Greeks pledge 'great Games'

Retiring Olympic chief Samaranch has criticised Athens

Organisers of the 2004 Athens Games have told Olympic bosses that the troubled event is now back on course.

Delays in planning and preparation for the Games have led to unprecedented criticism from the International Olympic Committee.

After a two-hour meeting of the IOC executive board in Athens, Gianna Angelopulous, head of the city's organising committee, acknowledged there was a lot of work to be done.

"But the whole team in Athens is working only for the Games," she said. "It will be a great Games in Athens."

Angelopoulos said the Greek government had committed about £1bn to pay for infrastructure such as roads and tramways.

The IOC's co-ordination commission for Athens visited the city in November and reported that there had been a vast improvement.

But commission member Alex Gilady warned: "They must not go back to the bad old days. If they continue the way they are going, the Games will be okay."

Successor

Also after the meeting in Athens, IOC vice-president Thomas Bach said that campaigning for the next Olympic presidency was "in full swing".

The IOC is due to elect a successor to current president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, next July in Moscow.

Bach ruled himself out of the running, although it is widely believed that the former Olympic fencer could enter the race at a later date.

No candidates are expected to announce that they are up for election until the deadline for submissions in April - although the front-runners have made themselves known.

Jacques Rogge, the Belgian surgeon who co-ordinated this year's successful Sydney Games, will be a candidate along with Canadian lawyer Dick Pound and Hungarian Pal Schmitt.

Rogge and Pound are expected to lead the running, with South Korean sports supremo Kim un-Yong also in contention.