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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 November 1999 Issue No. 455 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 November 1999 Issue No. 455
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Books Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Way ahead of schedule
By Inas MazharAll the key venues for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games will be completed and operating by early next year -- up to six months ahead of the opening ceremony.
"The Olympics and paralympics are coming ready or not, and I am happy to report that our venue construction programme is in the final countdown phase," Olympics Minister Michael Knight said in a recent press release issued in Australia.
"With one year to go, the Olympic Coordination Authority (OCA) has completed 90 per cent of the construction programme, with 95 per cent of contracts for the permanent venues fully let," Knight, president of the Sydney Organising Committee, said. "In the next couple of months, the finishing touches will be put to five of the final batch of venues: the Slalom Canoe Whitewater Stadium at Penrith, the Dunc Gray Velodrome at Bankstown, the Shooting Centre at Cecil Park, the International Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park and the Tennis Centre at Homebush Bay." One of the largest temporary modifications to an Olympic venue will be the expansion of seating at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre from 4,000 to 17,500 seats.
"By Christmas of this year the Aquilina Reserve Softball and second Baseball Centre will be ready, as well as the Ibis Hotel in the middle of the Olympic Park precinct at Homebush Bay," Knight added. "By March next year, we will see completion of the second water polo venue at Ryde, and by June the athletes and media and technical officials villages will come on stream."
Since the OCA was formed in 1995, there had been a total of 14.7 million hours worked on Olympic projects, with more than 41,500 workers inducted into Olympic projects. In his press release, Knight said that the very successful roll-out of the OCA construction programme meant Sydney was in "fine shape" with one year to go before the start of the Games. No other modern Olympic city had its venues completed and tested so soon before the Games.
"It must also be remembered that this huge construction has been funded by the government in a way that has ensured there will be no long-term Olympic debt burden on New South Wales (NSW) tax payers," Knight said. He thanked the private sector for its contribution which amounted to $1billion, or $1 for every $2 contributed by the NSW government.
"While it is a great position to be in, no one is resting on their laurels," he said. "The challenges ahead are significant. They include the Olympic overlay and fit-out programmes, many additional test events for transport, the fine-tuning on urban domain operations, the roll-put of the Public Art Programme and further development of hospitality and spectator services."
Knight said that the way the community at large had "warmed" to the Olympic Park precinct was an inspiration to all those involved in preparing for the Games. With one year to go, the number of visitors to Homebush Bay and the Penrith Lakes Regatta Centre has already topped 20 million. "This is a fabulous indicator of just how attractive these precincts are, as well as a pointer to the incredible interest in the Olympics local and regional people and overseas visitors," the press release said.
Knight said visitors were going to Olympic Park in record numbers because it is a genuine entertainment complex, "with great sights, a friendly and green environment, public transport to the door and opportunities to soak up the pre-Games atmosphere."
Knight said the year ahead would see a comprehensive landscaping programme completed within the precinct. The programme would result in the planting of 200,000 trees and five million shrubs and native grasses by September 2000.
This is in addition to the more than 100,000 square metres of turfed areas which have been developed for the long-term sporting and recreational activities at Homebush Bay, as well as more than 100 fully-grown trees rescued during the construction of Olympic venues.
