Former IOC vice president Dick Pound described Greece’s troubled preparations for the 2004 Summer Games as close to the breaking point.
Pound said “it’s very, very serious and needs to be resolved quickly and with compromise. It’s eight to nine on the scale of 10”.
Although he declined to rule out the possibility of the Games being taken away from Greece, he said the next few weeks and months will be “critical” for Athens.
Pound said “they have a lot of things to build, a lot of things to plan and it’s going to require a 110 per cent effort to get it all done on time. It’s now more than three years since they got the Games, and they are way behind a proper schedule”.
Pound’s comments carry significant weight. He’s one of the most powerful figures in the Olympic movement and is a top contender to succeed Juan Antonio Samaranch for the IOC presidency next year.
While there weren’t any plans being discussed for moving the Games, Pound didn’t discount the option. “At the moment, we don’t have a contingency. We want Athens to deliver what it promised and would very much hope to have the Games in Greece. We chose Athens and want the Games to be in Athens”.
