organised bythe NOC Relations & Services Department tofinalise Entries.

During Games-time, the Sports Entries Sectionoperated in the Olympic Village AccreditationCentre as well as in the Sports Information

Centre, also located in the Olympic Village.Its staff was in direct ongoing interface with theAccreditation services, with Olympic VillageOperations for room allocation, and with NOCServices. For the finalisation of Sports Entries,from 23 July to 12 August 2004, Sports Entries'staff participated in all NOC DelegationRegistration Meetings (DRMs). During theDRMs, each Delegation's composition andaccommodation allocation within the OlympicVillage were validated and finalised.

Overall, the operation of the ATHENS 2004Olympic Games Sports Entries Section wasextremely successful, as per the comments ofNational Olympic Committee and InternationalFederation members.


Technical Officials


Goudi Olympic Complex.Olympic ModernPentathlon Centre.© ATHOC/G. Prinos

Technical officials bow after amen's judo preliminary repechageat Ano Liossia Olympic Hall.© Getty Images/Scott Barbour

Ano Liossia Olympic Hall.Wrestling.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

A total of 2.652 Technical Officials offered theirservices during the Olympic Games; 1.685International Technical Officials (ITOs) and967 National Technical Officials (NTOs).Respectively, 1.014 Technical Officials worked inthe Paralympic Games, 460 International TOsand 554 National TOs.

The level of Services to be provided to theTechnical Officials of the Games, in particular asregards their Accreditation, theirAccommodation, Food and Transport Services,the Games Uniforms which the OrganisingCommittee is obliged to provide, as well as theper diem to which they are entitled, was definedaccording to ATHOC's contractual obligationsto the International Olympic Committee and inconsultation and agreement with theInternational Federations. The coordinationof the interaction with the InternationalFederations was the responsibility of the SportsDivision. The collaboration for the definition ofthe level of the Services began in 2001.It was concluded in 2003 further to a totalof 250 meetings with the InternationalFederations in Athens and further to thepractical testing of the Services as providedalso during the test events.

For the accommodation of Technical Officials,15 Facilities were operated as Olympic Venuesunder the responsibility of the Olympic Villages

and Accommodation Facilities OperationsDivision. For three of these AccommodationFacilities, the guest houses available withincertain Competition Venues were used (in theMarkopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre, theNikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall and thePeristeri Olympic Boxing Hall); four werehotels (turn-key operation), and the otherswere located in guest houses owned by publicand/or social institutions, which were renovatedfor this purpose.

The need for securing the required number ofNational Technical Officials, initially estimated at1.000, led to the development of a TechnicalOfficials Education and Training Programme ina joint effort with the National SportsFederations and the General Secretariat ofSport. The key aim was to provide training inthose Sports less well known in Greece and inthose where a deficit in the required numberof Technical Officials had been identified.Specifically, in the year 2000, the recordeddeficit in the number of Technical Officials inseven Sports was 500 (Archery, Badminton,Baseball, Canoe/Kayak Slalom, Equestrian,Softball, Tennis). The training programmeachieved its objective, since the requirementswere met to a large extent (83%), while a legacyof skilled personnel was created for GreekSport.


Results


Helliniko Olympic Complex.Softball results.© ATHOC/A. Panayiotou

Schinias Olympic Rowingand Canoeing Centre.Results printing and distributioncentre.© ATHOC/Y. Kontos

Faliro Olympic Complex.Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre.Results.© ATHOC/S. Tsakiris

A specialised Section of the Sport Division wasresponsible for the interface with Technologyand its Sponsors for the development of theGames Timing & Scoring and Results systems,in order to ensure compliance with eachDiscipline's requirements, always in cooperationwith the responsible International Federation.

The work on the specifications of systemrequirements was mainly implemented throughthe Olympic Results & Information Services(ORIS) programme, which is managed by theInternational Olympic Committee and requiresthe involvement of all parties concerned.During the preparation period, Results Sectionrepresentatives participated in 74 official ORISmeetings (each taking place over four days).The meetings were also attended byrepresentatives of the IOC, the InternationalFederations Technology Sponsors, as well as byrepresentatives of ATHOC's Technology andPress Operations Functional Areas.

An additional 37 meetings with similarparticipation were subsequently held for theHomologation of the Results System.The official tests were realised initially in aLaboratory environment and subsequently ingeneral Rehearsals which took place in therespective Competition Venues six months, andagain two months prior to the Olympic Games.

For the Paralympic Games, respectively, morethan 50 official and unofficial meetings with all

parties involved were realised in order tocomprehend each Discipline's procedures, tofinalise the format of the Results Reports, andto undertake the necessary verifications of theResults System operations.

During Venue Operational Planning, anadditional responsibility of the Results Sectionstaff was to identify all Field of Play specificationsand equipment relating to Results, such as, forexample, Scoreboard location andrequirements, Timing and Scoring Sport-specificitems, etc.

