The International Olympic Committee also announced the appointment of Ticketmaster as the official ticket systems sponsor of the 2004 Games. Los Angeles-based Ticketmaster is a leading provider of automated ticketing systems worldwide, and the IOC said in announcement issued in Lausanne, Switzerland, that the company will provide turnkey solutions for the 2004 Olympics.

*The delivery of a ticketing program is one of the most critical areas for the ultimate success of an Olympic Games,* said IOC Marketing Director Michael Payne.

Tickets for the 2004 games are expected to go on sale in the summer of 2003.

Athens 2004 chief Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki described the move into the new complex as a type of test event that was accomplished in three days.

*It was a small test event for us and it turned out to be completely successful,* Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said.

The refurbished garment factory will also serve as the operational center for the Olympics during the course of the games and is located in the northwestern suburb of Nea Ionia, near the main Olympic complex. The complex includes seven buildings covering more than 30,000 square meters (322,920 square feet). A total of 4,000 people will be able to work on the premises once the whole complex is gradually delivered to organizers.

Greece's highest administrative court, the Council of State, approved government plans to build an Olympic equestrian center in eastern Athens.

Construction has been delayed pending court approval and the IOC was worried the center and a related Olympic project risked falling far behind schedule. A horseracing track Athens now uses is to be replaced by a seaside sports complex for boxing, taekwondo and handball for the 2004 Games.

The court also published a decision taken in January rejecting a number of appeals by archaeological and environmental groups seeking to stop construction of an Olympic rowing venue near the site of the ancient Battle of Marathon.

During the headquarters inauguration, Angelopoulos-Daskalaki also defended her organization's salary policies after published reports claimed employees received exorbitant monthly wages.

*We are not playing here. We are working,* said Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who does not accept a salary for her work.

According to the Athens daily Ta Nea, the average monthly wage for the executive committee members was about 15,000 euros (US$13,000) per month, while middle-level employees reportedly received about 1,500 euros (US$1,300) -- close to the average for someone in the private and public sector.

Parliament deputies get a monthly salary around 4,900 euros (US$4,300).