During the first day of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) inspection of Athens Games’ preparations, technical experts of the IOC Coordination Commission said they were impressed with the progress made. Sites visited included the Olympic facilities in Goudi, the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, and the Olympic Village. On Tuesday IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Denis Oswald was expected to visit the Olympic Stadium to watch the western arch of the roof being slipped into place. He was also to meet with Athens 2004 President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki to discuss several topics including venues, marketing issues, and spectator services.
Operations on the metro line linking Athens to the main airport will start in mid-July. It is expected to carry thousands of visitors during the Games, on seven air-conditioned trains, each carrying 1,000 passengers. The trip will take one-half hour. The ministry said that specially trained staff along with 416 cameras, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers would guarantee the safety of passengers using the metro.
Greece’s Transport and Communications Minister Michalis Liapis toured the Operations Control Centre of the Athens metro system Monday where he was briefed on the pilot program to test several state-of-the-art trains that will reach the international Airport at Spata, east of Athens, when the new suburban rail line is finished. The minister expressed his satisfaction with the level of security for passenger on the new system.
South Korea’s Culture and Tourism Minister announced Monday that the South and North agreed in principle last week to march together into the opening ceremony of the Summer Games. The minister said the two sides plan to hold a three-day meeting in Beijing from June 8 to fine-tune the details of the march.
