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Riot of colours, loads of fun at Athens
It was the final of the women's beach volleyball, and what added to the thrill were girls in silver bikinis, the cheer leaders, coming and dancing on the court during every 'time out'.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please stand up, put up your hands and give us an Olympic record for the fastest Mexican wave." The voice boomed on the PA system at the Faleiro complex on Tuesday night and the crowd dressed in yellow and blue and red was up on its feet, dancing and waving in a frenzy to the theme song of Zorba the Greek.
"You are terrific, you the are best, you are all champs," drooled the DJ.
And then, it was back to the action on the sand court in the middle of the stadium.
Four ladies in bikinis, two in Brazilian colours and two in stars and stripes, diving, blocking and spiking to the roar of oohs and aahs.
A point to Brazil and the music went "Hay ha ho, ho ha'! A point to the US and the Americans were swinging to 'Born in the USA'. A special song for every point!
Adding to the thrill were 12 girls in silver bikinis, the cheer leaders, coming and dancing on the court during every 'time out', to the beat of Queen's rock anthem, 'We will, we will rock you'.
It was the final of the women's beach volleyball, and the stands were packed -- fans swinging and dancing to every point.
It was difficult to stay rooted to your seat in the media box, and you were soon tapping your feet on the floor and humming along. Coming alive.
Yes, this sport was just what the doctor had ordered after having dragged your tired bones all over the city for a fortnight, swinging between hope and despair.
The fans out there were partying and it felt good to be part of the fun.
This sport is like no other, and it would not be wrong to call beach volleyball 'the showpiece event' of Athens 2004.
It is a very young Olympic sport -- was presented as a demonstration sport in 1992 and reached full medal status only in 1996 in Atlanta -- but it is already one of the most popular events as as far as the spectators and the media are concerned. It has added glamour to the Olympics, and it is not surprising that the tickets here were sold out well in advance.
The game, which was born on the sands of Santa Monica, California in the 1920s, has grown really big over the past two decades -- with a lot of support from the Latin American countries -- and has given a new meaning to the word competition. You discovered that on Tuesday night, even as you became a part of an Olympic record -- for the fastest Mexican wave.
