THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 23, 1996 TAG: 9607230383
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
LENGTH: 62 lines
On Saturday, on his way out of his Olympic motel, Andy Jacobs told the front desk that the air conditioner in his room wasn't working.
When he returned to the motel late that night, the air conditioning still wasn't working, but the television was gone.
``I'm paying $1,800 for this stinking room and I can't even watch the Olympics on television,'' he screamed at the front desk.
Jacobs, a 24-year-old Olympics fanatic from Virginia Beach, recalled this not-so-golden moment while sitting on his bed in room 223 of a two-story Ramada in Madison, Ga., 50 miles from downtown.
He was in a new room Monday, one with a TV and AC. His anger lingered, though. The $1,800 he shelled out for six nights in this semi-dump was long gone. And he had just discovered that people are walking off the street and renting rooms for $100.
``My heart about dropped when I heard about the rooms for $100,'' Jacobs said. ``The guy at the desk said we weren't the only ones.''
Not that it will make Jacobs feel any better, but he is just one of many suffering at the hands of ACOG, the Olympic disorganizing committee.
Transporation of media, athletes and paying customers is a growing embarrassment here. And despite IBM's $40 million investment, its computerized results system broke down before it started.
ACOG is an acronym for Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. For the time being, that has been changed to Atlanta Can't Organize the Games.
Jacobs has more to complain about, though, than a tardy bus and incomplete stats. He's been ripped off. He knew it the moment his GEO Storm rolled up to the motel.
``I literally pulled into the parking lot and said, `This can't be the one I've got.' ''
He had done everything ACOG demanded. After securing tickets for himself and a friend to the opening ceremonies, Greco-Roman wrestling and men's gymnastics - at a price of just under $2,000 - he requested a hotel room through the Olympic Travel Network.
Jacobs works two jobs to make ends meet. But he didn't flinch when the bill arrived. After all, the price included shuttle service to the Olympic ring.
That's what he was told. But there is no shuttle to the Olympic ring or anywhere else for Jacobs. He drives an hour and takes the overcrowded MARTA, like thousands of others.
When he returns to his room, Jacobs tries not to notice a sign on the back of the door that lists the usual motel rates: $35 for a single, $45 for a double. He's paying $300.
But wait. This is not a story of defeat. After some initial discouragement, Jacobs has ``gotten into the groove.''
Attending an Olympics has always meant more to him than anything. He will not allow ACOG's mismanagement to ruin the moment.
``The Olympics have been great,'' he said. ``As far as tickets go, I've gotten what I paid for and more. It's getting there that's a pain.''
Jacobs made it to his $636 seat for the opening ceremonies, a night he says he'll never forget.
``I was about 10 feet from the athletes as they came in,'' he said.
Recounting the highlights of last Friday night, Jacobs seemed to forget for a moment the heavy blows to his check book and his psyche.
What are the Olympics about, after all, but the ascension of the human spirit.
KEYWORDS: OLYMPIC GAMES 1996 by CNB