Round-up: Though it lies empty for another three days the main Olympic stadium still helps fill many a conversation in Athens. Friday's opening athletics session is fast approaching, and there are almost constant changes in the certain starters, non-starters, and definitely maybe starters.
Haile Gebrselassie, for instance, is reported doubtful for Friday's 10,000 metre final, the great Ethiopian carrying an Achilles tendon injury that could end his hopes of a third successive Olympic title.
According to his manager and long-time mentor Jos Hermens, the chances of Gebrselassie running in Athens are "not looking brilliant". Ethiopian head coach Dr Wolde-Meskel Kostre added that time was running out, "but we still have until a few days before the race to see how he is doing."
And no conversation passes without mentioning the two most famous names in Greece, Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou. Like a daily soap opera their story just doesn't rest, and yesterday afternoon the IOC announced it would now be tomorrow before their three-man disciplinary committee would hear personal statements from the two sprinters regarding the alleged dodging of drug tests.
Apparently, their lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakapoulos, sought the further delay to allow them present their cases in person. Dimitrakapoulos had satisfied the IOC that the athletes were still on intravenous drips, and "under these conditions, it's impossible for them to give interviews".
But it now seems increasingly possible that Kenteris and Thanou will escape any penalty for a doping violation. Whether they'll be welcomed back on to the Greek team and get to race in the Olympic Stadium is still anyone's guess.
Thanou is due to race the 100 metres heats on Saturday, Kenteris the 200 metre heats next Tuesday.
What is certain is that four Irish athletes will be in action on Friday, the last of them Sonia O'Sullivan in the heats of the women's 5,000 metres - set for 11.35 p.m. Greek time (9.35 Irish time).
Even that event hasn't avoided some late alterations, with the Ethiopian team yesterday replacing Ejigayehu Dibaba with Meserat Defar.
The elder sister of world champion Tirunesh, Dibaba was moved to the 10,000 metres to replace Berhane Adere, who has suffered a dramatic drop in form.
Not that the change will be of any great concern to O'Sullivan. Her priority is to get safely through to next Monday's final, where a medal is still within her range. According to her partner Nic Bideau, the final preparations have gone exactly to the master plan.
"Sonia is definitely ready now for a fast race," said Bideau, who later today travels to Athens from London.
"Definitely as fast as anything she's done this year. So I think she will get through to the final no problem. She's feeling really good, even better than she did in Zurich a few weeks back."
After Zurich, where she ran an encouraging 8:41.42 for 3,000 metres, the seventh fastest in the world this year, O'Sullivan in fact returned to Madrid, where she had been in early July, for another week of warm-weather training.
"She did two sessions down in Madrid that were by far her best this year," added Bideau. "And then she had another really good session in London at the weekend. So she's definitely ready. And she loves running in the heat and loves running in the green vest."
O'Sullivan will arrive in Athens tomorrow, and according to Bideau, will stay "in some quiet place away from it all" before Friday's heats. And running so late in the evening is of no concern.
Question marks, though, still remain over the form of one of her main 5,000-metre rivals, the 21-year-old Turk Elvan Abeylegesse. After her stunning world record of 14:24.68 in Bergen back in June, Abeylegesse has hardly been seen since. For now, however, she remains the gold medal favourite.
Britain's big gold medal hope, Paula Radcliffe, has also adopted a low-profile approach. She is still preparing for Sunday's women's marathon at a secret location in Spain, and won't be giving any press conferences before her race. Suffice to say she'll be raring to go.
The only Irish athlete in the Olympic village yesterday was Olive Loughnane, who goes in Monday's 10km walk along with Gillian O'Sullivan. But the three other athletes set to compete on Friday - Adrian O'Dwyer (high jump), Robert Heffernan (20km walk) and James Nolan (1,500 metres) - are due to arrive there today.
