International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive director for the Games Gilbert Felli said a presentation by Athens 2004 President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki had been well received by the Games governing body and he said he was confident everything was on track.
But according to Reuters Felli stressed that a number of issues still needed “close monitoring” – the roofing of the Olympic stadium, the building of the Athens suburban railway and the construction of the Karaiskaki soccer stadium.
He said, “we’ve been reviewing the progress month by month and we are generally happy. What we want to make sure is that, for the three or four projects which we feel are right, we monitor them closely”.
Felli said that the progress of the new soccer stadium was “much better than expected. They have advanced the date of delivery”.
A new concern is a hotel that will house IOC officials during the 2004 Games.
About 500 tons of asbestos, a potentially cancer-provoking building material, were reportedly removed from the hotel.
Nikos Kleisiotis, manager of the company who was in charge of the works, told a private radio station, “around 500 tons of the material were removed from the Athens Hilton around six or seven months ago”.
Hotel spokesmen were unavailable for comment.
The hotel, which was open in 1963, resumed business in February after a year-long closure for renovation.
