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IOC greenlights Athens Olympics
Following three days of meetings, inspectors from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have confirmed that they have “renewed confidence” that the venues for the 2004 Athens Olympics will be finished on time and have confirmed that they have given the green light to the Games taking place in the Greek capital.
The Games will run from 13 August to 29 August – meaning there are now fewer than 100 days left before the Opening Ceremony is due to take place.
The inspectors examined all details of the preparations for organising the Games, including operations for the venues, the Olympic Village, the media and technology.
The IOC said “enormous efforts” have been made to serve the athletes, the National Olympic Committees, International Federations, spectators, sponsors, press and broadcasters.
Dennis Oswald, the Co-ordination Commission chair, said: “The amount of work undertaken since the visit of the commission six months ago has been evident for all members to see. We are looking forward to the remaining test events, where even further progress will be evident and the hard work will come to life.”
President of the Athens 2004 Olympic Committee, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, said: “Athens has made enormous strides in our preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games. After hosting 38 sporting events in our state-of-the-art sports venues – testing our security, our operations and human resources – we can say with confidence: we will be ready for an Olympics that will be great for the athletes and good for the Games.”
IOC members and officials will continue to make further visits to Athens in the months that remain before the Games begin to observe and give advice on the final stages of preparation. Details: www.olympic.org/uk