Rogge backs Athens to be ready

IOC CHIEF Jacques Rogge came to the aid of beleaguered organisers of this year’s Athens Olympics yesterday, saying he had absolute confidence they would be ready to welcome the world’s athletes.

With deadlines for completing venue and infrastructure tightening all the time because of delays in early work on construction, Rogge said he knew some people questioned whether Athens would be ready in time.

“I want to say in the most categorical way that the International Olympic Committee supports the Greek effort with absolute confidence,” Rogge told the opening day of a meeting of the world’s national Olympic committees.

“In less than six months Greece will offer a homecoming in the cradle of Olympics,” he said.

Rogge singled out the extra security burden placed on Athens organisers from the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States as one of the reasons for Greece’s uphill struggle.

“It is not an easy task to organise Games after September 11,” Rogge said.

Greece is spending a record €650 million on security for the Games and has already said it will mobilise about 40,000 police and security staff, in addition to military personnel - three times as many as in the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

The biggest race - and concern - is to finish a landmark glass and steel roof over the main stadium. Other projects causing concern are completing a new subway system, a 20 mile suburban railway that would also run to Athens’ new airport, and a 15 mile tramway system that would open central Athens to the sea.

Greece’s preparations for the Games fell far behind schedule in their early years because of political infighting.