Advertisement

Squawking albatross is painful reminder of Atlanta shambles

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP

What a pain you are, Billy Payne.

Advertisement

The man who brought the Olympic Games to Atlanta, and then proceeded to win a gold medal in verbal gymnastics trying to paper over the glaring inadequacies and organisational foul-ups at the city venue, is now dishing out advice to 2000 hosts Sydney.

Goodness knows who invited this albatross in wise-owl's clothing, but he flew in last week to squawk a little.

'I like to compare it [staging the Olympics] to your daughter's piano recital,' he trilled.

'She was not the best - there was someone better.

Advertisement

'But at the same time, it was pretty good. I think the Atlanta Games accomplished what it set out to do.' And what, pray, was that, Mr Payne? To infuriate competitors, spectators and the media with a shambolic transport system, to set back technology by a decade with a worthless information network, and to cheapen the Olympic name with tacky street-stall commercialism? Everyone from International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch to your average Atlanta taxi driver (and they were pretty average) could tell that the Olympic grand piano was not only badly tuned but poorly played.

While winging his way round Sydney, Payne remarked that the city should be prepared for criticism no matter how well the Games were organised.

loading
Advertisement