The official -- and very thorough -- website of the Athens Organizing Committee for the 2004 Olympics is the best place to start for general information: www.athens2004.com. Most participating nations' Olympic committees maintain websites with information specific to its citizens. For a list of the various national Olympic Committees and links to their website, go to www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/noc/indec_uk.asp.

Up-to-date information on events in the Cultural Olympiad festivities is expected to be available from www.cultural-olympiad.gr.

For Athens itself, the Olympics Organizing Committee in May 2003 announced plans to have kiosks -- easily identified by the Olympics colors and logo -- at various locales in central Athens and at all major venues. Open from early morning through the early evening, seven days a week, these kiosks' staffs should be able to answer visitors' questions about transportation to the venues, schedules, ticket availability, special events, etc. Desk clerks at major hotels should also be able to at least direct visitors to the best transportation to the venues.

Also in Greece, for the most up-to-date news on possible changes in scheduling and sites, check out the Athens Daily News or the English-language edition of the Kathimerini insert in the International Herald Tribune.

SARS & Health Concerns--At press time, SARS did not seem to be a problem in Greece nor did it seem that SARS would be a threat at the Olympics or in the transportation to and from Greece. By August 2004, however, a great deal might have happened with SARS and presumably everyone will be well aware of that situation. Aside from SARS, the Greek Olympic organizers have committed all kinds of resources to providing first-response medical service for spectators as well as athletes. Medical personnel and ambulances will be in attendance at all events, and there are plans for speedy transfer to hospitals.

By the way, the Greeks have declared that all venues be smoking free, if that is a concern (and if that is possible to enforce in a country like Greece . . . )

Handicapped Accessibility--Athens has not hitherto been known for being especially accessible to the physically handicapped. This was due largely to the fact that the city's infrastructure -- sidewalks, crossings, stairways, public transport, etc -- was put into place long before the physically handicapped expected to be able to move about a large city. Also, the very nature of the archaeological sites that have always been the city's main attractions did not seem to allow for any such accommodations. But in preparation of the 2004 Olympics, efforts were being made to at least make all Olympic venues accessible to the handicapped -- specifically, for those confined to wheelchairs. Central Athens and its hotels and restaurants have much to do before they can be called "handicapped accessible," but, increasingly, people in wheelchairs do get around with the help of others, whether personal companions or strangers.