During Games-time, staff responsible for themonitoring and verification of the printing anddistribution of Results was assigned to theVenue Team's Competition Management, underthe responsibility of the Competition Manager:The verification of the Results issued was alsocarried out at central level by the SportsCommand Centre, via the Olympic NewsService INFO 2004 and in tandem with theTechnology Operations Centre.

Efficient communication with the InternationalFederation Technical Delegates, who wereresponsible for the technical control ofCompetition, as well as the formulation ofexplicit and thorough procedures, reducedsignificantly the margin of error in the issuingof Results or of other general informationconcerning Competition.


Meteorological Support

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Meteorological Station at theMarathon Start.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)/P. Saitas

The Hellenic National Meteorological Service,being the competent Agency, was assignedresponsibility for the provision ofMeteorological Support Services for the testevents and for the duration of the Olympic andParalympic Games.

Systematic collaboration with the HellenicNational Meteorological Service (HNMS)began in September 2001, when the relevantOperational Plan was signed within theframework of a Memorandum ofUnderstanding between ATHOC and theMinistry of National Defence (under whosejurisdiction the HNMS falls). Furthermore, incooperation with the HNMS and with theGeneral Secretariat of Sport, ATHOC reachedan agreement on the provision of specialistservices, under HNMS coordination, by theMeteorological Laboratory of the Universityof Athens, the Hellenic Centre for MarineResearch and the National. Observatory ofAthens.

The main objective was to address the specialrequirements of each specific Disciplinethrough timely, reliable and precisemeteorological information (forecasts andstatistics) to all those involved in CompetitionManagement, including the International

For the Meteorological Support of the Olympicand Paralympic Games, the Hellenic NationalMeteorological Service established within itsstructure an Olympic Meteorological Centre.Furthermore, HNMS also organised andequipped technologically: a MeteorologicalOffice at the Agios Kosmas Olympic SailingCentre, one at the Schinias Olympic Rowingand Canoeing Centre, and a thirdMeteorological Office located inside the SportsCommand Centre at ATHOC Headquarters,for 24-hour support to the Main OperationsCentre during the Games operational period.

The HNMS provided all specialist operating

Hellenic NationalMeteorological Service

Given the potential impact of weatherconditions on the Competition Schedule ofcertain Sport Disciplines, notably thoseconducted in open-air spaces, and alsoconsidering their overall impact on GamesOperations, highly specialised and sophisticatedMeteorological Support Services are essentialfor Games Operations Management.

Services Provided

Federation Technical Delegates and theAthletes. To this end, the responsibility for theday-to-day collaboration with HNMS on behalfof ATHOC was assigned to the Sports Division,in order to plan and implement the specialistservices required for the staging of each Sport,according to its prerequisites and regulations.

In addition to the support provided toCompetition Management, during Games-timeit was also necessary to provide forecasts andregular briefings on weather conditions thatmight generally impact on Venue operations, inorder to inform the necessary decisions for theimplementation of proactive measures.Particularly in cases of extreme weatherconditions, it was necessary to informspectators accordingly and in advance, as well asto activate the emergency response measuresand procedures at Venue level. In all cases theMain Operations Centre (MOC) was also therecipient of the meteorological information, inorder to control all operational activities and/ortake the necessary executive decisions.


equipment as well as expert staff for theoperation of the Olympic MeteorologicalCentre and of its three Offices located atOlympic Venues. The HNMS personneldedicated to Games Meteorological SupportServices included 37 meteorologists,6 coordinators and 13 operators/technicians fornetwork and technological equipment support.

Games Meteorological Support Servicesstarted to be provided during the test events,initially only to the Competition Venues andprogressively also to and as part of the MainOperations Centre (MOC), until they were fullyintegrated into the MOC and weather forecastbriefings became a daily routine of the Centre'soperations. The procedures and systems of theMOC's briefing on meteorological informationwere thoroughly tested during the March 2004cluster of test events.

For MOC briefings, the HNMS developed,in consultation with Games OperationsManagement and with the Chief OperatingOfficer, special software aimed at providingtimely, user-friendly, streamlined and easy tocomprehend information on weather

conditions. The system included an electronicmeteorological map of the Attica Region, whichwas projected on a permanent basis in the MainOperations Room of the MOC. The mapdepicted the three-hour weather forecasts,updated and projected real-time, throughcolour-coded symbols drawing immediateattention to potential extreme weatherconditions.

During Games-time, the Meteorological Officecentral operations were fully integrated into theMain Operations Centre. HNMS provided dailyand three-hour forecasts, specialised windforecasts, warnings for extreme weatherconditions, and also specialised weatherstatistics for each Competition Venue.The information was forwarded to theCompetition and Non Competition Venues(to their Operations Centres), to the OlympicVillage Sports Information Centre, and to theOlympic News Service INFO 2004.

Overall, during the Olympic and ParalympicGames, in August and September 2004, 1.818weather forecasts and 108 wind forecastswere issued.


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