Disability boost for Athens

Athens will have its penultimate inspection next month

Greece has earmarked an extra £17m to improve disabled facilities for the 2004 Athens Olympics and Paralympics.

The Greek government made the pledge after a meeting between Prime Minister Costas Simitis and organising committee boss Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki.

It also plans to provide specially equipped buses and taxis, and to encourage hotels to improve facilities.

Only a few public buses and no taxis have disabled facilities in Greece.

"Every family with a disabled person must be able to call a taxi for its transport," said Greek government spokesman Tilemachos Chytiris.

"This isn't possible today, and I'm ashamed to say it."

Greek Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said in January that the Acropolis, Athens most famous landmark, will have disabled access for 2004.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials will visit Athens on 22 October for their penultimate inspection.

The inspection is seen as crucial as it will take place just a few months before organisers are due to deliver most Olympics-related projects.

These include a tram and railway, a football stadium and dozens of sports complexes, as well as a revamped coastline.

Any delays at that point could seriously compromise the quality of the games, the IOC has said.

Athens was told by the IOC in February to speed up its preparations and final checks will be made next May, just three months before the opening ceremony.