ATHENS 2004: Apollo and Dionysus inspire Opening Ceremony
Myths of ancient Greek gods
Papaioannou said that the Opening Ceremony will draw from the myths of the ancient Greek god Apollo, best known as the mythical deity of the bow, music and for his power over oracles. The Closing Ceremony will represent ideas from Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, the mythical god of wine.
Greek flavour
Opening Ceremony: three-and-a-half hours
8,000 volunteers
A total of 8,000 volunteer performers will take part in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, together with approximately 2,000 technical support volunteers. The first round of auditions, which took place over the last few months, resulted in the selection of some 6,000 volunteers, with another 4,000 interviews set to take place during the second and final round of auditions starting on 14 February 2004. Applications for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies Volunteers Programme should be submitted electronically at the address www.athens2004.com/volunteers.