LIGHTING THE OLYMPIC FLAME

It was hoped by international Olympic officials that a return to Athens, where the Games began in 776 B.C. and the modern Games were reborn in 1896, would mark a return to the Olympic ideal. Instead, the realities of modern sports and world politics have replaced citius, altius and fortius (swifter, higher, stronger) with swift runners caught using drugs and the strongest security measures in the Games’ history.

The Athens Olympics, which begin today, are the first summer games held since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. It is also the first time since then that a large group of Americans will present a target for protesters, not necessarily those intent on harming Americans, but those who want to voice their anger at the country’s policies. To forestall both possibilities, a record $1.5 billion has been spent on securing the Athens venues, twice what was spent four years ago in Sydney.

With security personnel outnumbering athletes seven-to-one, safety in Athens is said to be well in hand.

A blimp will hover over the city 24 hours a day and a system that records conversations and understands several languages is in place. Several teams, including the United States and Israel, are bringing private security personnel as well.

With so much attention focused on security, the growing drug scandal was temporarily pushed from the Olympic forefront. However, on Wednesday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced the two-year suspension of Torri Edwards, a member of the U.S. track team set to run in Athens. Ms. Edwards, the reigning 100-meter world champion, tested positive for the stimulant nikethamide, according to the agency. Ms. Edwards said she planned to appeal the ruling.

She inherited the world title after it was taken away from teammate Kelli White who was stripped of the title and banned for two years after admitting to taking a variety of drugs.

Such scandals and fears have altered the Olympics. “We just have lost so much innocence, and innocence used to be what made the Olympics,” Matt Lauer, co-anchor of NBC’s “Today,” recently told USA Today. “But does it mean we can’t still share incredible moments with athletes when they achieve something they worked for their whole lives? Absolutely we still can.”

The Games, which run through Aug. 29, give those who will never sprint around a track, pin an opponent to the mat or lift four times their body weight a reminder of the power of human determination. For the more than 10,000 athletes in Athens and the 4 billion people expected to watch on television, the drug scandals and security concerns will fade once the Olympic torch is lit and the competition begins.