Oly: Athens media planning surpasses Sydney's: media officials

AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2004
Oly: Athens media planning surpasses Sydney's: media officials

While construction work on venues for this year's Athens Olympics continues at breakneck
speed, the Greeks are surpassing Sydney in one area -- looking after the media.

International Olympic Committee heavyweight KEVAN GOSPER says planning for journalists
and television workers is better than the efforts of his own country, Australia, when
it was host.

And Mr GOSPER says the four world press briefings have been better conducted and more
informative than anything else he's seen before, including the 2000 Sydney Games.

He's backed by RICHARD SLEEMAN, a key Sydney Games media official in his role as communications
director of the Sydney Media Centre at Darling Harbour.

Mr SLEEMAN says he's just returned from Athens where the two working venues for accredited
journalists are ready to operate ahead of the August event.

Mr SLEEMAN says Sydney's media facilities weren't ready until a couple of weeks before the Games.

AAP RTV as/mo/as/psm/

KEYWORD: OLY GREECE MEDIA (SYDNEY)

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