IAAF approves holding event at Olympia

BERLIN (AP) -- The shot put events at the 2004 Olympics will be held at the site of the ancient games despite concerns by Greek archeologists, the world governing body of athletics decided Saturday.

IAAF president Lamine Diack said having the shot put events at Olympia -- about 320 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of Athens _ provided an opportunity to link the ancient origins of the games with athletics in the 21st century.

"This will be a tremendous opportunity to show a worldwide audience the purity and excitement of athletics competition in a sacred setting," Diack said. "The shot put may now become one of the highlights of the Games."

The head of the Athens Organizing Committee, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, said it would be "a historic moment for the Olympic Movement."

"Ever since the biding for the games in 1997 we were trying to find ways to promote the Ancient Olympia and link the ancient games with those of the modern era," she said. "This bridge of ancient with modern allows us to believe that we will organize unique games."

The shot put competition, for both men and women, will be held before the start of the main athletics program, either on Wednesday, Aug. 18, or Thursday, Aug. 19, the IAAF said at its Council meeting in Berlin. Track and field events start Aug. 20.

The IAAF said the medal award ceremonies for the shot put will be held at the main Olympic stadium in Athens and that the decision to move the event to Olympia came after consultations with athletes.

Greek organizers had proposed moving only the men's shot put but the IAAF insisted that the women's event should also follow.

"It was an unanimous decision," said IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai. He said athletes thought it was a "great privilege" for the sport.

"The television coverage will be totally different," Gyulai said, adding that 15,000 people would be able to watch the competition at the site.

The proposal to hold the event at Olympia -- which came from the Athens Olympic Committee -- has been attacked by the influential Association of Greek Archeologists, which oversees almost every aspect of Greece's ancient site.

"Not one stone of the stadium should be touched," the group told the Kathimerini newspaper.

Greece's Olympic committee said events like the flame lighting ceremony had been held at Olympia in the past without causing any trouble.

The games were held in Ancient Olympia for more than 1,000 years after they were founded in 776 B.C. The Roman Emperor Theodosius abolished them in 394 after Christianity took root, deeming them pagan.

(rk/ns)