The opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games is less than 150 days away, but construction work on the Olympic sites across Athens is still far from complete.

A £27m project to improve the route for the marathon has been put on hold, as the constructor went bankrupt last December.

The Olympic Stadium, the heart of the Games, still has no roof as production of the steel and glass canopy has been delayed. The Games are due to begin on 13 August.

However, the organisers remain confident that they will be able to deliver the Games on time and have promised that all the facilities will be up and running by then.

Gianna Angelopoulus-Daskalaki, Athens 2004 president, said: “We are now running the final 100-metre race in the lead up to the games. We are optimistic, we are working ever harder and we are ready to work closely with the new government to accelerate the pace of preparations for the Olympic Games.”

All in all, 15 sport facilities are finished and another 13 are waiting for finishing touches.

However, the two major sites – the Athens football stadium and the Olympic Stadium itself – have only recently cleared the halfway stage of construction.

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has made his concern over the situation clear, stating earlier this month that the Greeks should focus “on the basics” and concentrate on providing “good conditions for athletes”.

After a meeting with the country’s new deputy culture minister, Giorgos Orfanos, Mrs Angelopoulus-Daskalaki issued a further statement, saying: “We took it from the start that the Olympics are about athletes, performance, participation and competition.”

“We shall do whatever is needed for athletes to put up their best possible performances at the games,” she said. Details: www.athens2004.com

Picture shows the Panathinaiko stadium