ATHENS, 27 February 2004 — Much work is still needed for Athens to be ready to stage the Olympic Games in August, the International Olympic Committee said yesterday. IOC chief inspector Denis Oswald said even though preparations had now turned into a race against time he was confident Athens would be ready for the Games which start on Aug. 13.
“Less than six months before the Games there is still a lot to do,” Oswald said in a progress report to a gathering of 500 delegates from 202 national Olympic committees.
“When you drive around the venues you will realize there is still a lot to do but we are confident the remaining time will be fully used and when you come back to Greece in August you will find everything ready,” he said.
“We are confident, even if the schedule and the time is very tight. I would like to stress the big effort made by the Games organizers and the Greek government.”
Of the 39 Olympic venues currently only 15 are ready. Another 13 are about 90 percent built. The biggest race is to finish a landmark glass and steel roof over the main stadium.
Olympics General Secretary Costas Kartalis said the 120 million euro-roof, a design by award-winning Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, would be in place by the end of June despite delays, allowing an important athletics test event to take place there.
“I would not say it is an easy project but it is a major project that has to be accommodated,” he said. “It will be ready by the end of June.”
Other projects causing concern are the completion of a new 20-mile (32km) suburban railway that would also run to Athens’ new airport, delivering a 15-mile tramway system currently several weeks behind initial estimates, and the finishing of the new Karaiskaki soccer stadium which is about 70 percent ready.
Greece’s preparations for the Games fell far behind schedule in their early years because of political infighting and red tape.
“In the beginning, preparation was a bit chaotic and difficult until (Athens Games chief) Gianna Angelopoulos took over,” Oswald said.
He also singled out as a special problem for Greece the country’s famed archaeological heritage that has meant that work was often stopped to preserve unearthed antiques.
“As soon as you dig you find interesting pieces of stone you need to save,” Oswald said.
Angelopoulos said Athens would be an “unrivalled success” despite pending construction work.
“As we sprint toward the end of June we will complete all remaining venues,” Angelopoulos said. “Time is short but our confidence is growing and as a Greek and as the (Athens 2004) president I can promise you that when you lead your national teams to Athens, Athens will be ready.”
