Athens to Athens is the definitive history of the Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), charting the re-creation of the Games by Pierre de Coubertin, the often tempestuous and controversial fortunes of the governing body, and all the highs and lows of the Games themselves. Here, too, are the stories of the competitors—from Spyridon Louis, Jim Thorpe, and Jessie Owens to Carl Lewis, Steve Redgrave, and Cathy Freeman. The twin evolutions of the IOC and the world’s greatest sports event unfold in alternate chapters, and include personal reminiscences by famous champions and notable IOC figures. The book also details the many crises, including the Nazi Games of 1936, the Israeli slaughter by terrorists in 1972, and the ongoing problems of commercialization and drug abuse. Journalist David Miller, who has covered 16 Olympic Games, is also the biographer of Juan Antonio Samaranch.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Miller's attempt to create a definitive monument to the Olympics by relating "the parallel evolution and history of both the administrators and the competitors" is a decidedly mixed bag. Across more than 350 pages, the veteran sports journalist alternates chapters about the IOC's often tumultuous between-the-games politicking with detailed descriptions of the competitions themselves (the appendices include more than 140 pages listing all IOC members and Olympic Games results). Almost every page features a fascinating athletic story. In the best chapters, such as the one dealing with the tragic 1972 Munich games, Miller shows a keen eye for how the games reflect the often-competing interests of the IOC, national and international federations, host cities and the media. He never shies from the games' many controversies; he is fierce in his criticism of athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs; and he pulls no punches when it comes to detailing the faults of former IOC presidents—Avery Brundage's anti-Semitism, Antonio Juan Samaranch's obsession with increasing the IOC's income. (It was Samaranch who encouraged Miller to write this book.) But too often his writing deteriorates into the kind of incessant editorializing found in crazed sports fanzines. He revels in catty comments about successful female athletes, especially those from the U.S.: gold medal skater Peggy Fleming had "stereotypical glamour," gold medal sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner "had much of the physical appearance of a man" and gold medal skater Sarah Hughes was "emotionally as barren as apple pie." Tiny type, small and poorly cropped photos and a layout reminiscent of an old Encyclopedia Britannica will try the patience of even diehard Olympic fans.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
David Miller has been a journalist since 1956, covering 16 Summer and Winter Games. He was in the training squad for the British football team for Melbourne '56, failing to make the 'cut' for the fifteen who travelled. He is the author of biographies of Sebastian Coe and Juan Antonio Samaranch, and is joint author of The History of the International Amateur Athletic Federation.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worthwhile, though challenging reading,
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This review is from: Athens to Athens: The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC, 1894-2004 (Official History of the Olympic Games & the Ioc) (Hardcover)
A decent retrospective of over a century of Olympic history. It is not a smooth read, though, and you will need to take frequent breaks to rest your eyes due to the small type. I also noticed several errors in the statistical information in the back of the book, which the author claims was done by a third-party. It was still a worthwhile purchase and does enhance my Olympic library.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of information crammed in,
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This review is from: Athens to Athens: The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC, 1894-2004 (Official History of the Olympic Games & the Ioc) (Hardcover)
The first thing to be said about this goldmine of Olympic information is that in order to cram all the information into 528 large pages, it is printed using a small font size, which is even harder to read when italicized - and the first few paragraphs of each chapter, which contain comments by an official or athlete, are italicized. If you are concerned about eye-strain, either use a magnifying glass or only read for brief periods at a time. Actually, the nature of this book makes it ideal for dipping in and out of anyway.
The book begins with a foreword by Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, followed by a preface by the author. Neither of those contain italicized text, but the introduction, subtitled Survival, begins with italicized comments by Cathy Freeman. The idea that the Olympics are threatened with extinction seems far-fetched, but they are a political event as well as a sporting event, so I suppose nothing should be taken for granted. Corruption and scandal are never far away from the Olympics, but I'd be very surprised if they don't continue to appear every fourth year, as they have done since 1896. The original Olympics of ancient Greece died, but circumstances were very different then. The first two chapters cover the ancient Greek Olympics and the development of the idea by Baron Pierre de Coubertin for reviving the Olympics. Chapter 3 covers the inaugural modern Olympics of 1896 and each Olympics thereafter (including the Winter Olympics) has its own chapter. Interspersed between the chapters on specific Olympics are other chapters, which generally look at what happened in the build-up or aftermath to the big events. Major off-field episodes such as the 1980 boycott are thus kept apart from the sporting chapters, but the terrorist attack in 1972 happened during the Munich Olympics and are therefore included within that chapter. In the case of Ben Johnson, the 100 metres event itself, including a picture of the award ceremony, is covered in the Seoul 1988 chapter, but a separate chapter is dedicated to the subsequent fall-out. There are extensive appendices, but by far the most interesting are Appendix B (results) and Appendix C (medal tables). So at a glance, you can see who won gold, silver and bronze in each event, or you can see the medal table for each Olympics covered. As the title suggests, this book covers the Olympics up to and including Athens 2004. If you can put up with the small typeface, this official history of the Olympics is truly a goldmine of information, though you may prefer to buy a more recent edition such as The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC: Athens to Beijing, 1894-2008 (Official History of the Olympic Games & the Ioc). Having already bought this one, I won't be in a hurry to buy it, since all the information I might need about subsequent Olympics should be available on the internet.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Readable, Practical and Definitive,
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This review is from: Athens to Athens: The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC, 1894-2004 (Official History of the Olympic Games & the Ioc) (Hardcover)
This book was purchased as a gift for an aspiring Beijing 2008 Olympic decathlete, and I was extremely pleased with its concise content, historical data, illustrations, and overall presentation.
A great reference book and a perfect "coffee-table" book. Thankyou.
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