Olympics anniversary celebrations to go ahead

Celebrations marking the first anniversary of the Sydney Olympics will proceed as planned despite the terror attacks on the United States.

Australian authorities have scaled down their celebrations and will observe a minute's silence to commemorate the victims of the attacks on New York and Washington but say they want their celebrations to go ahead.

"We will not allow this week's tragic events to dim our memories of Sydney's triumphant demonstration of world harmony a year ago," New South Wales state treasurer Michael Egan said.

"A year ago, the people of the world gathered here in Sydney. We saw the best of humanity on display...it is important for us all to celebrate those qualities, especially at this time."

The 16-day celebration, beginning Saturday, will start with the re-lighting of the Olympic cauldron. It will be held exactly a year after the Opening Ceremony for the Games, but that is where the similarities end.

Unlike last year when Cathy Freeman walked barefoot through a curtain of water to ignite the cauldron, a local politician will re-light it this time by flicking a switch.

Even the venue has changed, with the seven tonne cauldron having been relocated from the main stadium to a nearby park.

BEST EVER

Sydney has been basking in the glory of staging the greatest Olympics for most of the past year but the hangover is now starting to set in.

The bright lights and laser beams that illuminated the city skyline have all been turned off and the giant Olympic rings that hung off the harbour bridge have been pulled down.

The heaving crowds that flocked to Darling Harbour from dusk to dawn and transformed the city into one big party have gone home.

The volleyball stadium that rocked to the Brazilian samba on the yellow sands of Bondi Beach has been packed up and weeds have taken over the rowing course where Steve Redgrave won his fifth Olympic title.

But there are some reminders of the Games that have survived.

There is the fading thin blue line running through the streets of the central business district and suburbs and winding its way to the athletic stadium, marking the marathon course.

And, of course, there are the giant stadiums at Homebush Bay, but they are mostly empty and silent now.

The main stadium, where Freeman won the 400 metres gold medal, is being rebuilt -- reducing capacity from 110,000 to 80,000 -- and has been filled only twice in the last year, both times for international rugby matches.

The swimming pool that became known as the golden pond because of all the world records that were set there, now rarely sees the likes of Ian Thorpe and is used mainly by school children.

But the tennis centre is the new home of the Sydney international, a seven-day warm-up event for the Australian Open, and will host next weekend's Davis Cup semifinals.

And the showground, the venue for baseball during the Olympics, now hosts Australia's finest sheep and cattle as the new parade ring for the annual agricultural show.

The multi-purpose Superdome, where the Dream team won their basketball gold and the tiny gymnasts cartwheeled themselves to a standstill, has proven less useful than anticipated and, apart from the odd concert, has stood empty ever since.

Government and council officials say Homebush Bay has an exciting future and could even become the city's new business district. But for the residents of Sydney, it's just a great white elephant.

UNNOTICED LEGACIES

There are other legacies that have become more appreciated with time, such as the new roads and expressways linking the city to the airport and the new rail links.

And unlike previous Olympics, the Games were not a financial disaster.

NSW Premier Bob Carr said the Games generated an economic flow-on creating 2,500 jobs and A$1.1 billion (US$550 million) in trade and investment.

And the Australian Tourist Commission said it had forecast a 4.5 per cent increase in visitors with 5.2 million tourists expected each year.

The greatest legacy though is the sense of pride that the Games gave Australians.

Australia's International Olympic Committee member Kevan Gosper explained: "Sydney is a more confident city, because the Olympics is a complex event, difficult to do well, and it was so successful."

Sydney Olympics: The complete coverage