IOC confident of Winter Olympics preparation despite delays / Photo: © AFP/File
-
Venezuela search teams scramble as hope fades of finding quake survivors
-
Stocks rise and oil edges up as US, Iran call end to latest attacks
-
Bondi Beach attack survivor tells of 'trauma' of online AI images
-
South Korea to invest nearly $1.2 tn in chips, AI data centres
-
Pakistan strikes on eastern Afghanistan kill dozens
-
Russia rallies support for army with 'patriotic' tourist routes
-
Cape Verde, Africa's outlier in LGBTQ tolerance
-
Brazil, Germany eye World Cup last 16 as Netherlands face Morocco
-
South Korea demands change after dismal World Cup exit
-
Washington says US, Iran pausing strikes, talks to proceed
-
Stocks mixed and oil rises as US, Iran call end to latest attacks
-
EU, China trade tensions loom over minister visit
-
For sale on Facebook: monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolins
-
Israelis, Palestinians torn over sacred shrine in city of Hebron
-
In Sudan's Kordofan, a key city reels as paramilitary offensive looms
-
Scheffler to face Hovland in Monday playoff for PGA Travelers title
-
Ryu Hae-ran wins Women's PGA Championship
-
'Burnt out' Stokes leaves England facing tricky questions
-
Germany must win to defy World Cup doubters, says Nagelsmann
-
Critical rescue window closing in Venezuela as quake death toll nears 1,500
-
South Korea's Ryu Hae-ran wins Women's PGA Championship
-
Canada's Marsch praises history-making World Cup 'heroes'
-
Brazil strike confident tone ahead of Japan World Cup clash
-
Co-hosts Canada beat South Africa to reach World Cup last 16 as knockouts begin
-
Israel detonates tunnel, strikes south Lebanon
-
Putin acknowledges fuel shortages after Ukraine strikes
-
Moriyasu praises 'united' Japan on eve of Brazil World Cup clash
-
Canada reach World Cup last 16 as late strike sinks South Africa
-
Looting, theft in Venezuela's earthquake zone add to tragedy
-
Perry stars as Australia knock India out of World Cup
-
Venezuela quakes kill 1,450, time running out to find survivors
-
Stokes 'content' after extraordinary England exit
-
West Indies beat Sri Lanka in first Test
-
Europe swelters as heatwave moves east
-
Asia's World Cup falls apart with just two teams remaining
-
Stokes announces shock England exit as New Zealand eye series win
-
Bromell upsets Lyles, Duplantis shines at Paris Diamond League
-
CAF president Motsepe hails African World Cup successes
-
Man Utd reveal Ugarte knee injury in Uruguay World Cup defeat
-
South Korea coach quits after early World Cup exit
-
Stokes out for 30 in final Test innings after shock England retirement
-
Venezuela quakes kill 1,400, time running out to find survivors
-
Wolff praises 'cold-blooded' Russell, enjoys Antonelli enthusiasm at Austrian GP
-
Hamilton laments lack of power and poor tyre performance
-
Stokes announces shock England exit as Mitchell bats New Zealand into commanding lead
-
Goals galore at record-breaking World Cup
-
Russell overcomes 'tricky run of form' to revive title bid
-
Augusta Tops Best Gold IRA Companies List By Gold Advisor
-
Europe swelters as heatwave moves east, excess deaths rise
-
They support Argentina at the World Cup, but are not Argentine
IOC confident of Winter Olympics preparation despite delays
One month out from the start of the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) executive director Christophe Dubi told AFP on Tuesday that he was confident everything would be prepared on time, despite serious concerns.
Delays have hampered the preparation of some of the Milan-Cortina Olympic event sites, such as those used for ice hockey, snowboarding and freestyle skiing.
"We're at the stage where everything is coming together, with just a month to go to the opening ceremony," Dubi told AFP in a written response to questions.
"The preparation is moving from the planning phase to the full operational implementation across all clusters.
"Recent test events -- speed skating, ice hockey, and last weekend the biathlon at Val di Fiemme -- confirmed the readiness and provided us with valuable final information.
"All these things strengthen our confidence," he added.
The Santagiulia Arena in Milan, which will host the final stages of the ice hockey tournament, will be opened this week, a month behind schedule.
Next month's Games will mark a return of NHL stars to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years.
"The infrastructure for the ice hockey, I am talking about the dressing room, the practice area, the field of play, that's going to be ready," International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif said on Monday.
"We are going to have a fantastic tournament," he added.
The snowboard and freestyle competitions will be held in Livigno, near the Swiss border, where artificial snow needs to be produced to build the jumps, obstacles and mogul runs that will feature on the course.
That was delayed by several days due to a technical problem but the 2026 Games CEO Andre Varnier assured AFP on Monday that the snow production was progressing as forecast.
D.Schaer--VB
