A file picture of the main stadium in Athens

Athens: For the opening ceremony of the Olympics, organisers will turn the infield of the main stadium into a lake, mythological figures will sail through the water and a giant statue of the goddess Athena is to rise up.

The ceremony was supposed to be Greece’s national secret, but after a dress rehearsal of the August 13 event on Sunday with an audience of about 35,000 people — including employees of the organising committee and volunteers — leaks about the ceremony flooded the city and its residents.

“We cannot keep everything a secret. We know that,” said Michael Zacharatos, an Athens 2004 spokesman, on Monday.

A cab driver, who was given tickets to the rehearsal by his niece working on the show, said the audience was only shown one hour of the three-hour ceremony.

During that part, the infield of the stadium was flooded with water and a giant replica of a statue of Athena — the city’s goddess protector — was elevated into the stadium through a huge hole in the middle of the venue.

The set then turned into a mountain with an olive branch resting on it and volunteers danced around in ancient Greek clothes, he said.

Hundreds of musicians beat drums and a person dressed as a centaur shot an arrow that was intended to look like a comet.

At some point during the show, mythological figures sailed on a boat, possibly symbolising the ancient myth of Jason and the Argonauts in which the hero and his crew hunt for the vlegendary golden fleece.

Organisers also reportedly brought out a replica of the Trojan horse. In Homer’s epic, The Iliad, the horse concealed Greek troops who sacked the city of Troy.

Athens organisers had refused to confirm or deny the many reports of the ceremony throughout the months of preparations.

Now, with the news leaking out anyway, they are stressing that the real ceremony will be special because athletes will be there.

What is important is “when people with tickets will be in the stadium, celebrating together with all the athletes, who were not in the rehearsal. These are the athletes taking part in the Games and this is the important thing,” Zacharatos said.

Organisers will carry out a full dress rehearsal with about 70,000 spectators on Tuesday to test security, crowd management and transport issues.

At the opening ceremony, the Olympic flame will burn atop a 100-foot tapered column resembling the torch used in the worldwide relay. The structure, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, is fitted with a hinged base, suggesting it could be tipped over to be lit and then repositioned upright.

While the opening ceremony is about ancient Greece, the closing ceremony shows traditional Greece, with dancing and celebrations of Greek life, including a wedding.