Stadium builders play catch-up
3 September 1998The Olympic Stadium's builders are preparing to work around the clock to meet a deadline for its completion after record downpours stopped construction for the whole of August.
Stadium Australia management said yesterday excavation and construction work had been impossible throughout last month as 486 millimetres fell on the Homebush Bay site.
Double and triple shifts may be introduced to ensure the stadium is completed by the scheduled date of March 1 next year, Stadium Australia's construction manager, Mr Edmund Obiala, said.
"Our programs indicate we will still finish on time," he said.
However, the Olympics Minister, Mr Knight, said there was no pressure on the builders to have the stadium ready by the beginning of March. He denied the Government wanted a planned public open day to be held before the May 27 State election.
The official opening of the stadium, with a Bee Gees concert, will coincide with the election - on the night of May 27.
"We're looking at showing off a great facility that's got some public money and some private money in it to the people of NSW," Mr Knight said. "We'll do it whenever they are ready.
"If they're ready in December, we'll do it in December. If they're ready in February, we'll do it in February. If they're ready in April, we'll do it in April."
Asked if a public open day before the State poll would help Labor's re-election chances, Mr Knight said: "We're not interested in playing electoral politics here.
"I think it's important that people see the facilities that they're getting for their money."
Talks had been held with Stadium Australia management to allow the public to walk through the stadium and onto the playing surface as part of the open day, Mr Knight said.
"One of the things that won't occur once the stadium's in operation is the chance to walk around it," he said. "If you go to an event, you're shown to your seat. But if you come to an open day and get a chance to walk around, walk on the track, share some of that feeling that the athletes will get at the time of the Games."
Stadium management said construction had been well ahead of schedule until last month.
"We're certainly not behind schedule," Mr Obiala said.
But double and triple shifts would be introduced if any more time was lost, he said.
"We're working 10 to 12 hours a day already but it could be 18 and 24 hours," he said.
Lighting would be installed to allow about 100 workers to do the night work. Mr Obiala said the rains flooded the main arena and surrounding areas.
No frills $5m deal boosts Paralympics
Sydney's Paralympic organisers are accustomed to taking a no frills approach to funding the games.
While sponsors clamber to have their name attached to the Olympics, the corporate sector has been slower in committing to the second biggest sporting event of 2000, the Paralympics.
But the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) came a step closer to reaching its hefty revenue target of $70 million from sponsors yesterday after sealing a major deal with supermarket chain Franklins, of the No Frills brand name.
Under the deal, believed to be valued at more than $5 million, the sale of some grocery items will go directly to helping stage the Paralympics with the company contributing a percentage of profits.
Franklins, with more than 2.6 million customers weekly, will stock Paralympics merchandise with a percentage of regular supermarket sales of some products also handed over.
