Olympic inspectors are hopeful work to complete the main stadium for the Olympics will now be finished in time with the controversial roof in place for the opening ceremony on August 13.
”I am really confident that, if we continue at the same pace, the stadium will be completed at the end of June and will be at our disposal for overlays [fitouts],” Denis Oswald, chief inspector for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), told reporters after visiting the building site.
”I am very much impressed with the work carried out during the last three weeks,” said Oswald, who last visited Athens late in March.
The project’s most crucial part kicks off later this week when two giant steel arches that support the stadium’s glass and steel roof are slid into place.
The arches weigh thousands of tons and span more than 300m each.
Final refurbishing of the revamped 20-year-old stadium is expected to be finished at the end of July, two weeks ahead of the opening ceremony.
The IOC has repeated concerns over recent months that the roof, designed by Spanish star architect Santiago Calatrava, will not be ready in time. But those fears have receded since the roof for the cycling velodrome, also designed by Calatrava, was successfully installed on March 28. — Sapa-AFP