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Athens organizers give progress report
FUKUOKA, Japan (AP) -- Greek officials presented a progress report on the 2004 Olympics at the world swimming championships Tuesday, just hours after the International Olympic Committee's new Athens overseer expressed concerns about preparations. Playing down the inevitable concerns about transport and accommodation shortages, Athens 2004 Olympic Organizing Committee chief executive Spyros Capralos said Greek organizers had overcome initial delays and were confident of producing a smooth event. Denis Oswald, who was named Monday to replace new IOC president Jacques Rogge as the head of the group appointed to oversee preparations for the Athens Games, said that "time is still a problem" for the embattled organizers. Oswald took over the IOC's coordination commission as Athens organizers are trying to shed the impression their effort is overwhelmed by construction delays and bureaucratic time wasting. Rogge had credited organizers with getting planning and building back on track over the last six months, but Oswald said any further setbacks could plunge preparations into crisis. "We have no time for any unexpected problems: strikes or, I don't know what, natural problems, earthquake or whatever," Oswald said after the announcement. Capralos assured FINA -- the world governing body for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo -- that the Athens Olympic Aquatic Center had been constructed in the hub of the main Olympic precinct and that five practice pools already existed. Speaking at a news conference in Fukuoka, Japan, venue for the 9th swimming world championships, Capralos said swimming would be among the highest profile sports at the 2004 Summer Games. But he couldn't guarantee that the pool program would generate the same enthusiasm among locals as it did at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. "Swimming is not the most popular sport in Greece as it was in Australia," he added. "We don't have as good athletes as Australia had, but hopefully by that time we will have a few swimmers competing at a good level to bring the local crowds through the door." He said the outdoor pool for swimming events and the indoor pools for synchronized swimming, diving and water polo would have a smaller crowd capacity than the Sydney Aquatic Center had last year but were big enough "to cover the needs of the swimming world." Capralos said the Olympic competition program would be finalized after the IOC and FINA decided if new events such as open water swimming or extra women's water polo teams will be added to the program. The swimming program is expected run Aug. 14-21, 2004. Organizers will hold five test events in the pools, including the Greek national swimming trials in August 2003, a World Cup diving meet in January 2004, and Olympic qualifiers for synchronized swimming in April, 2004. Rogge, who last week succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch as IOC president, will attend the last day of the world swimming championships on Sunday.
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