Torino's Olympic Hopes

By Jyoti Thottam

With the 2006 Winter Games less than 100 days away, Valentino Castellani, president of the Torino Olympic Committee, spoke with TIME about transforming his city, best known for its famous shroud and as the birthplace of Fiat and Italian industrial design, into an international showpiece.

TIME Will Torino be ready on time?

VALENTINO CASTELLANI All the sites are ready. The last 60 days are devoted to training people inside the venues. You have only one shot, and the target is not so large.

TIME You canceled a TV show to mark the 100-day milestone because of a $65 million budget overrun. What happened?

V.C. There was a disagreement between local and state governments over how to allocate costs of 35 million to 50 million euros. The overall cost of the Games is 3.5 billion euros, so 35 million is manageable.

TIME What lessons did you learn from Athens?

V.C. Exactly this one: in some cases, they didn't have time to train people, to simulate emergency situations, to figure out all the errors and expectations that you have to deal with.

TIME What advice did you give Beijing?

V.C. They were very interested in marketing. They are not very skilled in that--not yet.

TIME How will the Games change the perception of your city?

V.C. Torino in the past century was practically a one-company town, an industrial city--dirty, gray. I believe that Torino after the Games will be identified as a city of the arts. Of course, the competition with Venice, Florence, Rome is very tough.

TIME Have Italian companies been enthusiastic sponsors?

V.C. The top sponsors--Coca-Cola, Samsung, McDonald's--sign directly with the I.O.C. We market at a national level, and we have almost 300 million euros, which is huge for Italy.

TIME Do the Olympics need a star to attract a big audience?

V.C. Yes, especially if they are from the host nation. I should be neutral, but if we have good performances from our Italian athletes, that will improve participation.

TIME What is your favorite winter sport?

V.C. I like very, very much figure skating. This is my first.