Athens, Oct 03: Athens Olympic games organizers display progress on two sports venues as questions over time delays continue to haunt the organization.
Organisers displayed works being carried out at the Athens Olympic stadium, the velodrome and the Olympic village in Athens on Thursday (October 2).
Workers were busy welding, drilling and laying roads at the sites, as the organizing committee continues to battle questions over whether the venues will be ready on time for the event starting August 13, 2004.
The Olympic stadium, currently under renovation, is being fitted with a new roof that has stirred some controversy with the International Olympic committee. The stadium will be scene of the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics championships, one of the most popular events.


Santiago Calatrava, a renowned Spanish architect, was chosen to place a steel and glass roof over the stadium, but a slow start to its construction has caused concerns with the International Olympic Committee.

IOC officials are anxious as to whether the roof would be finished on time for the Olympics, and had suggested scrapping the project, saying it was not necessary. They were also concerned the work on the project would take away valuable building time from other areas.


The Greek government has forged on with the project, however, promising that the roof will be ready on time. The deadline is April 2004, three months before the games begin.



In the last months progress on the roof construction has become apparent after delays in importing materials had initially slowed the work down.


The stadium is part of the Olympic sports complex, Greece's largest sports facility. Apart from the new stadium roof, other venues including the tennis and aquatic centres, indoor hall and velodrome are all undergoing renovation, with completion deadlines in early 2004. Organisers also held a tour of the Olympic Village, which will be home to some 18,000 athletes and is the largest of all the Olympic works being constructed.


At a cost of some $300 million, some 3,000 homes are being built for athletes, with 33 percent of the concrete work already completed. The deadline for the village is February 2004, but officials said it could be completed sooner with contractors working around the clock.


The vast complex will include outdoor sport and training facilities as well as schools, daycare's, supermarkets and roads as part of a housing project that will be transferred to the public following the games, housing some 10,000 people.


Athens Olympic Organizing Committee (ATHOC) Executive Director Spiros Kapralos said all venues and sports facilities would be tested prior to the games, suggesting works would be completed by deadline in order for tests to take place.


ATHOC has come under criticism for the lack of progress in completion of venues, with only two venues currently complete. Officials have defended the planning and insist projects will be ready or even completed ahead of schedule without any cutbacks in the construction.


ATHOC organizers had their first test for the Olympics in August when seven test events took place, the first, the World Rowing Championships, getting off to a bad start.


During the championships rowers capsized due to high winds and races had to be postponed. Some German competitors also went down with food poisoning.


The remaining test events were carried off with few hitches however and the IOC expressed its satisfaction. A further four test events are expected in the next three months.


One of the major concerns in games planning and currently in the media spotlight is that of security. The Greek government and ATHOC have had to continuously defend their security plan after ongoing media criticism over the training exercises and arrangements.


At a hefty cost of over $600 million and the participation of some 58,000 staff, officials say it is the biggest security plan in games history.


Security training for possible terrorist attacks and the use of biological and chemical weapons are just some of the scenarios included in the ongoing exercises by forces.


The security plan includes the cooperation of security experts from a number of countries, including the United States, Britain and Israel. Some countries such as the United States and Australia have said they will bring their own security team to guard their athletes.


Among the security officials some 7,000 will be soldiers from the Ministry of Defence. Greek Defence Minister Yannos Papantoniou told reporters that Athens was fully ready and no danger would come to the games despite the recent criticism. He said that the Ministry of Defence was providing intelligence information, assisting to purchase the necessary security equipment, and cooperating fully with intelligence agencies around the world.


"The work is being performed very competently," Papantoniou said.


Bureau Report