America's athletes

As the 2004 Olympic Games begin, the expectations for certain teams and athletes to bring home the gold continue to grow.

Near the top of that list is the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team. The team has struggled through the pre-Olympic exhibitions, including a blowout loss to Italy. Since the pros started participating in 1992, the men have never failed to take the gold.

The U.S. Olympic women's soccer team readies itself for the last go-round with the core of players that brought world-wide notoriety for the women's team. Anything less than a gold medal would be disappointing for the United States.

Carly Patterson leads a promising group of U.S. gymnasts. Patterson was a part of the 2003 USA Women's World Championship team, a title the team hopes to parlay into Olympic gold.

Twenty-two year-old Justin Gatlin is one of the brightest young sprinters in track and field. On the heels of runner-up finishes in both the 100 and 200 meters at the Olympic Trials, Gatlin is on the verge of joining a very decorated group of American sprinters.

Coached by his father, flyweight boxer Ron Siler is poised to build on his exciting run through the 2004 Olympic Trials. Siler will rely on quickness over power in his attempt to capture the 112-pound division in Athens.

It is doubtful that heavyweight wrestler Rulon Gardner will be able to recreate the drama and excitement that he injected into the 2000 Sydney Games. Gardner overcame incredible odds to outpoint Russia's Aleksandr Karelin 1-0 to shock the world as well as himself. Karelin hadn't been scored on in seven years and was unbeaten in 12 years leading into his historic loss to Gardner.

Swimmer Michael Phelps was favored to dominate the Olympic Trials. Although Phelps wasn't as dominant in the Trials as he had been previously, he still found himself partipating in multiple events in Athens. Phelps' losses in the Trials could serve as a springboard for energy for taking the top spot on the podiums in Greece.

Jennie Finch was a part of the 2003 Pan-American gold medal-winning team. The right-handed pitching Finch is set to relive the U.S. Olympic women's softball teams' golden efforts.

Jenny Thompson is in her 17th year of international competition and is a two-time swimmer of the year. Thompson is attempting to make the most of what is likely to be her final shot at winning Olympic gold.

Guide to Greece

If you're headed to Greece, or just want to learn more about the country, visit Odyssei.com for a list of what to see and a short history of modern Greece. About.com has information about traveling to and around Greece, sightseeing and more. National Geographic also has a travel section on Greece that includes a list of do's and don'ts. More information about traveling to Greece can be found on the Embassy of Greece site.

Greece is part of the European Union (EU). The currency is the Euro. Rates fluctuate. The European Commission operates a site with conversion rates for most currencies, including the U.S. Dollar.

The Athens Greece Guide 2004 has lists and links that may answer any additional questions, including those about transportation, shopping, museums, entertainment and accommodations. This site also includes maps and a virtual tour of Athens.

Matt Barrett has a page offering an overview of the Olympics and Greece, including tips on how to get around and what to expect from security precautions. The Embassy of Greece also offers information on security arrangements.

Want to know where a specific event will be held? The official Athens 2004 Olympics site has this information.

It's all Greek

This year, the beautiful city of Athens, Greece is hosting the Olympics.

If you're one of the lucky ones who is going to Athens, don't forget to enjoy some of the sights of the city, such as the Acropolis, Hadrian's Arch or the Monastiraki Flea Market. And out of respect for the people of Greece, be mindful of the customs that are observed.

If you'll be enjoying Athens and the Olympics from a less exotic locale -- your couch -- you can bring a little bit of Greece into your kitchen. While entertaining, try out some Greek recipes, such as keftedes (Greek meatballs) or Loukoumades (honey puffs). Or for a larger meal, try to make Lamb Souvlaki.

More Greek food ideas:

Olympics on TV

Despite the seven-hour time difference from the Eastern time zone to Athens, the NBC Universal networks (NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, HDTV) are are calling this year's programming "the most complete Olympic broadcast in television history."

The NBC Olympics site has a schedule page and coverage grid that provide information about what portions of the Olympics can be viewed on each network. TV listings by day or by sport are also available on the NBC Olympics site.

Finally, if the TV coverage isn't bringing enough Olympics to your home, you can always watch video clips from this year's games and past games on the NBC Olympics site.

History of the Games

Before there were the Olympics that we know, there were the ancient games. The ancient Olympic Games were primarily a part of a religious festival in honor of Zeus and began in the year 776 BC. The University of Pennsylvania has a museum exhibit dedicated to the ancient games and a website that tells the real story.

This year, the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad return to the site of the first modern Olympics, Athens Greece. In 1894, the first games took place although many of the world's greatest athletes did not attend. The U.S team almost didn't make it to the games because of some confusion of the date and the use of a different calendar. The Americans did arrive in time and still managed to win the most gold medals and were competitive in most events.

Since then, the Olympics have been one of the world's greatest sporting and cultural events.

Here is a list of the past summer Olympic games.

After Athens, the 2008 summer games will be played Beijing, China.

There are also winter Olympic games which will take place next in Torino, Italy in 2006.