Madam, - With reference to the article "Olympic sized difficulties" in your edition of September 23rd, I would like to draw a more comprehensive and objective picture for readers.
The organisation of an event accurately described as the greatest and most spectacular on earth does not merely pose an immense challenge to every host country but also provides a unique opportunity for ambitious projects to be carried out. In Greece's case, the 2004 Games provide the perfect occasion for pooling the country's resources and focusing its wealth of strengths and talent towards organising and hosting an event that, for the Greek people, symbolises a homecoming.
At the time of Athens's winning bid in 1997, Pat Hickey, president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, remarked that the bid was "incredibly professional" and that Athens did not demand any favours on the grounds of its Olympic history. Reporting from Lausanne for The Irish Times, Johnny Watterson commented that the "sophisticated Athens bid" concentrated on logistics, planning and a suitable infrastructure. . .focusing on the modern aspects of what makes an Olympic Games work".
Today, approximately 90 per cent of all sports infrastructure is already in place, while a number of new sport venues, corresponding to about 10 per cent of the needs, are under construction and due to be completed within a specific time-frame leading to the Games next August.
The marble Panathenaikon Stadium in the heart of Athens - used for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and built on the site where the original Stadium was constructed in the fourth century BC - is part of an existing infrastructure which provides a unique historical and cultural link with the ancient games, the country of their birth and the site of their revival.
In relation to security, the Athens 2004 Games have been allocated the largest budget in the history of the event - more than €600 million for security infrastructure alone. An Olympic Games Security Division that incorporates all security forces (police, coast guard, fire brigade, armed forces) has been established; an eight-nation security advisory group (Greece, Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Spain, Britain, US) is also in operation; while a total of 45,000 personnel will provide security during the games.
Organising the Games is indeed a task of Olympic proportions, in terms of challenges, unforeseen difficulties and obstructions. The pace of work in every area of preparation has been accelerated to the utmost and progress has been impressive, as IOC chief inspector Denis Oswald recently admitted. His cautionary remark, however, that not a day should be lost in the process serves as a sobering reminder that schedules are indeed tight.
Yes, the Greek people are anxious about the games, but it is only natural for any host nation to worry and hope for the success of this most important undertaking.
Come next August, Athens will be ready to host world-class modern Olympic Games that will live up to their heritage. - Yours, etc.,
MAGDA HATZOPOULOS, Press Attaché, Embassy of Greece, Dublin.