GREECE: Gloomy thoughts of wet concrete and slow ticket sales were swept away by a summer wind yesterday as the "last-minute" magic long promised by Greece lined up the Olympic Games for a smooth take-off in four days.
Fears that some arenas would be half empty because of foreign security concerns and Greek congestion worries had been banished by a surge of ticket sales, organisers said.
"We will have a full house in Athens," Olympic Committee spokesman Mr Michael Zaharatos predicted.
Organisers aim to sell at least 3.4 million tickets by the start of the Games on Friday and say demand is accelerating towards the ultimate goal of 5.2 million seats filled.
"We have said all along it would be a last-minute thing with us," a Games official said.
Return visitors said Athens seemed transformed by the expressways and metro train lines built for the Games.
Olympics chief Mr Jacques Rogge praised Greece's preparations for this month's Games and thanked the Greek people yesterday for their patience during years of construction work and widespread scepticism of their abilities.
"This is the perfect answer to people who have doubted you. It will leave a great legacy for Greece and Athens for years to come," the president of the International Olympic Committee said as he toured Athens' flagship arena, where workers were putting the finishing touches to a project that had become a byword for delays.
"The IOC has always expressed its confidence that our Greek friends would finish preparations in due time.
"This has been achieved with a great efficiency amid widespread scepticism.
"I want to thank the Greek public for their patience," Mr Rogge added.
After seven years of construction delays and political infighting, Greece has mounted a final sprint to be ready for Friday's opening ceremony, having invested some $6 billion in hosting the two weeks of sport.
Four years ago, the IOC took the unusual step of threatening to move the 2004 Games elsewhere if the Greek authorities failed to speed up their preparations.
One lingering concern for the organisers had been slow sales of tickets for many events and Mr Rogge took the opportunity to encourage local residents to make sure stadiums would be filled.
"I am quite sure that the Greek public will support the effort to create a modern Greece and I call on you, the Greek public, to come to the venues to cheer for the Greek team and the other teams," said Mr Rogge, dressed in the official tracksuit.
Local ticket sales have picked up in the past week.
Many Athenians, used to escaping the city's August heat and angered by the disruption that major infrastructure projects have caused to daily life, had earlier been slow to book seats for events.