Asiad on track despite crisis: Thailand<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (Reuters): Thailand said yesterday it would be ready
\nto hold the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok as scheduled in December
\ndespite budget cuts, regional economic turmoil and some sponsor
\nthreats to pull out.<\/p>\n
The Thais have hosted three previous Asiads but have been
\nstruggling to overcome various problems, particularly delays in
\nbuilding sporting venues, since being awarded the games in 1990.
\nThey have been warned several times by the Olympic Council of
\nAsia (OCA) to step up efforts or risk losing the right to host
\nthe games.<\/p>\n
Santiparb Tejavanija, deputy secretary-general of the
\norganizing committee, played down yesterday recent reports that
\nthe region's economic turmoil had put the games into jeopardy
\nwith several sponsors pulling out.<\/p>\n
"I think it's a misunderstanding," he said in an interview. "I
\ncan assure you up to this moment there's no sponsor pullout.<\/p>\n
He denied local media reports that telecommunications company
\nSamart Corp was going to reduce its US$10 million sponsorship by
\n$2.0 million.<\/p>\n
He said the organizing committee, BAGOC, had refused Samart's
\nrequest to cut its sponsorship amount. The two sides were trying
\nto negotiate a compromise.<\/p>\n
"This has to do with the dignity of the country," Santiparb
\nadded. "Everything will go according to plan."<\/p>\n
He said the budget for the Games had been slashed to 2.08
\nbillion baht ($38.1 million) -- the third time it had been pared
\ndown since an original estimate of about 3.5 billion.<\/p>\n
An OCA spokesman, who also denied that Bangkok was in danger
\nof losing the games, said the cuts were not too worrisome.<\/p>\n
"You have to put the budget cuts in some sort of context," he
\nsaid. "There isn't a single Olympic Games that hasn't been
\nsubject to cuts."<\/p>\n
"The OCA is maintaining a constant and very detailed dialog
\nwith BAGOC to ensure that none of the events or any of the venues
\nwould fall below standards."<\/p>\n
And he said talk of major delays in some of the venue sites --
\none of the main problems that resulted in OCA intervention and
\nthreats in the past -- was unfounded.<\/p>\n
"Under no circumstances will the Asian Games fall below the
\nstrictly supervised quality standards," he said. "They've set
\ntough criteria for BAGOC to adhere to for the facilities ... to
\nensure that they are ready with sufficient leeway."<\/p>\n
But BAGOC has been fraught with venue-related problems,
\nincluding the collapse of the roof of the Asian Games swimming
\npool last month just as OCA officials were visiting Bangkok.<\/p>\n
Santiparb admitted that the venues being built by Bangkok Land
\n-- including a multipurpose indoor stadium, a rugby field and
\ntennis courts -- were running behind schedule.<\/p>\n
But he said the various venues should be completed by late
\nAugust.<\/p>\n
Bangkok Land, which received controversial loans sponsored by
\nthe government to ensure it would complete the project, said it
\nhad credit lines of 2.0 billion baht from Siam Commercial Bank
\nand 800 million from the Government Savings Bank.<\/p>\n
But transportation could prove to be a headache in congested
\nBangkok, after a $3.2 billion mass transit project by Hopewell
\nHoldings was canceled due to repeated delays. Part of it was
\nsupposed to have been ready for the games.<\/p>\n
One bright impact of the economic turmoil in Thailand -- where
\nthe baht has lost more than 54 percent of its value against the
\ndollar since July -- is that most of the revenue coming in is in
\ndollars, and expenditure is in baht.<\/p>\n
"So the baht's devaluation will be beneficial to the
\norganizing committee," said Santiparb, who is even hoping for a
\nbudget surplus from the Games.<\/p>\n
A record 10,000 athletes are expected for the Dec. 6-Dec. 20
\nAsian Games -- the biggest sporting event in the region and
\nsecond largest in the world after the Summer Olympics.<\/p>",
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