2004 Olympics

[iskander_32]

Hi Companions, Im just wondering your opinions on the opening ceremony, I thought It was superb but the way they monopolised Alexander really made me feel very uneasy.I am a ware we are not supposed to say it but I cant help feel the Athenians are trying to Take Alexander awat from Macedonia.I truely believe Alexander had absolutely no love at all for Athens he only ever went there on missions.I alsop believe the Athenians were very close to the same fate as Thebes to me Thebes is a very sad episode, Thebes were conned into rebelling by the Athenian turn coats with promises of money ans aid but when the going got tough, the Athenians betrayed them and grovelled to Alexander as a result Thebes was totally destroyed.I feel the main reason Alexander spared Athens was out of respect for his father, I feel if he had destroyed Athens it would not have made any difference to his endevours it may have even made it easy.If he had destroyed Athens he would not have had to check his back or worry anout the fofth element.If Athens is serious about adopting Alexander I hope it not for propoganda, I would hope a tv programe one day couyld be made abouth what the anvient Greeks were really like there underhandedness and what they really did think of Philip Alexander and Macedonian, to claim them they really have to let go of the ideals that are supposed to be Greek.Were ikt not for ALexander Greek culture would have gone no further than Asia Minor.Sorry for the post but it really irritates me.regardsI hope and pray Stones Alexander is emphasised as Macedonian.kenny

[neneh]

Sorry for being a bit boring, but I thought it was bludeh great. I'm not one for opening ceremonies in general, and the Olympics in particular usually makes me cringe, but I did really like the way everything great about Hellenistic culture made its way across my telly last night. And whatever opinion one holds concering Alexander's nationality and the rest of it, he fitted in perfectly with the rest of the icons.All the best,Neneh.

[amyntoros]

I agree, I thoroughly enjoyed the ceremony - but did you watch it on American television? This is what the two announcers, Bob Costas and Katie Couric, had to say when the float of Alexander appeared:Couric: "There's Alexander the Great, a former Olympian sprinter in the ancient games before he conquered the world, but apparently he wasn't that impressive in the games."Costas: "As an athlete, he might be Alexander the So-So."Huh? The above is a good example of why I have never had time for the cult of the American tv announcer! :-)Linda Ann

[jan]

Hi Linda Ann,Thanks for repeating that line. I caught it too, but missed the so-so as Bob mumbled so. I caught the sense of derision. Like I say, Consider the source! That is ignorance at NBC! For shame!I had wondered what it was that he had mumbled! So? He is looking for feedback from Alexander fans, no doubt, and probably will get e-mail! Blast him a good one!Always, Jan

[lucinos]

sorry iskander, but you are talking nonsense.

[rollsrite]

well i'm felling preey much the same way as you are about greece never really appreciating alexander. am i;m not sure it's a feeling that i like but nevertheless it's there. greece thought they were above it all, and guess what ain't nobody above it all. greece felt "they were the only real civilization and everybody else was savages", little did they know. this was the break with aristotle, alexander finally got it that all men are created equal. tina

[iskander_32]

Companions, can I ask our learned members am I talking nosense?
RegardsKenny

[Jay]

I thought I had read somewhere that Alexander had declined to participate in the Olympic Games, saying that he would race only if he had other kings to race against.So what is the ACTUAL story of Alexander and the Olympics? Did he or didn't he?Jay

[neneh]

No, I didn't watch it on American television, although with commentators like that I wish I would've. I was watching it here in Scandinavia where they only said something along the line of "Alexander the great, who's so popular at the moment, especially considering the film which will premiere in November this year" (apologies if there's any Swedes here who know *exactly* what was said).All the best,Neneh

[Link]

You do make sense. I found it was too blearing, cheap and too merry-go-roundish. Total mis-rep. by usurpers, metaxas lives, pass me another lokum. Aleksandr would have spared just the temples and a few houses in Athens, they would have enjoyed it.Stone isn't an idiot, Macedonias and Athenians or whoever else from the different pockets of land were different tribes of the Balkans, and his advisors would have told him all this. The Greece of today has a very very diverse ednos with half a dozen or so main ednik groups, Learned people know, and ednos (ethnos) means oneness in the Macedonian language.
OLD MACEDONIANGLISHKoen iyas sam gnayan aza to shwo iyasWhen i's am knowan as to what i's vizden aza tia gorosali gramatik rekoi odviewed as the colossal gramatik reckons ofMakedonsi histori, verieve moy velot sestra,Makedon's history, believe my word sister,brator, keyull gnayall totalno onadto shwo iyas brother, you'll knowall totally on to what i's vidu aza chisto voda. viewed as chaste water.

[ruthaki]

How can you say they 'monopolized' Alexander when there was simply one thing in that magnificent pageant that showed him?? On Canadian TV it was merely mentioned in the passing parade. I thought the Greeks did a commendable job of presenting the opening. I loved the way they focused on the history of the Olympics and of their country. And I am particularly impressed with the to amazing women who helped this become a reality, the mayor and the organizer. Now THERE was the spirit of Olympia (the person). BRAVO, ELLADA!

[Link]

Usurp! It is the same as if Spanish claimed ancient South American history from the beginning, and presented it as their own. Viva the ancient Spanish Incas?? The big news focus at the moment is on the small crowds and those olympic cheats. Using Aleksandr the Macedonian that way was a Greekoid mis-representation, a sham. Where were the coming of the 1920's Prosig refugees in the presentation?Cheers!OLD MACEDONIANGLISHKoen iyas sam gnayan aza to shwo iyasWhen i's am knowan as to what i's vizden aza tia gorosali gramatik rekoi odviewed as the colossal gramatik reckons ofMakedonsi histori, verieve moy velot sestra,Makedon's history, believe my word sister,brator, keyull gnayall totalno onadto shwo iyas brother, you'll knowall totally on to what i's vidu aza chisto voda. viewed as chaste water.

[yiannis]

Of course Pela, you realize that what you write is Slavomacedonian, not Macedonian
Any Bulgarian can read them... actually even a Polish guy here at work could read it as well.You keep repeating it, I'll keep correcting you!PS
If your alias refers to the ancient Macedonian capital, then it's written with 2 l's.

[Link]

What you wrote is off course.OLD MACEDONIANGLISH Koen iyas sam gnayan aza to shwo iyasWhen i's am knowan as to what i's vizden aza tia gorosali gramatik rekoi odviewed as the colossal gramatik reckons ofMakedonsi histori, verieve moy velot sestra,Makedon's history, believe my word sister,brator, keyull gnayall totalno onadto shwo iyas brother, you'll knowall totally on to what i's vidu aza chisto voda. viewed as chaste water.

[marcus]

I don't think it's nonsense what you're saying, Kenny, although I'm not sure I agree with you.It isn't so much "the Athenians" who are venerating Alexander - after all, Greece as a whole is hosting the Olympics. I'm not sure that Alexander hated Athens at all - yes, he didn't go there more than twice (if that), but he had plenty of other things to do at the time (and there are plenty of places that I like/love, but have only visited once or twice ). Alexander's relationship with Athens is a difficult one to describe with certainty. I am sure he would have been very reluctant to show animosity towards her, as she was still viewed very much as the cultural leader of the Greeks. The fact that he was so relatively easily persuaded not to demand the surrender of the ten generals after the sack of Thebes is a sign of his desire to maintain good relations.All the bestMarcus