How much will the stadium cost to build?
We can take a guess that the 496m allocated for it will not be the final figure, and no-one is likely to suggest it will come down. Equally, the organisers will not make themselves hostage to fortune by pledging not a penny more. The bottom line is there is a huge contingency fund already included in the overall games budget and if some of that gets diverted to the stadium, no-one will be surprised. The original price quoted in the bid book, about 280m, was at 2004 prices before inflation and VAT. The International Olympic Committee asked for the costings to be presented within those parameters. They have now changed the bidding conditions, and in the future cities will be asked to index costs to outcome prices in the year the games will be staged. Does it represent value for money? It’s a hard question to answer because no two stadiums are the same or commissioned at the same time. Athens adapted an existing stadium, spent 100m on a roof that almost wasn’t finished on time and attract
