By Paul Majendie
Athens - First euphoria. Then paranoia.
How appropriate that Greece gave the world both words.
It revelled in winning Euro 2004 as an 80-1 outsider in July but soon returned to its seven-year fret over staging a successful Olympics.
"There is a certain amount of apprehension going into the Olympics, but we have a smile on our face after the football," said Antonis Panoutsos, television anchorman for the soccer tournament that gave national pride such a fillip.
After constant buffeting by bad news over Olympic construction delays, security concerns, budget overruns and profiteering since its bid succeeded in 1997, fatalism still rules.
"We are like the British. Greece takes pleasure in disaster. We love to be the worst or best. We don't want to be anything in between," he told Reuters with the opening of the Olympics less than a week a way.
Greece has always battled to live up to the glories of its ancient past.
Being the cradle of western civilisation, democracy, maths and physics is a tough act to follow.
Winning Euro 2004 may not rank with ancient triumphs but for 10 million Greeks in their homeland and another seven million dotted around the world, it was a chance, briefly, to quell their collective paranoia.
This year's Eurovision song contest was a classic example of that.
Greek pop star Sakis Rouvas landed third place but endless theories abounded on why he lost to Ukraine's Ruslana. Who on the national voting juries for the annual pop kitsch contest was plotting against Greece?
"That was a typical Greek reaction," said Panoutsos. "We can convince ourselves there is a conspiracy."
Reflecting on the agony and ecstasy of being Greek, author Nikos Dimou conceded: "Greece is a small country with an immense ego, its people are burdened with history and myths."
Greeks consistently top polls as the proudest nation in Europe but he said: "This clash between our inflated, mythical ego and the harsh everyday reality is a constant source of depression."
Dimou, who is the author of the best-selling collection of aphorisms "On the Misery of Being Greek", added: "We thirst for recognition, acceptance and admiration."
That came by the bucketful after Euro 2004 but he argued that useful lessons needed to be learned. "Nothing happens as a result of 'soul' alone. But if it is combined with rationalism, Greeks can go very far indeed."
Athens has a tough act to follow after Sydney but if the Olympic pessimists are proved wrong, Greeks could be taking to the streets around the world all over again to celebrate.
Explaining the outburst of joy from the Greek diaspora that greeted Greece's 1-0 defeat of Portugal in the Euro 2004 final, Panoutsos said: "They feel like defending themselves and their values so they wait for an event that will give them pride.
"When anything happens, they are ready to blow their top and celebrate," he said after Greeks from Tashkent to Tanzania deliriously celebrated.
Hyperbole - yet another Greek word - certainly reigned supreme.
"It's the most important thing we've done since Alexander the Great conquered the world," said Vancouver-based Greek-Canadian Nick Kambas of July's soccer triumph.
And Anastase Maragos, president of the harbour city's Hellenic Community, proudly boasted to The Vancouver Sun: "It's always great to be Greek but this summer it's going to be even more fun."
