IOC very confident of Athens success

The International Olympic Committee's chief inspector of the Athens Games gave a resounding vote of confidence on Tuesday to Greece's accelerated preparations for the August event.

Denis Oswald, who on many previous inspections visits has left behind warnings about the pace of work, said his confidence was now sky-high that all sports venues and key infrastructure would be ready in time for the August 13 to 29 Games.

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He said his inspection of sites and meetings with top Athens and Greek government officials had built up his confidence that the city would stage a "very successful Games."

Olympics organisers admitted on Tuesday that they wasted the first three years of preparations.

A day after builders successfully started sliding a huge steel roof over the main Olympic stadium -- one of the IOC's biggest concerns -- Athens Olympics chief Gianna Angelopoulos said organisers had made up for the lost time.

"Athens has won back three years of lost time...it's a fact that we are completing a seven-year project in four years," Angelopoulos told the IOC's inspection team.

"We had promised that Greece was fit for the Games and we are keeping this promise."

FRANTIC PACE

Angelopoulos, who took over the top job in 2000 after the IOC warned Athens to speed up work or risk losing the Games, said everything will be in place.

More than half the venues, as well as major infrastructure projects including new train and tram lines, are still many weeks from completion, unlike previous Games when most preparations were in place months before the opening ceremony.

Builders are working round the clock to meet deadlines and the IOC has said that thanks to the new frantic pace they expect all arrangements to be in place.

The roof sliding on Monday and Tuesday allowed IOC officials to breath a sigh of relief as the spectacular 18,000-tonne steel and carbon panel structure above the main stadium is currently hampering other landscaping work.

Over the coming days, the second arch will also be moved into position at the opposite end of the stadium so the latticed blue translucent roof, some of it already attached to the arches, can cover the 55,000-seat arena.

As well as protecting the stadium from rain, the roof's carbon panels will provide protection against soaring summer temperatures and has crucial broadcasting and surveillance cameras attached to it.