Olympics: The main Olympic stadium in Athens is set to stage the Greek Athletics Championships starting tomorrow, but only 8,000 spectators will be able to enter the partially completed arena and officials warned conditions will be basic.
The three-day meeting will be the first and last chance to test the heavily-delayed showpiece venue under competitive conditions before the August 13th-29th Games.
Work will continue on site until the athletes arrive, said Athens organising committee venue manager Thanasis Papageorgiou. "We are working night and day and we are entering the final phase both in and around the stadium."
Builders will then take a 72-hour breather before restarting on June 13th, two months before the opening ceremony. The dress rehearsal will be authorities' only chance to simulate games conditions for crowd management and security procedures.
The championships will give fans the first chance to sit in the shade of the €150 million roof designed by celebrated Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Delays to the futuristic dome were the main concern of the International Olympic Committee and held up work on the stadium proper.
The second of the two giant steel arches that will support the translucent blue structure was slid into place only four days ago.
The championships will also give Greek athletes a head start against their foreign rivals. Greek Olympic and world 200 metre sprint champion Costas Kenteris will race for the first time in a year.
More than two million visitors are expected to arrive in the Greek capital when the action begins for real in August, Athens airport authorities announced yesterday.
