TURIN, Italy -- Organizers of the 2006 Winter Olympics insist the games are on track despite a $242 million budget shortfall and a police investigation into possible fixing of construction contracts.
Valentino Castellani, a former Turin mayor who leads the organizing committee TOROC, said Friday that Italians are used to doing things at "the last minute," but the games would be ready for the opening ceremony on Feb. 10, 2006.
Castellani expects the Italian government to make up the gap in TOROC's $1.7 billion operating budget. Large increases in costs have raised concerns by International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, who met recently with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi.
Castellani said state-owned companies, including public broadcaster RAI, have not played their part in sponsoring and promoting the games. National airline Alitalia, which is mired in major financial difficulties, has also not sponsored the games.
However, Castellani said, "I don't see any scandal, any particular insoluble solution. I can't believe for a country like Italy that ($260 million) will be a problem."
Castellani predicted that a special lottery and additional state money would cover the shortfall before the end of the year. Under its charter, the organizing committee is not allowed to receive money directly from the government to deal with the budget gap.
Castellani offered his resignation this month after the government appointed undersecretary Mario Pescante as overall supervisor of the games. But he agreed to stay on after being reassured Pescante would not usurp his powers.
Pescante is to meet with the Turin Olympics organization Monday. His visit will come days after police raided the offices of Agenzia Torino 2006, the company contracted by the Italian government to build the 65 infrastructure projects for the games.
Newspapers printed photos of police carrying large boxes of documents Thursday from the offices of the company, which has been enlarging roads and completing Olympic transit links. Police notified several executives they were under formal investigation for possible bid fixing and abusing their authority.
Castellani stressed that Agenzia Torino 2006 was a separate body from the organizing committee.
"We are the final clients," he said. "I regret very much what has happened, but there is a kind of risk for the image of the Olympic Games."
