THE props were being dismantled and the populace of Atlanta was preparing to reclaim its city yesterday amid conflicting estimates of how history will judge the 25th Olympic Games.

In the measured language of the diplomat, Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee, described them as "exceptional" in his oration during Sunday's closing ceremony.

That stopped some way short, however, of the appellation which many Americans expected after the most hyped festival which those of us with experience of the Olympic movement can remember.

Over the last three weeks the public here has been indoctrinated, shamelessly, by the national broadcasting networks and the print media into believing that these were the finest Games of all.

And in the sense that 197 countries took part - the biggest number since Pierre de Coubertin called on the youth of the world to assemble in Athens for the start of the modern Olympics exactly a hundred years ago - the claim had at least some substance.

Equating quantity with quality is a doubtful premiss however, and there were many instances in which this massive exercise in private enterprise was flawed.

In all, it cost something in the region of £1.2 billion to enable William Porter Paine and his corps of entrepreneurs to fulfil the dream of bringing the world to Atlanta.

Yet, almost certainly, the project was underfunded, begging the question that if the world's richest economy cannot sustain the Games in their present format, who can?

To render them viable, the organisers were guilty of infringing the dignity of the Olympics, selling every available yard of space in downtown Atlanta to vendors to the point where frequently `the Huckster Olympics' seemed more apposite title than the Centennial Games.

In an effort to cap the number of competitors taking part, qualification standards have been introduced over the years in sports like athletics, swimming and boxing. But still the number of competitors continues to escalate.

One of the reasons is the fragmentation of political monoliths. Another is the gender equality movement which saw women make up almost 40 per cent of those competing in Atlanta.

In that, the Olympic movement is fulfilling its charter. And yet, with the introduction of women's team event in sports such as football, volleyball, basketball and, now, beach volleyball, the programme in its present format is almost inoperable.

And still the clamour grows for the inclusion of more disciplines. Bowls, a sport with, perhaps, more credible claims for recognition than many, may well be added to the programme in Sydney in four years' time. And given the prevailing climate of innovation, it is perhaps no surprise that overtures for the introduction of ballroom dancing are already being made in Lausanne.

In a fashion, it bespeaks the biggest problem now facing Samaranch and his associates in the IOC. The vile hand of terrorism notwithstanding, the popular perception is that greatest threat to the Olympics comes not from without but within.

For many, the movement has simply become too big and those who administer it will ignore the red alert signs of Atlanta at their peril.

From an Irish perspective, the Games just ended will he recalled as the most successful in history. This was the biggest ever contingent dispatched by the Olympic Council of Ireland and if the majority of the team, frankly, did not measure up to the standard required at this level, the exploits of just one athlete, Michelle Smith, justified everything.

The cruel innuendos, first voiced by Americans and later, sadly, echoed in Ireland, could he construed as demeaning one of the more remarkable personal achievements in Atlanta.

This is to fly in the face of the most expert opinion in sports medicine, on the one hand, and the extraordinary commitment of a person whose graph of progression over the last four years fits comfortably into the realm of logic.

While Smith prospered, Sonia O'Sullivan suffered and her inability to perform to the standard she had set, after what appeared to be a perfect build up the Games, continues to battle.

Almost a week after her shock elimination from the heats of the 1,500 metres, there is still no clue as to whether the reasons were physical or psychological and there is still no indication as to whether she will he ready to start re-assembling the pieces before the end of the current track and field season.

O'Sullivan's eclipse apart, the saddest aspect of Ireland's Olympic odyssey was the unedifying spectacle of the Olympic Council of Ireland and BLE descending to a public squabble which reflected no credit on either party.

Since the OCl saw fit to bring the dispute into the public domain and voice its grievances at an international press conference theirs, almost certainly, was the leading role in the debacle.

For some time now, the make-up of the Council and the manner in which it is administered has been a subject of contention. This may be as good an opportunity as any for those who fund it to make an appraisal of where it is at and where it is going.