The Olympics, it seems, have arrived, and Athens, despite global reports to the contrary, is ready. The venues are beautiful, the volunteers are helpful, and in one of the world's most congested cities, I zoom to work each morning in a designated Olympic lane without hassle or problem. It cost an unprecedented amount of money, and survived the most intense security of any Olympics, but Athens is ready to welcome the world with its arms wide open. With tonight's Opening Ceremony, and its celebratory Parade of Nations, the Games will begin. For us in the Research Room, of course, the Olympics have already begun, with soccer matches having already taken place in the past few days. The four-hour telecast of the Opening by NBC should give viewers a sense of the spectacle that the beginning to every Olympics has become - 202 national delegations, thousands of athletes, and a theatrical presentation by Greece designed to acquaint the world with Greek heritage and history. While much is known about what will actually take place during the Opening, it is likely best enjoyed without any sense of what is supposed to happen. It will culminate, of course, with teams marching into the stadium, their respective flags flying proudly, often dressed in outfits designed to express their national and ethnic identities. Many of these athletes, of course, have done this many times before. Canadian Ian Millar, for example, will be making his eighth appearance in the equestrian competition, while his teammate, Cindy Ishov, is making her fourth. American track star Gail Devers comes to the Olympics for her fifth time, while Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey - who is competing for Slovenia this time around - marks her seventh Olympic appearance in Athens. Canoeist Birgit Fischer of Germany has won seven gold medals in her previous five appearances, and hopes to add to that haul in Athens. While we keep our eyes on these "old-timers", however, it is important to remember that many others are making their Olympic debuts, and while a medal is not in the cards for most of them, the Opening Ceremony shows why they work so hard just to get here.

I spent most of the Opening Ceremony inside the International Broadcast Center, scrambling around to ensure that the writers, producers, and talent had what they needed, and coordinating with those in the stadium.  I did, however, run outside to see the spectacular fireworks that ended the ceremony.

The Parade of Nations was a spectacular - if long - display of identity, color, and culture, particularly when the Iraqi athletes entered the stadium to warm rounds of applause.  Their appearance here is one of much international effort, perhaps exemplified by the Australian defense force that Bob Costas mentioned during the telecast.  The Aussies airlifted the team out of Baghdad and delivered them safely to these Games, their first without Uday Hussein as head of the Iraqi Olympic, and without physical consequences for poor performances.   An even more enthusiastic reception awaited the Greek team, led by a flag-carrying weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, the 3-time Olympic gold medalist.  "Welcome Home," indeed - the Games had returned to their birthplace.

However, in the midst of the thousands of athletes assembling together, a visible reminder of the consequence of global politics emerged in the Research Room:  a rumor began to circulate that the athlete designated to carry Iran's flag, judo world champion Arash Miresmaeili, was going to withdraw because the competition draw pitted him against Ahud Vaks, an Israeli.  Iran's policy dictates, allegedly, that its athletes are forbidden from engaging in athletic competition with Israelis.  Iran has, of course, refused to recognize the state of Israel since 1979, but Olympic competition, ideally, does not recognize such practices.  It makes one think about what really is at stake on judo mat, in the swimming pool, and on a track.