Inside Lines: Greeks take heart from original Marathon man

Dateline: Athens That unknown soldier never knew what he started when he finished the first marathon in 490 BC. Like Paula Radcliffe today, he could have done with a pacemaker, albeit one alongside his heart rather than running ahead of him. For after declaring "Victory is ours" when relaying news of the war with the Persians, he dropped dead. Legend has it his name was Pheidippides, but Greek historians insist this isn't so; Pheidippides apparently legged it in the direction of Sparta, leaving the mystery runner to deliver the message that has launched a thousand trips. Athenians can also claim fresh marathon victories as the 2004 Games approach. Organisers of next year's Olympic run to Athens from Marathon have won their battle with the environmentalists to hold the race over the original course, and with the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), who wanted the respective women's and men's races to start at 7am, for the comfort of the competitors. The Athens organisers have successfully argued for a 6pm start, peeving those who must pound the dusty road with the sun still simmering. Commercial interests prevail again. The evening is better for TV, it is claimed, and crowds would not be enticed out at dawn. The finishes will be in the breathtaking ampitheatre where Spiridon Louis won the first of the modern Olympics exactly 107 years ago this weekend. The marathon is the one event where a venue doesn't have to be built – all you need is a road, and some runners – but this classic route is being turned into a two-lane highway lined by olive trees, which will at least provide welcome shade.

Brits launch gold bid with military two-step

Cyprus is just an hour and a half's flying time from Athens, the same as the Gold Coast was from Sydney, and the British Olympic Association have made a smart move in establishing their main pre-Olympic base at Paphos. The Queensland set-up was regarded as a principal reason for the British success in 2000 and it seems they may have struck gold again. The sports minister, Richard Caborn, praised the professionalism of the BOA in again getting in ahead of the Germans and the Russians when the deal was signed with the Cyprus Tourist Organisation last week. Paphos is likely to prove more than just an idyllic springboard. Athletes can be secure in the knowledge that there are two British military bases on the island. The BOA chief executive Simon Clegg, an ex-Army man himself, has arranged for troops not only to keep an eye on them but to help with the building of a rowing course for the use of Matthew Pinsent and co. Interestingly, too, Britain's Olympic team leaders in 28 sports are being secretly schooled in Herefordshire by the Leadership Trust, a body closely allied to the nearby SAS headquarters.

Athens visit could spur Blair decision

If Tony Blair can find a moment to skip off from his meetings with other European leaders when he runs the gauntlet of anti-war demos in Athens this week, he should stop looking at Jacques Chirac preening himself over France's rugby World Cup coup and take a peek at what the prospect of an Olympic Games can do for the spirit of a city. There may be concrete and cranes everywhere but rising out of the rubble is a legacy that will enhance the quality of life for every Athenian. A conducted tour with the beguiling Athens 2004 president Gianna Angelopoulos might convince him that a London bid, like the Athens Games, could be a catalyst for a more peaceful world post-Iraq. Unless he suspects Chirac may go 2-0 up.

Denis Oswald is the Hans Blix of the International Olympic Committee, a multi-lingual Swiss lawyer who heads the posse of progress chasers charged with ensuring that the Greek organisers meet their targets for 2004. Time is running out, with fewer than 500 days to go.

Oswald regularly leads the convoy of IOC inspectors, UN-style, in search of weapons of mass construction. Last week they found them, and Oswald professes himself now "satisfied" with the progress being made, after his president Jacques Rogge had issued a yelllow card in February. The Greeks seem to bristle when criticised, but they do take it on board and fingers are promptly extracted. Clearly there is still much to be done, and work goes on around the clock. Craig Reedie, British member of Oswald's co-ordination commission, says: "No one can say they are not working at it. It is almost frenetic. I believe all the sports facilities will be ready, but some of the trimmings might not be."

Olympic tailpiece. It always used to be that the Ancient Games took precedence over wars, and that traditionally a truce was observed during competition.

Well, there is to be an amnesty for next year's event. For dogs, that is. Not dogs of war but the strays seen in proliferation in parts of the city. By Government decree these will no longer be put down, except for public health reasons, but will be rounded up, given medical care and sent to a sanctuary in Attica which can accommodate up to 1,000 animals. It will be funded by the Athens 2004 programme and will remain in use after the Games. The scheme has brought approval from animal protection societies. Lucky dogs.

insidelines@independent.co.uk

Exit Lines

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