Athens to host 2004 Olympics

Athens was early this morning named by the International Olympic Committee president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, as the host city for the 2004 Olympic Games.

The vote in Lausanne, Switzerland, made up for a snub to Athens, which held the first modern Olympics in 1896 but lost out to Atlanta for the 1996 Centennial Games.

Athens beat ancient rival Rome, considered the slight favourite, and Buenos Aires, Cape Town and Stockholm.

The breakdown of votes by the committee's 107 members in the secret ballot was not available.

By choosing Athens, the committee returned to its traditional roots in Europe while declining to take the games for the first to Africa or South America.