BAND AND CROWD; STRAUSS SHAKES HANDS WITH VOGEL; DAUME; STRAUSS SPEAKS; PLAQUE; STRAUSS LAYS FOUNDATION STONE; CROWD; VOGEL LAYS FOUNDATION STONE; STADIUM UNDER CONSTRUCTION; MODEL OF STADIUM; MODEL OF SPORTS HALL; MODEL OF SWIMMING HALL




Initials JH/V/PN/BB



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Background: The foundation stone for the 1972 Olympic Stadium in Munich was laid symbolically today (Monday) by West German Finance Minister Franz Josef Strauss at a colourful ceremony on the outskirts of the city.

Herr Strauss, who heads the Olympic construction company, told a crowd of 4,000 at the ceremony: "we are building a sports centre in which athletes from the whole world will proud to compete."
The Mayor of Munich, Dr. Hans-Jochen Vogel, also symbolically laid the stone during the ceremony.

West German Olympic Committee President Willy Daume Attended the ceremony and later defended the controversial tent-like roof which is to cover the whole of the sports grounds. Architecturally, it is considered the most ambitious aspect of the project.

Building on the site is already well advanced. The project includes the main stadium for 80,000 people, an indoor arena for 12,000, a swimming hall for 8,000 and cycling stadium for 10,000. A college sports complex, a press centre and two Olympic villages are also parts of the programme.

The whole Olympic construction project is budgeted at 800 million Marks (GBP80 million Sterling), but the costs have already climbed above that ceiling and are now estimated at a minimum of 805 million marks (about GBP80,500,000 Sterling).