The Made-for-TV Olympics

OSMAN ORSAL/AP

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Ozlem Ozcelik, captain of the Turkish National Volleyball team, carries the Olympic flame over the Bosporus bridge as she crosses from Asia to Europe in Istanbul

The power failure that crippled much of Greece for four hours last Monday is only the latest indication that the Athens Olympics may be almost as challenging for visitors as it is for athletes. But there are other, subtler omens as well. Take the new 8,000-seat boxing venue in the Athens neighborhood of Peristeri. With a slick blue-and-red ring capped by a colossal TV screen and a snazzy digital scoreboard, it's a dazzling place to watch a fight. But step outside the main hall and the polished illusion falls apart: there are few signs telling people how to get where they're...

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