'After the Olympics are over, I hope they give us our city back," cries a Sydneysider plaintively, as he sits in yet another endless traffic jam. The people of Sydney are justifiably proud of their city and the forthcoming Olympics, but the preparations have not been without pain as the city almost disappeared under a forest of scaffolding and a landscape of roadworks.
Since Australia last hosted the Olympics in Melbourne in 1956 the nation has virtually reinvented itself. Back then it was still very much a British colony, perched uncomfortably on the shores of a giant island while nervously looking towards Asia. Now multiculturalism has created a vibrant and unique Australian community proud of its diverse heritage. Nowhere is that more evident than in Sydney.
However, even in a city as self-confident as Sydney, you will find some elements of doubt as the Olympic Games approach.
Whether the topic is the city rail network, airport operations or traffic flow - even the weather - any glitch floods radio talkback lines with the mantra: "If we're having trouble now, how will we cope during the Olympics?"
For most of this year it seems as if every Sydney conversation and every daily newspaper has made reference to the Olympics. Even so, it was only late last month, when tickets to events were home-delivered and the Olympic flame finally arrived in New South Wales, that real excitement became evident.
It has all been tempered by the Australian inability to take anything too seriously. For every glowing report of "the biggest event on earth", there are stories of tickets unsold, hotel rooms unbooked and residents fleeing the city. Every official Olympic mistake and oversight has been seized on gleefully in the press and around the dining table. Even senior Olympic officials admit watching (and laughing at) The Games, a weekly television sitcom based on fictitious, bungling Sydney Olympic officials.
Assessments of Sydney's Olympic facilities by the Olympic committee and overseas competitors are universally favourable and indicate that the venues for the 2000 Games are state of the art. Already, the people of Sydney are looking forward to using these windfall facilities after the Games competitors have moved on. Indeed, the Aquatic Centre has proved popular since it opened. It is part of the vast Sydney Olympic Park that has arisen west of the
harbour on an old industrial site.
The Olympic opening ceremony on September 15 has provided a deadline for a flurry of civic construction that may otherwise have taken decades to complete. Just as the Olympics have permeated every aspect of Australian life (including a very early introduction of daylight saving), Olympic venues have sprung up across the city. Most controversial is the grand, but temporary, beach volleyball centre on Bondi beach. New venues for shooting,
baseball, cycling, equestrian and rowing have spread in an arc across the western suburbs.
On a sunny day, Sydney is one of the most spectacular harbour cities in the world. That has certainly been taken into account for the triathlon that starts and finishes at Sydney Opera House and the road cycling course that passes by Bronte beach. Sydney harbour is the venue for the Olympic sailing events and the Games marathon course begins with a run across iconic Sydney harbour bridge.
The whole Australian tourist industry is hoping that the international coverage of the 2000 Olympics will showcase Sydney and Australia to the world. So you can bet that a lot of people will have their fingers crossed that these harbourside events are held on typically sparkling spring days.
Part of the baggage that has come with Sydney's recent development into a world city is a certain degree of angst. While it remains laid back and friendly in world terms, by comparison with other Australian cities Sydney moves too fast to be comfortable. Well, that is true unless there is something to celebrate. As this past new year showed - and the 1988 bicentennial celebrations before that - Sydney certainly knows how to party.
From the beaches to the outdoor cafes and restaurants, from sports stadiums to local pubs, some events create a spirit of goodwill that spreads and prevails. After all, Sydney is the big city of a nation where rural drivers still wave to each car they pass.
During the Olympics many of Sydney's shops, bars and restaurants will be open 24 hours, some city parks and plazas will be transformed into entertainment venues and there is an impressive arts festival. More than 1m people are expected to be on or around the harbour for the fireworks display following the closing ceremony.
The Olympics are a unique combination of sport, celebration and national exhibitionism. That is a fair description of Sydney, too. The stage is now set for the biggest party on the planet this year.
David McGonigal
Sunday Times
