The Olympic Installations Board (OIB) was on the defensive again Wednesday, denying a report that the Olympic Stadium is falling apart at the seams.
The OIB, which is in the process of granting a contract to build a permanent, steel roof on the stadium, says the oft-repaired building was given a clean bill of health by independent inspectors as recently as February, 2009.
"It is a building that was well built, well designed and it is constantly inspected," said OIB spokesperson Sylvie Bastien. "More than 500 pieces were inspected thoroughly, and the result (was) that the stadium is in good shape."
The OIB does admit that the stadium is in need of some repairs, but says they are normal for a 34-year-old building.
However, the OIB did confirm that cracks were found eight years ago on five voussoirs – a term referring to the curved portions of an archway. In this case, the archways are found in what acts as the ribcage of the stadium, and five of the "ribs" have cracks.
"There are 34 consoles, and each one has a head voussoir," Bastien said. "There are cracks on five of them, which are not dangerous. There is no emergency whatsoever. We would not tolerate any dangerous situation."
The OIB says the affected archways are inspected yearly and the presence of the cracks was included in the technical specifications given to the contractors bidding for the roof project. The OIB says the archways will be repaired at the same time the roof is replaced.
There are some engineers who question whether or not the stadium structure could support a new roof - which would be its fourth - but the OIB insists the appropriate repairs to the structure will be included in the contract for the roof.
In June, the OIB gave notice of its intention to sign a contract with engineering giant SNC Lavalin to handle the roof replacement, however the board changed the payment details from its original call for tenders from 2005 and therefore had to accept new bids.
That bidding process is due to close this Friday.
