Managing Olympics 2004 : the run-up to the games. Prashant Kulkarni. Hyderabad : ICFAI, 2004
Introduction 2004, a team from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) visited Athens, Greece, to review the preparations for the 16-day Olympics 2004 scheduled to start on August 13t 2004. The IOC had estimated that more than 10 500 athletes, 5,600 team officials, 21,000 journalists, 3,100 judges and officials from nearly 200 countries would take part in the event. Besides, more than 5 millions spectators were expected to watch the event, with about 45,000 volunteers attending to them. Given the global importance of the event, the IOC had periodically reviewed the preparations in Greece and in July 2004 had sent its team led by coordinator Dennis Oswald (Oswald) to make the final appraisal.
Dennis Oswald had a mammoth task on his hands. Greece presented one of the biggest challenges to the IOC in conducting the Games till date and they were found wanting on almost all fronts. The construction of stadiums were getting delayed, accommodation and transportation (rail and road links) arrangements were still under progress. Since Athens was a historic city, digging up the ground for setting up the infrastructure often resulted in unearthing of historical artifacts and so the work had to be stopped until the environmentalists and conservationists made assessment of the site. Moreover, delays were also caused due to bureaucracy and change in national government. As a result, the security arrangements (in the light of increased terrorist threats) could not be adequately completed as it could be done only after all the infrastructure was in place. All these delays meant that the lOC and the Athens Olympic Committee (ATHOC) would have very little time to correct any shortcomings. Adding to these problems were strikes by workers of the public transportation system and hotels demanding more wages for the increased workload during the Games. Also, Greece faced frequent power cuts including a blackout in July 2004, which added to the misery. Given the delays, many labeled the Athens Olympics sarcastically as Just-in-Time." The IOC had even negotiated an insurance cover to protect itself against the cancellation of the Games.
Many analysts even questioned if small and developing countries like Greece should ever be allowed to host the Olympics. They argued that political reasons were behind the decision to award the Games to Greece. The then IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch (Samaranch) had been known to have a soft corner for Greece and had supported its unsuccessful bid for the 1996 Games. The initial budget for this event (when Greece won the bid in 1997) was estimated to be $1.3 billion but now it was $7 billion. Many feared that the increased budget would mean more taxes for the people of Greece as it had happened to the people of Canada following the Montreal Games in 1976.