ATHENS, Greece -- The coordinator of Athens' Olympic preparations confirmed the government will go ahead with plans to cancel or scale-back some sports venues for the 2004 Games.

Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said Athens will not build a new Olympic boxing venue, but instead use an existing facility.

	“	Essentially the decisions have been made and all members agreed. ... It is the fault of the contractors. They not carry out the measures of protection ... that is why these accidents have occurred. ”
		— Tilemahos Hitiris, Government spokesman

Government spokesman Tilemahos Hitiris also confirmed a series of venue cuts were discussed -- including one of two planned seaside beach volleyball courts, a hockey stadium, and a baseball diamond. Hitiris said Athens 2004 organizers and the International Olympic Committee had all agreed on such cuts.

"Essentially the decisions have been made and all members agreed," Hitiris said.

At a Cabinet meeting on Athens's preparations for the 2004 Games on Tuesday, Premier Costas Simitis warned construction companies they could be expelled from the Olympic Village building site if they fail to bolster safety measures following the death of four workers this year.

Simitis also warned construction companies they could also face temporary suspensions for minor safety infractions, according to Hitiris.

Simitis' warning came after Olympic Village officials said they would take legal action against construction companies which do not follow safety regulations.

The Olympic Village is one of the few construction projects for the 2004 Games that is not delayed, and has been showcased by organizers as an example of how Athens has made up for years of lost time. The government has been working overtime to make up for delays that threatened to derail the Olympics.

About 1,500 workers at the village called a 48-hour strike after a 32-year-old Romanian man was killed on Monday after falling off a crane. He was the fourth construction worker to die on the site this year.

There have been complaints that construction companies have not been taking adequate safety measures in their effort to make up for construction delays at the village, scheduled to house 17,300 athletes and Olympic officials.

Hitiris quoted Simitis as saying that when safety "measures are not upheld, then the contractor now and in the future will be expelled."

According to Hitiris, about 85 percent of the people helping build the village are unskilled foreign workers who have little experience in construction.

"It is the fault of the contractors. They not carry out the measures of protection ... that is why these accidents have occurred," Hitiris said.

Greece's largest labor union, or GSEE, condemned what it described as the "indifference" to safety shown by contractors and said it was supporting the strike.

"GSEE denounces this unacceptable situation that costs human lives, especially at a project that concerns the Olympic Games," the union said in a statement.

Four Greek construction companies are building the village's residential zone and they been promised bonuses of more than $14,000 for every section that is delivered ahead of schedule. A state-run company, Olympic Village 2004 AE, is overseeing the construction.

Workers representatives have repeatedly complained of poor conditions, including a lack of drinking water, toilets and a general lack of oversight by officials. Some workers have complained they have no contracts, overtime pay or benefits.