Athens plans spectacular lift-off for games

A giant statue of the goddess Athena will form the centrepiece of Friday’s Olympic Games opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium.

The field area surrounded by the athletics track is to be flooded with water and turned into lake with mythological figures sailing through the water.

The statue of Athena is to rise through a hole in the centre of the field area.

A dress rehearsal for the ceremony was held last night in front of a crowd of about 35,000 people, including employees of the organising committee and volunteers.

And details of the ceremony has, perhaps inevitably, leaked out.

As well as the statue of Athena, the ceremony set is also reported to feature a mountain with an olive branch resting on it and a replica of the Trojan horse.

“We cannot keep everything a secret. We know that,” said Athens spokesman Michael Zacharatos at today’s media briefing.

“We have to test the show and all the security procedures but none of the athletes have seen the show and that’s very important.”

Organisers will carry out a full dress rehearsal with about 70,000 spectators on Tuesday to test security, crowd management and transport issues.