Show, Site Satirize the Sydney Games

First there was “The Games,” a weekly TV show satirizing the officials organizing the Sydney Games. And now there’s a Web site spoofing the upcoming Olympics.

Recent episodes of “The Games” have focused on Olympic corruption, budgetary woes, vendors bilking the Olympics and even the need for grief counselors to help local residents cope with post-Olympic blues.

And, in one hilarious episode, a Sydney Olympic official tried to get two Russian hammer throwers to claim they were Somalian--and to seek political asylum just in time to compete for Australia.

The Web site, www.silly2000.com, counts down the days until the end of the games--whereas everyone else is counting the days until the opening ceremony.

The site also features advice for Australians on how to deal with tourists arriving for the Olympics.

“Many visitors who come to Sydney during the Olympics will not be able to speak English. This is not your fault, so leave them to fend for themselves,” the satirical Web site recommends.

“Helping confused tourists to find their way around our beautiful city helps improve our international image and can also be very rewarding. However, leading them astray is much more fun.”

FLOWERS AND TREES: More than 5 million new trees have been planted in Sydney for the Olympics, and 30,000 flowerpots will add to the city’s color in the days before the start of the Sept. 15-Oct. 1 games.

The New South Wales state government said this week that the tree-planting project began in 1994 with a target of 1 million new trees but ended up becoming five times as large.

Dozens of schools, community groups, businesses and local governments participated in the project, which started with trees being planted along the Olympic marathon route six years ago. The project spread to major roads and rail lines.

Carmel Tebbutt, the state’s assistant environment minister, said 80 percent of the trees survived after planting--making Sydney greener for the games.

In mid-September, just a few days before the opening ceremony, eight trucks carrying the flowerpots will add the final touches of color to downtown streets. In the middle of the night, more than 50 people will line the streets with pansies and other flowers nurtured in a huge greenhouse on the outskirts of Melbourne.

The flowers were grown by Floriana, a wholesale nursery that followed strict guidelines from Sydney officials.

“It will make such a difference to the city,” Floriana spokeswoman Catherine Wall said. “The soft organic shapes against the hard city landscape will be refreshing and visually pleasing.”

LIFE SAVERS: Worried that overseas visitors will not be able to cope with the often-ferocious tides at Sydney beaches, the start of the New South Wales surf season has been pushed forward by a month to Sept. 9 and patrol groups on major beaches will be double their normal size.

Lifeguards rescue dozens of tourists unfamiliar with local conditions each year, and last year 10 of the 53 people who drowned off the New South Wales coast were from overseas.

“People just get out of their depth. They think it’s not quite as big or strong as it is,” said Jodi Paton, the national development officer for Surf Life Saving Australia, which will step up a safety campaign aimed at foreign tourists.