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Athens 2004 organisers take Olympics on a test drive
Athens (Greece), Aug 05: Olympic organisers are about to get a taste of what hosting the games is really like with a series of test events to gauge facilities and preparations.
Athens (Greece), Aug 05: Olympic organisers are about
to get a taste of what hosting the games is really like with a
series of test events to gauge facilities and preparations.
For most Olympic cities, the test events are uneventful
dress rehearsals used to assess any needed changes to venues
before the real event.
But in Athens, which has struggled to keep pace with Olympic deadlines, the competitions that begin this week will be closely watched as a barometer on whether more troubles could lurk ahead.
With construction crews working at breakneck pace, there is little time to handle major venue revisions if needed for next year's games. The controversial rowing centre in Schinias, about 30 kilometres northeast of Athens, will be the first put to the test. A ceremony to launch the world junior rowing championships yesterday symbolically marked the start of the monthlong series of test events in seven sports.
Organisers said 557 athletes from 45 countries will take part in the four-day rowing championship beginning tomorrow.
Archaeological finds at the rowing centre almost delayed that venue after critics launched a preservation effort for the antiquities and marshland ecosystem. International Rowing Federation President Denis Oswald, who has led the IOC's inspections in Athens, praised organisers for getting the site ready.
"I congratulate those who dealt with all the problems ... This was not an easy task," Oswald said.
Bureau Report
But in Athens, which has struggled to keep pace with Olympic deadlines, the competitions that begin this week will be closely watched as a barometer on whether more troubles could lurk ahead.
With construction crews working at breakneck pace, there is little time to handle major venue revisions if needed for next year's games. The controversial rowing centre in Schinias, about 30 kilometres northeast of Athens, will be the first put to the test. A ceremony to launch the world junior rowing championships yesterday symbolically marked the start of the monthlong series of test events in seven sports.
Organisers said 557 athletes from 45 countries will take part in the four-day rowing championship beginning tomorrow.
Archaeological finds at the rowing centre almost delayed that venue after critics launched a preservation effort for the antiquities and marshland ecosystem. International Rowing Federation President Denis Oswald, who has led the IOC's inspections in Athens, praised organisers for getting the site ready.
"I congratulate those who dealt with all the problems ... This was not an easy task," Oswald said.
Bureau Report