Construction crews will work nonstop to overcome construction delays at Athens' main Olympic stadium, which could be completed by May.
"This is the most important sports complex ... we are confident the timetable will be kept," said Spyros Kapralos, executive director of the 2004 organizing committee. "There is no major concern."
The International Olympic Committee has repeatedly noted the delays in construction of the stadium, but Nikolaos Louridas, a senior consultant for the project, said the stadium could be completed months before the games begin in August.
Rotating crews are working 16 hours per day at the site assembling the roof, which has been likened to a giant three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. White steel tubes are being welded and bolted together -- similar to an enormous tent frame -- to make the parallel arcs.
Louridas said the elements are the main challenge.
"The worst thing we face is wind because we cannot lift," he said. "In September, we had to stop work for three days because of the wind."
The roof, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, will be the centerpiece of the games, with the glass-and-steel structure built to shield spectators from Athens' punishing summer heat.
Louridas is confident the work schedule is going according to plan and that the roof would keep the fans cool.
"It will not be a hothouse, it will not loom over our heads," he said.
After the frames, workers will put the glass panels in place.
Organizers also said construction of the Olympic Village was three months ahead of schedule.
In other news, construction of security command hubs is under way and forces are being trained on the sophisticated equipment that will link personnel guarding the games.
A "considerable number" of centers will be scattered around the city and are on schedule, said Dave Tubbs, senior vice president of San Diego-based Science Applications International Corp, or SAIC, which is leading an international consortium organizing the communications and technology framework for security units.
The command centers are a linchpin of the record US$600 million security network for the games.
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