The Hindu : Sport / Olympic Games : Rogge praises Greek organisers

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Monday, Aug 30, 2004

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Sport - Olympic Games

Rogge praises Greek organisers

ATHENS, AUG. 29 . The International Olympic Committee (IOC), on Saturday, said that Athens had organised an ``outstanding'' Games after years of predictions of doom and gloom leading up to the Olympics.

``I am an extremely happy president of the IOC,'' he told reporters on the day the Games wrap up with a spectacular closing ceremony.

In Sydney, former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch made the ultimate compliment ``the greatest games ever'' to Australian organisers at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympics.

Greeks were hoping to hear a similar compliment after confounding sceptics by completing preparations in time but Rogge vowed that the phrase left when Samaranch did.

``The Olympics are not a competition between organising committees in different countries, because every situation is different,'' he said.

From security to ticket sales, he was glowing with praise of the organisers, who faced years of confounding sceptics in the run-up to the Games over construction chaos and security concerns and budget overruns.

Major achievement

``Security had been flawless,'' he said of the 1 billion euro operation to secure the Olympics.

He said television producers were ecstatic about the ratings, which were up about 15 per cent on the Sydney Games, and ticket sales had topped the figures from Barcelona and Seoul, a major achievement for country of just 10 million people.

He said the 2004 Olympics will also be best remembered for the powerful performance of the Chinese, Japanese and their neighbours, marking the awakening the Asian continent. ``You see major improvements from athletes in China, Japan, Korea and Indonesia. This is a sign that Asia will be full of strength in four years time,'' he said.

Rogge, acknowledging problems with judging, said he would always understand human error but never accepted manipulation.

He said there had been 22 positive doping tests in Athens, double the figure in Sydney.

``The list is probably not over. You have 10,500 athletes in the Olympic Village, you do not have 10,500 saints, you will always have cheats,'' he said. He said the period where athletes were tested at the Athens Games began with the opening of the Olympic Village, 14 days before the start of the Games and lasted until the end of competition. — DPA

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