Fayette

County High School Band's plans to participate in

the 2000 Olympic games are still uncertain.

"We're on hold at this point," said

band director Kenny Beard.

The

band's hopes of marching in the opening

ceremonies in Sydney, Australia were dashed last

week when Sydney Olympic officials rescinded

their invitation. Fayette County High's 220 band

members were to be joined by 200 Walton High

School band members from Cobb County for the

appearance of a lifetime negotiated by World

Projects Corp. of California.

Altogether,

about 1,500 American and Japanese students would

join about 500 Australians for the opening

spectacular. The disparate number of Australian

musicians is the reason Australian organizers

pulled the welcome mat.

Their

action has caused an international incident with

protests raging on both sides of the hemisphere.

conciliatory offer was made to the Georgia bands

through Bill Lutt of World Projects Corp. for the

groups to perform at lesser events such as

preliminary soccer matches in Canberra and events

at the Opera House and Darling Harbour. The

Fayette County delegation remains uncommitted.

"We've

got to see what the offer actually is,"

Beard said Monday. Plans are for Beard to fly to

Sydney Friday and sit down face to face with

Olympic officials to negotiate. "It's going

to take some pretty strong concessions...

something substantial to justify us going,"

Beard said. "The main draw of the trip was

that we were invited to be part of the opening

ceremonies. That is not part of the latest

contract."

He

noted that some Fayette County parents have grown

skeptical about their children's participation in

the trip. "They don't want their child in a

country where they are not welcome," Beard

said. But there has been a public backlash in

Australia over the turn of events and according

to Beard, the whole thing may go "full

circle."

One

thing Beard said he was certain about was that,

"I've got the best band parents in

America." Parents on the steering committee

have been on the phones trying to inform all 220

parents and band members about the trip's status.

Spokesman

for the committee Tracy Fleming said the group

will review the offer made by the Australians at

a meeting July 20, after Beard has had a chance

to talk with the committee and World Projects

Corp. Families have already paid $700 apiece for

the trip, which was expected to cost each student

$3,600.

Fund-raising

efforts were underway for corporate sponsorships

and business donations to defray the cost of the

trip. Beard said he was assured by World Projects

Corp. officials that all money would be returned

if the trip fails to materialize.

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