[01] GREECE HONORED WITH REVERENCE AT OLYMPIC GAMES CLOSING CEREMONY

[02] GREECE SEIZES FOUR GOLD MEDALS, EARNS 16TH SPOT OUT OF 197 COUNTRIES

[03] GREECE WILL CELEBRATE RETURN OF OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS WITH GRANDEUR

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] GREECE HONORED WITH REVERENCE AT OLYMPIC GAMES CLOSING CEREMONY

The Atlanta-held Centennial Olympic Games came to an end today and Greece was especially honored during the magnificent spectacle of the closing ceremony.

Greece's national anthem echoed throughout the world with due reverence to the country which founded the Olympic spirit of noble emulation and athletic pageantry.

In the wee hours of the morning, local time, Atlanta saluted the 11,000 athletes who participated in the 26th Olympic Games, representing 197 different countries. In the city's Olympic Stadium more than 85,000 thousand spectactors, aside from the billions of television viewers, cheered the champions and celebrated under the frenetic rhythms of live music.

In the stadium where triumph was interrupted by tragedy, President of the International Olympics Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch, asked everyone to observe a moment of silence to honor the memory of those killed during the recent bomb explosion.

"No terrorist act has ever been able to destroy the Olympic movement, and it will never be able to. Today, more so than ever before, we are committed to building a better, more peaceful world," Mr. Samaranch stated.

The ceremony came to a close when the Olympic Games flag was handed to Australia. It signified the passing of the torch to Sidney, the city to host the Games in the year 2000.

[02] GREECE SEIZES FOUR GOLD MEDALS, EARNS 16TH SPOT OUT OF 197 COUNTRIES

Greece ranks 16th in the league of Olympic champions from the 197 countries who participated in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, a remarkable feat for a country that hadn't savored such victory since the first Olympics of 1896.

Having earned four gold and four silver medals, the Greek athletes astounded everyone with their performances in weightlifting, floor gymnastics, sailing and high jumping.

In acknowledgment of their extraordinary performances, National Defense Minister Gerasimos Arsenis will bestow the Greek Olympic champions with the rank of reserve lieutenant, while the two-times gold medalist in weightlifting Pyrros Demas, who was appointed lieutenant after his victory in the Barcelona Games of 1992, will be promoted to captain.

The Parliament of Greece will honor the Olympic champions on Wednesday morning with an event attended by the President of Greece Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert and the leaders of other minor opposition parties.

The United States earned first place with 100 medals, while Russia and Germany came second and third respectively. Seventy- nine countries won at least one medal each.

[03] GREECE WILL CELEBRATE RETURN OF OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS WITH GRANDEUR

Overflowing with pride, Greece is set to welcome the arrival of its "golden children", as the Olympic Games medalists are lovingly referred to, with pomp and circumstance.

The eight medalists, four gold and four silver, will arrive at the Athens airport's eastern terminal at six p.m. tomorrow evening. In turn, they will board military jeeps and will be driven through the seaside avenue of Poseidon to the gates of Andrianos.

Waiting for them upon a platform will be the Mayor of Athens and the members of the city council who will bestow upon them the gold medal of Athens.

Afterwards, the Olympic Games medalists will walk towards the city's Kallimarmaron Stadium where the country's political leadership will await en masse their arrival.

Following the awarding of the medalists, there will be a firework display and the festivities in Athens will be capped with a concert by Greek composer Stamatis Spanoudakis.

Thessaloniki will also celebrate the arrival of its champions, gold medalist in gymnastics Yiannis Melissanides and silver medalist in weightlifting Valerios Leonides as well as all those Olympic athletes who have local roots.

The city will be showered in lights and the athletes will be greeted at the Macedonia airport upon their arrival by Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos, Mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Kosmopoulos and other local dignitaries.

A victory parade will follow which will run through the city's major arteries and will lead to the White Tower where the Municipality will host an open-to-the-public festivity.

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