Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee’s coordination committee chairman said although progress had been made in preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games, he found a “mixed bag of results” during his two-day visit to Athens.
Rogge told Athens to speed up construction and that building of sports venues must begin in the next few months. About 70 per cent of the venues are already in place, but many require refurbishment. Rogge noted that some sports venues are six months behind schedule.
The IOC said that generally it is satisfied with the efforts conducted by the Athens Organizing Committe for the Olympic Games. It said among the promising results over the last few months are the improvement of the sports programs, the agreement forming the Olympic Broadcasting Organization, the hiring of technical advisors from Sydney, the announcement of record-breaking marketing agreements, the headway in technology, the revision of the Olympic Games Master Plan and the launch of the volunteers program.
During the two day visit, opponents of the planned rowing centre north east of Athens pesented Rogge with a petitiion with 11,000 signatures. Critics say the project will damage a fragile wetlands ecosystem and intrude on the historic site of the Battle of Marathon.
Meanwhile, IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch told Athens organizers he is confident Greece will hold a successful Olympics, but urged them to work harder in preparing for the 2004 Games.
