18 Days in August, an Olympic Blog

One thing stands out from tonight's first foray into athletics (track & field for some) at the newly reconstructed Olympic Stadium and adjoining complex, and that is of course the brilliance of architect Santiago Calatrava's vision. Having been to the site many times before, starting with the European Championships in 1982 and following on with football games and the like, the transformation is stunning. However, even if one had not been there before the effect could not have been any less grand. Sweeping metallic vistas of white arches, slowly swaying wave-like living sculptures with video projections, reflecting pools of great beauty, fountains as far as the eye can see, the velodrome's dome gleaming in the background and of course the main stadium with the highly talked about roof fitting in perfectly with the surroundings, quite resplendent from a distance but without overwhelming its surroundings. Overall, a first-rate contribution to the architecture of the city, with ample space between the different stadiums for people to congregate (watching Pyrros Dimas in a huge screen winning a bronze in weightlifting amongst thousands of other people while athletics and swimming were happening all around us was a particularly memorable experience), water to splash around in gold-medal-winning frenzy (the Swedes were particularly happy about Carolina Luft winning the heptathlon) and a general sense of playfulness and respect for the human form in all of the design. A lot of people will be having the time of their lives in this complex in the week ahead; so much perhaps that the events in the main stadium themselves might become nothing less than a background to this urban playground. Only the dusty state of the surrounding areas (bless those construction delays for this particular piece of ugliness; the organising committee would be well advised to invest in a shoe cleaning service), the disorganised way the spectators are herded to the train afterwards (accident-waiting-to-happen land) and the incredibly poor choice in architecture of the plastic hamburger emporium could detract from the experience. But the memory of Calatrava's gift to Athens lingers on and invites us back for more exploration and playing.