Sydney to retain its shine

Sydney's Olympic facilities will be put to good use

By Paul Cohen, Sydney

After 17 days of shaking the world, what next for Sydney?

Well, for one thing, there is going to be the worst collective case of Monday morning blues ever experienced now that the party is over and reality bites back.

But after a week of post-medal depression will come reflection and justifiable self-satisfaction of a job very well done.

A city tucked into the corner of a country that is at the corner of the world was for three weeks the centre of the universe.

Charm

It had a golden chance to impress and charm the glove and took it. In international terms Sydney is hot.

The city's tourist industry is bracing itself for an inundation of post-Olympic visitors dazzled by television images or persuaded by the word of mouth of smitten returnees.

Marie-Jose Perec appears to be alone in declaring that she never wants to return. But Perec likes to be alone.

The Olympic Village

"We are hearing from our agents, especially in Europe and the United States, that there has been a marked increase in interest in travel to Sydney because of the enormous exposure from the Games," said Geoff Buckley, director of strategy for Tourism New South Wales.

"I think the Olympics has been visually fabulous and the friendliness has been outstanding."

There will also be a fabulous legacy for the people of Sydney. These were no boom and bust Games and the infrastructure that was set up over seven years to stage the Olympics will be in use for generations to come.

Most of the arenas and stadiums were completed and in use months, even years, before the start of the Olympics so were already part of the fabric of Sydney.

Centrepiece

Stadium Australia, the magnificent centrepiece of the Games, was already hosting world record rugby crowds well before Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene came to town.

The Stadium is to be reconfigured, however, with the capacity reduced to 80,000 and the athletics track removed to make it more suitable for rugby and soccer.

The 730 hectare landmass on which the main Olympic site is housed used to be wasteland. It is now a sports and entertainment paradise.

The Superdome, the massive indoor arena which staged the gymnastics, is to become the new home of the Sydney Kings basketball team and, along with its little brother The Dome, will also stage concerts.

Venues

The impressive tennis, hockey, and aquatic centres will continue to serve the city as will the out-of-town venues which staged shooting, water sports, equestrian and cycling.

At Darling Harbour the Exhibition and Convention centres will say farewell to the wrestlers and weightlifters and go back to holding exhibitions and conventions.

Bondi Beach

Only Bondi Beach has no lasting Olympic trace. The temporary stands have been removed and where there was beach volleyball there is now only sunbathers.

When the athletes and media villages are emptied after the Paralympics, hundreds of transportable homes are to be sold off and taken away by their new owners.

But left behind will be a new Sydney suburb. The 665 luxury permanent homes, solar-powered and piped with recycled water were mostly sold before the Games.

This brave new world called Newington with its shops, clinic and school, will preserve the concept of the Olympic family.