Although bloated and unashamedly commercial, the Olympic Games still retain an appeal which sets them apart from any other major sports event in the world. The "faster, higher, further" creed of the Olympic movement seems nothing but a fond memory as the colossus of world sport gathers up more: nations, more money and more television time. And yet, the essence of the games - sublime sporting moments which catch the breath and warm the heart - will, hopefully, be the enduring memories of Atlanta 96, the most commercially driven Games in their 100 year modern history.
Since the financial fiasco of Montreal in 1976 which threatened the very fabric of the Games, the International Olympic Committee has copper fastened its future by mortgaging its house and some fear its soul. The effects of this on the global television audience which will watch the games may be negligible, but maintaining this unlikely alliance of physical excellence and business acumen is proving to be more and more difficult.
Proof of this dilemma can be found in the decision to stage the 1996 games in Atlanta. Those who hoped that the centennial modern games would go back to its original venue, Athens, were labouring under the impression that tradition weighs heavily with the Olympic movement. Instead, the International Olympic Committee saw the commercial dividend to be earned by staying the games in the bosom of one of its main sponsors. The fact that the games will be held in intolerable heat for competitors, and spectators alike, and in one of the most violent cities in the US were no more than minor concerns.
Unfortunately, the effects of this commercial agenda goes all the way through to the key players - the athletes. Although none of the 10,000 competitors in Atlanta will be paid for competing, the rewards for winning a medal can be enormous. While most of these competitors will be more than happy Just to compete at sport's highest occasion others will take unacceptable risks through performance enhancing drugs to gain the narrowest of advantages over their rivals. It is almost inevitable that the Atlanta Games will at some stage be overshadowed by the spectre of drugs and, when it happens, the IOC will try to apportion blame everywhere except at its own doorstep. In its own autocratic way, the IOC gives, the impression that, hand in hand with big business, it owns every Olympic sport when, in fact, it is only a temporary trustee.
Sport is still, the most unify in force, in the world and gifted individuals like Sonia O Sullivan and Michelle Smith are the true heroines and role models for the future. They and the rest of the Olympic athletes will captivate, enthrall and carry the hopes and dreams of millions in the coming weeks. It is vital that sport remains exactly that, a concept rooted on the track, in the swimming pool, at the gymnastics hall and not on the balance sheet. Let the five ring circus begin.