ATHOC’s high-profile chief security advisor on Tuesday charged that the respected London daily “Guardian” attributed statements to him -- concerning security for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games – that he never made.

  Peter Ryan, who also headed up Sydney’s security in 2000, added that other media took several of his comments “out of context” -- comments, he admitted, that should have been stated differently.

  In statements to the press on Monday, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos and government spokesman Christos Protopapas cited “financial interests” as fuelling the press reports.

  In a press release on Tuesday, ATHOC stressed that rumors do not yield any benefits, adding that the organization has a great responsibility to maintain its cool, while reiterating that security is the “number one” priority for the Games.

  Finally, organizers simply reiterated that Greece is spending a whopping 600 million dollars on security and implementing unprecedented international cooperation for such an event.

Source: Athens News Agency

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