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Athens prepares for Rogge visit Posted: Sunday January 12, 2003 11:45 AMATHENS (Reuters) -- Preparations for the 2004 Olympics will be scrutinized this week when International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge arrives in Athens for a three-day visit. With only 19 months to go before the opening ceremony, Athens organizers (ATHOC) are under pressure to meet tight deadlines on infrastructure and venue construction. Two years ago, the IOC issued a serious warning to Athens over delayed preparations for the Games. Following a series of delays, in-fighting and bureaucracy after winning the bid to host the Games in 1997, organizers have made up some lost time in the past two years and regained the confidence of the IOC. "When the coordinating Commission visited in November they said Athens was taking Olympic shape," IOC director of communications Giselle Davies told Reuters. "This visit is the president's chance to see that shape for himself." Rogge returns for his first visit to the city since handing responsibility for overseeing preparations to Denis Oswald, who will accompany him on the trip. Construction, transport and accommodation issues will top the agenda in a round of meetings including Rogge's first get- together with the newly-elected Athens mayor Dora Bakoyianni. The IOC chief will make a helicopter tour of venues on January 14 before unveiling the 2004 Olympic torch the following day. Rogge and Oswald are expected to confirm the venue for the soccer final and discuss whether an elaborate dome design for the Olympic stadium will go ahead as planned. ATHOC reached preliminary agreement with soccer's world governing body FIFA in December to stage the 2004 Olympic final at the now derelict Karaiskakis stadium. Planned construction work to restore the historic soccer ground south of the city has yet to begin. Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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