Too Greek to be True

The title of his posting is the best line I've heard so far in this place. They tell me it's actually a local saying and it refers to the Greek way of doing things.

One of the main examples is, of course, the whole construction surrounding the Olympics. How everythig started really slow and how they needed 24 hour construction shifts to finish everything just in time. The JIT (Just In Time) principle is usually applied as a matter of efficiency, but I can assure you that that is not the case here.

It is not because we are volunteers, but after a week I can also assure you that these games would never be possible without them. And this is not only because of the costs. Very little seems to be planned to the detail. This means that what actually makes this machine work is the improvisation, dedication and flexibility of the thousands of volunteers. The volunteers are really the oil in this machine.

But, credit where credit is due. The Greek organisation is very keen on delegating responsibility downwards. The volunteer manual even states that you are supposed to solve all problems yourself and only escalate if you cannot solve the issue. Also you should not adopt a civil servant attitude by sending athletes and officials to the 'next counter' if their issue is not within your area.

I don't know if Atlanta and Sydney were like this (I doubt it), but these principles really make the work very interesting and diverse. And the locals are very very very determined to make these games a big success.

I know, this sounds a bit slimey, but that is not the intention. I just wanted to express my admiration for the locals and if something goes wrong... well just say "This is too Greek to be true".

Roberto