Greece bids Games farewell

　

The 2004 Olympic Games officially came to an end in Athens with a spectacular closing ceremony on August 29.

Greek music and dance kicked off(to begin; to commence开始）an evening of celebration before the flame was extinguished and the flag lowered.

The torch has now been passed to China as Beijing prepares to host the Games in 2008.

8月29日，2004年雅典奥运会在盛大的闭幕仪式后正式落下帷幕。

庆祝晚会在富有希腊特色的音乐和舞蹈中开始，晚会结束后，圣火就将熄灭，五环旗也将缓缓落下。

奥运火炬传给了中国，北京正在为主办2008年奥运会做准备。

Their athletes will be relishing(to enjoy; be pleased and satisfied with享受、爱好、喜欢) the prospect of performing on home soil after collecting a record medal haul(that which is caught, taken, or gained at once捕获物, 努力得到的结果) in Athens.

They finished second in the overall medal table behind the United States.

Despite pre-Games fears over construction and security, the Athens Olympics have generally been hailed as a success.

中国运动员在雅典奥运会上创下了奖牌榜的新记录，从现在开始，他们将展望在自己国家进行比赛的美好前景。

他们在总奖牌榜上仅次于美国，排在第二位。

尽管在奥运会开幕之前，人们有些担心奥运场馆建设和安全问题，但雅典奥运会最终赢得了普遍的称赞，取得了成功。

In his closing speech, International Olympic committee president Jacques Rogge told the city: "You have won.

"These were unforgettable, dream Games."

And Athens Games boss Gianna Angelopoulos added: "The Olympics came home and we've shown the world the great things Greeks can do."

The opening of the Games was overshadowed by the missed drugs tests of Greek stars Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou.

And among a steady stream of failed drugs tests during the two-week event, three Olympic champions were stripped of their titles.

国际奥委会主席雅克·罗格在闭幕式的致辞中向雅典宣布：“你们成功了。”

“这是一次难忘的、梦幻般的奥运会。”

雅典奥组委主席詹纳·安耶洛普洛斯补充道：“奥运会回到了故乡，我们向全世界展示了雅典人的出色表现。”

雅典奥运会的开幕式因希腊短跑明星科斯塔斯·肯特利斯和卡特娜·塔努逃避药检而蒙上阴影。

在为期两周的奥运赛事中，出现了一批没有通过药检的运动员，其中有三位奥运冠军被取消了冠军头衔。

But Rogge said the 2004 Games would be remembered for the improvement in drug testing which allowed honest athletes to prevail.

"These Games were held in peace and brotherhood," he said.

"These were the Games where it became increasingly difficult to cheat and where clean athletes were better protected." 
 

尽管如此，罗格仍表示2004年雅典奥运会会因为药检方面取得的进步而令人难忘，这让那些诚实的运动员获得了成功。

他说：“这届奥运会是在和平友好的气氛中举行的。”

“在这届奥运会上，想通过欺骗来获胜越来越困难，清白的运动员得到了更好的保护。”