Preparations in Moscow for the 1980 Olympic Games are reported to be so far ahead of schedule that the Olympic complex will be used for next year's seventh Spartakia Games. Recently a member of the Spartakia organising committee announced that 2,000 foreign sportsmen would be invited to attend next year's events, using Olympic facilities. Earlier there had been rumours and Soviet press reports of bureaucratic delays and labour shortages.

SYNOPSIS: Last Friday (24 March) the Chairman of the Moscow Council's Executive Committee, Vladimir Promyslov, criticised some "slow and ineffective" preparations for the world's major sporting event. However, he also promised that Moscow would continue to work intensively on building sports facilities, new hotels, restaurants, camping grounds and cafeterias. He said it would be the first time the Russian capital had hosted the event - Moscow's Olympics would beat all records for the number of competitors, guests, tourists and the entire organisation.

Mr. Promyslov told members of the Council he had no doubt Muscovites would do all possible for the Olympics.

Work on the complex has continued even during the Russian winter, when temperatures have dropped as low as minus 20 degrees centigrade. Moscow's Chief Architect, Mr Mikhail Posohin, keeps a close eye on developments and the site has already been visited and praised by Lord Killanin, President of the International Olympic Committee.