Summer 2004 will bring together the world's greatest sportsmen and women in a variety of sporting events, with the arrival of the Olympic Games in Athens.

The Olympic Games have become the biggest sporting event of our time. Athletes from all over the world take part, with their achievements being watched from both near and far by hundreds of millions of spectators. You can be sure that at each of the many open-air sporting events the weather will be closely monitored.

Weather links
5 day forecast for Athens
Athens - Average Conditions
Greece - Country Guide

Features
Olympic Sailing Weather Diary
Olympic weather
Olympic weather facts
Athens 2004

Other links
BBC Sport - Athens 2004
Athens 2004 - The Official Site

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Olympic weather
It is an honour for a country to host the Olympics, and as they are aptly named the 'Summer Games', the weather does have a significant influence on the competition.

In the 1996 Olympic Games for example, with Atlanta's heat and humidity, the danger of thunderstorms and lightning was ever present. The chance of a tropical storm or hurricane was a major concern.

In these diverse Summer Games, athletes compete in a wide variety of competitions on the track, on the road, on grass, in the water, on the water, in the open air and indoors.

Fiona Campbell is the British Olympic Sailing Team Meteorologist. In a series of articles she looks at the effect that the weather has on the Olympic Games, in particular with regards to sailing. She also gives us an insight into how the team have been preparing for Athens 2004.

Weather and the Olympics
Introduction to Weather and Sailing in the Olympics
The Winds in Athens
Meteorological Support in Athens
Weather and Tactics

Keep track of the weather at the Olympics with Fiona Campbell's Olympic Sailing weather diary. She will writing daily comments on the weather conditions and how they are affecting the sailing teams.

Olympic Sailing Weather Diary

Athens 2004
Greece in the Mediterranean in August. The forecast, as you would expect, would be hot and sunny for most areas, with temperature soaring and plenty of sunshine. These are ideal conditions for spectators, but not so much for the athletes.

The range of sports that the Olympics Games includes has certainly grown in the last few years, with many new open-air sports coming to the fore, examples are baseball and softball.

Here is a table of specific open-air sporting events that will be taking place during the Olympic weeks in August.

Olympic events schedule

Date	Event	Locations
13 August	The opening ceremony	Maroussi
11 - 27 August	Football preliminaries	Maroussi, Patras, Heraklio, Volos, Thessaloniki
14 - 15 August	Cycling Road Race Course	Kotzia Square (start and finish)
14 - 21 August	Swimming	Maroussi
14 - 22 August	Shooting	Attica
14 - 23 August	Softball	Helliniko
14 - 25 August	Beach volleyball	Faliro Coastal Zone
14 - 27 August	Hockey	Helliniko
14 - 28 August	Sailing	Helliniko
15 - 22 August	Tennis	Maroussi
15 - 28 August	Rowing and Kayak flatwater racing	Marathonas
15 - 28 August	Equestrian	Attica
17 - 20 August	Canoeing	Helliniko
18 August	Shot put	Olympia
20 - 29 August	Athletics	Maroussi
23 August	Marathon	Marathon to Gaudi (start to finish)
24 - 25 August	Baseball	Helliniko
25 - 26 August	Olympic Triathlon	Vouliagmeni
26 - 27 August	Modern Pentathlon	Goudi
27 - 28 August	Mountain biking	Parnitha
28 August	Gold Medal Football Final	Maroussi
29 August	The closing ceremony	Maroussi

Olympic weather facts
The Olympic Games represent the Games of the Olympiad (i.e. the Summer Games) and the Olympic Winter Games. The word Olympiad refers to the four-year period that separates each of the Summer Games.

Previous to 2004, the Summer Olympics have been held a total of 25 times, in amongst the warmer locations were Mexico City 1968, Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992. Some of the cooler conditions were in Helsinki 1952, Munich 1972, Moscow 1980.

Apart from in Atlanta 1996, most of the rainy days of past Summer Olympic cities were not accompanied by thunder and lightning.