Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis said Wednesday that a three-person committee would be set up to offer advice to Athens 2004 on cost-cutting, additional funding and how to use the facilities most effectively.
The government is looking for ways to squeeze the budgets for all outstanding Athens 2004 Olympic construction and other spending in a bid to rein in rising costs 18 months before the start of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
Simitis said, “for the remaining Olympic construction, the necessary equipment and the outstanding overlays (to meet Olympic standards) a committee will be set up to calculate the cost and save funds”.
Greek media has reported that Athens 2004 and the government are at odds over who will pay for the cost of transforming existing venues and sites into Olympics-standard complexes, calculated at about $7.6 million.
Simitis said the committee would also look for new sponsors and determine “the final financial contribution of the Greek state and that of ATHOC” toward this cost.
The government pledged on Monday it would not increase the Olympic budget fixed at about $5 billion.
