The Sydney Olympic village, which will house more than 15,000 athletes and officials during the September Games, has been given the Greenpeace seal of approval. Builders handed over the Aus$590 million (£295 million) village built in the shadow of Sydney Olympic Park. Its 513 houses, 355 apartments and 336 modular homes will be added to the new Sydney suburb of Newington next year.
All the permanent homes use solar power, so during the Games it will be the world's largest solar-powered suburb.
Other environmental initiatives include a four-star energy efficiency rating, 90 per cent recycling of waste material and the use of environmentally sustainable materials.
Meanwhile, rail workers have won an overtime deal worth Aus$16 million (£8 million) to get visitors to the stadiums on time during the Olympics, and should mean the Olympics would be free of industrial action from transport unions.
Looking further ahead, 50,000 policemen will be deployed to provide security during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, four times the present strength.
