ATHENS, Greece - Get ready to see exactly why the Olympics are back home in Greece.

That road race around the Acropolis was nice, but the ultimate history lesson of these games comes Wednesday night with the return to the town of Olympia and the original Olympic Stadium after an absence of a little more than 16 centuries.

The lucky event taking center stage is the shot put, giving that sport far more attention than usual - even if NBC's prime-time show ends up exploring the arc of history of this ancient site more than it follows the arc of the hurled weights.

Still, the athletes involved are thrilled by this unique opportunity, especially since making the five-hour drive from Athens.

"It was kind of an awe thing, getting here and seeing the configuration and where they were going to actually hold the shot," said Reese Hoffa, who is expected to be part of an American sweep of the men's medals. "I can't wait."

Teammate John Godina was so inspired that he turned philosophical.

"You really start to realize how long of a history sport has and how important it is to everyone in the world," he said. "It's been important for thousands of years. I don't know of any other aspects of cultures that have survived for as long as sport has for all people. I mean, governments come and go, but sports are always there."

They'll still be there in Athens, too, on Wednesday, with the focus on whether Paul Hamm, the best all-around gymnast at last year's world championships, can do it again with a gold medal on the line.

The pool will have its usual drama, although it could be considered a soft night since Michael Phelps doesn't have any finals.

Phelps will swim a semifinal in the 200-meter individual medley, while his 200 freestyle rivals, Australian Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands, meet in the 100. This clash lacks the sizzle of Monday night's race because Thorpe is weaker at the shorter distance.

For a juicy subplot, watch the 200 breaststroke to see if underwater cameras can catch Japan's Kosuke Kitajima using an illegal dolphin kick, as some Americans claim he used to beat Brenden Hansen by 0.17 seconds in the 100. Hansen will be in this race, too.

Among the best bets on cable is the chance to watch Iraq's men's soccer team try to continue its stunning Olympics run. After winning its first two games in a tournament the squad was happy merely to be part of, their growing story prompted MSNBC to shift its schedule so it could show the Iraqis play Morocco live at 1:30 p.m.

"How they are winning here in spite of all they have endured is a wonderful mystery," NBC's Bob Costas said.

Also live on cable will be games featuring the U.S. women's basketball and softball teams.