ATHENS, Dec 28 (AFP) - A majority of Greeks fear theywill be called upon to help pay for next year’s OlympicGames.
According to a survey published Sunday 80.6 percent ofthose questioned believe the cost of staging the 2004Games will be enormous'' and that citizens will beasked to pay for it’’.
But in a boost to organisers everyone consulted in thepoll commissioned by the Kathimerini newspaper wasconfident the event would pass off successfully.
The MRB survey found that over a third of thepopulation believe the Games will degenerate into a hugecommercial market - but over half (56.7 percent) areconvinced the infrastructures being put in place tostage the Games are necessary for the country as awhole.
On the question of whether the Olympics should be heldin Greece 59.3 percent declared they were proud Athenswas the host venue against 6.2 percent who said theywould prefer if they were staged elsewhere.
Meanwhile the level of support for GiannaAngelopoulos-Daskalaki, president of the Athensorganising committee (ATHOC), has dipped from 63.8percent in October to 58.1 percent in the MRB surveywhich polled 2,000 people between November 18 andDecember 1.