When a 40-member International Olympic Committee team begins a three-day inspection visit in Athens Wednesday, high on the agenda will be construction delays forcing decisions on whether to reschedule or cancel pre-Olympic test events.
Construction delays at the main stadium could force the cancellation of plans for a steel-and-glass dome by one of the world’s top architects.
Denis Oswald, head of the IOC coordination team for Athens said, “The Calatrava project is still a concern. The difficulty is that we cannot start if we are not sure that we will finish on time”.
The complex was to be ready a few months before the Games start on Aug. 13, 2004.
Oswald said, “if we cannot guarantee that the work will be finished on time, I think we will recommend that they don’t start now and they wait until after the Games”.
Another area of concern is the sports complex at the former international airport which is scheduled to house various sports including basketball preliminaries, canoe and kayak, softball, baseball and hockey. Oswald said construction contracts have just been signed.
“It’s always good that we come (to Athens) because it puts some pressure. And as a kind of miracle – a lot of things happen”.
Oswald said, “a number of test events will have to be probably postponed or readjusted”.
Shifting the events to other areas “is not a good solution” since it will not allow venues to undergo a full evaluation, he added. Eighteen test events are planned for Athens next year.
