Henson, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation in Bloomington, was the track and field director for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and has spent the past two decades working with Olympic competitions.

Although Henson isn’t involved with the upcoming 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, he’s paid close attention to the planning progress. As the competition manager for the 1996 games, he spent two years in Atlanta gearing up for its turn at hosting. During the Atlanta games he oversaw seven different training sites, monitored weather reports, juggled multiple mobile phones and found himself helping top athletes - including long jump star Carl Lewis - arrive at award ceremonies on schedule.

"I only had to worry about the competition," Henson said, modestly summing up his role. He doesn’t miss the hectic pace. "I tell people the three years I was there (Atlanta) I probably aged 10-20 years. It’s a very, very big undertaking."

Henson remains a strong supporter of the Olympics, despite his concerns regarding the upcoming Athens games. He believes holding the competitions in Athens has posed considerable challenges for planners.

"Athens is beautiful to visit. I’m not trying to be negative, but logistics in Athens is going to be difficult," said Henson, adding that the ancient city’s narrow streets and excessive congestion will add to security concerns. "I think a lot of people that live there will be on holiday, hoping to make way for the tourists. For spectators it will be very hard to move around and it will be a lot more costly."

Henson originally had planned to attend the Athens games as a spectator. He scrapped his plans after discovering the rising costs would top the $10,000 mark for travel, lodging and competition tickets. Now he plans to watch NBC broadcasts of the games from his home.

The much publicized difficulties in preparing Athens have added to doubts that the facilities will be ready for the August arrival of athletes and spectators. Ranging from an underground train system to a stadium renovation, the construction phases have run behind schedule, making some commentators question whether or not the Athens games will commence as planned.

"It’s going to happen in Athens. I think the competitions will take place, no doubt, but they may not have all the frills. That’s my opinion," said Henson who observed some of the Athens facilities firsthand back in 1997 as an official during world competitions.

A bigger concern, said Henson, is the security issues. "I sincerely hope nothing major happens in Athens. If there was a major incident…it could be the end of the Olympic Games," said Henson. "Obviously, people are very concerned about security. Even though in Atlanta it was a big deal and Sydney it was a big deal; In Athens it will be incredible."

Security concerns encompass athletes and officials to spectators and dignitaries. As an example of the heightened precautions, a news report in early June stated airport security includes more than 1,000 police officers and special forces on top of 1,000 private security company guards, patrolling the airport around the clock throughout the competitions.

Aside from security concerns, Henson fears part of the problem with the Olympic Games is that the competitions have become too large, making it virtually impossible for any one city to play host. He suggests one way to reduce the strain is to stagger the competitions over a longer period of time. Another option is to limit the sporting events included in the official games.

Without changes, Henson said he fears the modern Olympic Games will suffer the same fate as the ancient Greek games. "The ancient Olympics existed for 1,200 to 1,400 years…and died out when they became too big, too spectator oriented, too violent. I think the violence was the main thing. We are facing many of these same issues with the modern Olympic Games," he said.

Editor’s note: The Olympic Games will be Aug. 13-29 in Athens, Greece. For official information, including competition schedules and security updates, visit the Olympic Games Web site at:
http://www.athens2004.com

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