Olympic Preview - What can we expect in Atlanta?
Guess what's fast approaching, like a locomotive? In less than two months time, the Olympic Games return to the USA - Atlanta Georgia, to be exact. In this new age of multimedia, coverage of the Olympiad will blanket the world of sports and beyond for 17 days in late July and early August. We marathoners had our 100th anniversary celebration in Boston last month. Now the Olympic Games will turn 100, celebrating the anniversary of the first modern Games in Athens, 1896. It's still early, but here are few questions that are begging answers as we look down the road to hot 'lanta - and I mean hot.

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By Don Allison
Posted Tuesday, 21 May, 1996

Guess what's fast approaching, like a locomotive? In less than two months time, the Olympic Games return to the USA - Atlanta Georgia, to be exact. In this new age of multimedia, coverage of the Olympiad will blanket the world of sports and beyond for 17 days in late July and early August. We marathoners had our 100th anniversary celebration in Boston last month. Now the Olympic Games will turn 100, celebrating the anniversary of the first modern Games in Athens, 1896. It's still early, but here are few questions that are begging answers as we look down the road to hot 'lanta - and I mean hot.

Can Atlanta properly host the biggest sporting event of all time?

Let's face it, Barcelona did a super job of staging the 1992 games. From the opening ceremonies, when that archer unbelievably lit the Olympic flame with a long distance arrow, the games were managed with pinpoint precision. The residents of the romantic Spanish city were gracious hosts as well.

With the eyes of the world upon it, can Atlanta do the same? In the minds of many, this issue is still very much open to question. Some venues are still incomplete, although officials insist everything will be ready to roll in July. Whether Atlantans will turn over their city to its international guests is another sticky subject. Commuters have already been asked to refrain from driving to and from work in the city during the games. Will they comply? I can tell you what a Bostonian would say to that request!

How much of the games will be on TV?

Have you got a spare 168 hours? If so, you'll be able to catch all of the action. NBC paid dearly for the rights to the Atlanta games. They will be looking to re-coup every advertising dollar possible, thus will saturate the network with coverage. Bob Costas will be the primary anchor, as he was in Barcelona. Tom Hammond will anchor the track and field action, assisted by color commentators Craig Masback, Dwight Stones, and Carol Lewis, Carl's sister. This is the same bunch that handled the '92 Olympics, with one very noticeable exception. In 1992, the color man for the sprints was a former football star from Brentwood, CA. You may remember him; he was involved in a murder trail of some note last year. Oh yea, O.J. something or other.

Running fans will get a mixed bag as usual. The games are presented to the widest possible audience, thus the "glamour" running events (read sprints) will be showcased. The American viewing public simply does not have the patience nor the interest to sit through entire long distance races, especially those without an American favorite. That means spotty coverage for any race over 1500 meters. Lynn Jennings captured the bronze medal at 10,000 meters in Barcelona, but only the last few laps of the race were shown to the viewing public, after 11:30 pm, Eastern time.

How about the men's and women's marathons?

There have been some interesting developments regarding the marathon. Traditionally, the men's 26.2 miler is the final event of the games, finishing on the stadium track in the early evening on the last day of competition. Those in the know about running lobbied long and hard to change the time of the men's marathon to early morning, in order to avoid the stultifying combination of heat, humidity, and smog that is Atlanta in July. It took a monumental effort, but the time change was made, to 7 am on August 4th. It will still be hot and humid, but hopefully not deadly. Don't expect to see the race live however. It will likely be shown via tape delay later on, which means if no US runner is a medal factor, the marathon will receive back burner treatment. The same applies for the women's race, held at the beginning of the track competition the previous Saturday.

What will be the big story line of the games?

The USA men's basketball team is back, but without Michael, Magic, or Larry. Everyone knows they will still win the gold however. The women's basketball team will grab the spotlight this time. They are surely not a lock for the gold, but they are the best team the US has ever had, with personalities to boot. They will be big in Atlanta, very big.

There are also a pair of American glamour boys in the sports of cycling and swimming. Lance Armstrong has joined the world's elite in cycling and will be a favorite in the road race. He's a young, brash, good looking Texan who can back up his cockiness with results. Gary Hall Jr. is a swimming sprinter heavily favored to win the 50 and 100 meter freestyle. He comes from a long line of swimming legends, including his grandfather Charles Keating, currently in prison for the famous savings and loan scandal of the late 1980's. Hall is a colorful, punkish kid, with a generation X attitude. These two will be all over the TV during the Games.

What about track & field?

Can you say Michael Johnson? Track has its own MJ, and he's expected to dominate in Atlanta like Carl Lewis did in Los Angeles, 1984. No athlete has ever won both the 200 and 400 meter races in the same Olympics, but Johnson will be favored in both events. He has not lost a race in years, dating back almost to Barcelona, where he was sick and ended up out of the medals. In the 400, he will likely be battling Butch Reynolds, the current world record holder. Reynolds was hit with a suspension for performance enhancing drugs years ago, and has waged a one man war against the IAAF. That he is still competing at a world class level is a testimony to his talent, determination, and courage. Can you believe these guys can run 43 seconds for 400 meters? Amazing.

Are their any other heavy favorites?

Definitely. Norredine Morceli is perhaps the finest middle distance runner of all time, the world record holder at several distances. The Algerian faded to 7th in Barcelona however, and will be seeking atonement in Atlanta.

Jon Edwards is an unassuming Englishmen who looks like an accountant, but jumps lie a kangaroo. He's the world record holder in the triple jump and will battle a group of hungry American athletes for the gold in that event.

Sonia O'Sullivan will be carrying the hopes of Ireland on her slim shoulders in Atlanta. The Villanova grad has risen to the top of the ranks among the world's female middle distance runners. She has dominated from 1500 to 5000 meters, and will be favored for gold in the later distance. Although she SHOULD win, no one has any idea what kind of runners the Chinese team will bring. Will it be the world beaters of 1993 or the duds of 1995? The answer to this will go a long way to determining the color of O'Sullivan's medal.

Remember Dan & Dave? (No - not Don & Dave) Dan O'Brien was supposed to duel Dave Johnson for the Decathlon gold in Barcelona, creating a sales bonanza for Reebok. Problem was, Dan never got by the US trials, due to a pole vault DQ. O'Brien has since gone on to become the world record holder in the decathlon, the world's best by a wide margin. Like Johnson, Morcelli, Edwards, and O'Sullivan, anything less than a gold medal for O'Brien will be construed as a failure, rightly or wrongly.

Don't these runners need to qualify for the Olympics?

They sure do, at least the Americans. The US track and field trials will be held in Atlanta from June 14th to June 22nd. The top three go to the Olympics, the rest go home. In some events, the trials final will be more competitive than the Olympic final, such as the men's 200 and 400 meter runs.

There will be an outcry if a heavily favored athlete stumbles in the trials and is left off the Olympic team. This is our selection system however, the ultimate in democracy. Other countries pre-select some athletes who are ranked among the world's best at their particular event, in order to ease their minds and focus solely on the Olympics. We Americans can look forward to a week's worth of drama at the trials, which will preview more of the same a month later at the Olympics.