August Games ‘will take place’
The head of the Athens 2004 organizing committee insisted yesterday that «everything necessary» for the August Games will be in place on time, despite considerable delays in crucial Olympic projects. Following a meeting with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki airily dismissed speculation in the foreign press that there is not enough time for all the work to be completed by the August 13 opening ceremony. «The Games will take place,» she said. «Greece will give a unique answer to those who dared to cast doubts [on its ability to finish the projects].» Meanwhile, Deputy Culture Minister Fanni Palli-Petralia held another meeting yesterday with Santiago Calatrava, the Spanish architect whose monumental steel-and-glass roof for the main Olympic stadium is one of the most troubled Olympic projects. Many experts, including top International Olympic Committee officials, have expressed fears that the complicated structure will not be in place in time.
