Calatrava roof ‘is on schedule’
Work to build a steel-and-glass roof over Athens’s main Olympic Stadium along plans by leading Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava is proceeding on schedule, the government said yesterday. The future of the multi-million euro project, which is seen as the only significant work of architecture expected to emerge from Greece’s preparations for the Games, was called into question earlier this year after International Olympics Committee officials expressed fears that the roof might not be ready on time. On August 19, visiting IOC chief inspector Denis Oswald still indicated concern, but noted that «no one has any choice, so it will be finished.» Yesterday, Deputy Sports Minister Nassos Alevras insisted all was well. «The work is going ahead according to the timetable,» he told journalists after a visit to the stadium. «It will be delivered on the agreed date.» Erection of the two metal arcs that will support the roof started last week, with an 80-ton section maneuvered into place. An inter-ministerial meeting today under PM Costas Simitis is to discuss Olympic progress.
