If you're hungry for updates on the hundreds of athletes from around the world who are competing at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games August 11 through 29, look no further than the Internet. We've scoured the Web and come up with the must-visit sites for Olympics junkies.
Athens: The Official Site
The official Athens 2004 Web site is packed with information about the Olympiad. In addition to the latest news and athlete quotes from press conferences and the like, you can find specifics about the different events, a complete event schedule and competitor start lists, and results.
A separate section is devoted to the different venues, and provides information for people traveling to Athens to attend the competition.
Olympic TV
Sure, the official NBC Olympics site is filled with frustrating pop-ups and annoying ads that take over your computer screen. But it also is terrific repository of information about the Games, ranging from TV schedules (although the HDTV broadcast schedule is woefully devoid of detail) to streaming video from practices, primers on the different events, and opinions from the network's expert commentators.
This is the site to check for photos and both original articles and reports from sister site MSNBC.com. You'll also be able to watch streaming video of events--but this feature is limited to U.S. residents only. You'll have to give the first six digits of your credit card plus your ZIP code, so NBC can verify your residency, before gaining access to the streaming video.
The BBC is also streaming live video coverage of the Olympics on its Web site, but you have to live in the United Kingdom to take advantage of this service.
Portals and Images
Most of the major Web news and sports portals, including Yahoo and Google, have created sections to bring together Olympic-related news and results.
Not surprisingly, Yahoo's primary site is more biased towards American athletes, although you can find news and photos of athletes of non-Americans there as well. If you want a more international perspective, you can scroll down Yahoo's main page for links to local coverage on its sites in Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, Canada (French), China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, and the U.K. and Ireland.
Another great way to keep track on Olympic news is through the sports section on Google News. It is constantly pulling in news reports from thousands of Web sources so you can be pretty sure you're finding some of the most up-to-date information available anywhere online.
Finally, if you're after images from the Games, stop by Getty Images' Olympics section. Although images are intended for editorial use, you can view watermarked images for free, and the site is quick about posting images from events.
Local Eye on the Games
If you want a local perspective on the Games, then you might want to check the Internet editions of some of Greece's newspapers. The national Kathimerini newspaper has a good selection of local stories, from security and transportation plans to a local ordinance allowing nonstop partying at bars and clubs.
Some of the latest breaking news from the Olympics can also be found on the Web site of the Athens News Agency and the Reporter news agency has a strong focus on business and financial news.
The Other Olympics
The Games aren't the only Olympic event taking place in Athens this year.
About a month from now the Paralympic Games will get under way there, and there's a section of the main site devoted to the event. It has much the same content as that for the games that are about to begin, including a competition schedule and information on the various sports.
You can learn more on the official Web site of the International Paralympic Committee.
The Olympics' Past
The Olympic Games' history can be traced back to ancient times, in 776 B.C.--a long run that leaves plenty to learn and know about Olympic Games of years past.
In addition to a historical section on the official Athens Web site, the University of Pennsylvania has an interesting site that looks at previous Games and attempts to find out if the Olympics were ever truly a less commercial event filled with athletes who were pure in mind and body.
From Greece, the Foundation of the Hellenic World also looks into the past, too, reaching as far back as the Athens Games of 1896.
Future Olympics
The events may still be several years away, but organizers of upcoming Olympic Games are already online sharing some of their preparations and promotions.
The Web sites offer a glimpse into the logistics and planning that go into holding an event of Olympic proportions, such as the Beijing 2008 games and its current competition to design the event mascot. You'll also find information on the Vancouver 2010 games, including the plan for new venues for some of the events.
At the Torino 2006 games' Web site, visitors can already fill in a form and apply to become a volunteer to help at the games.
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