ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece declared itself the safest country on earth on Saturday as unprecedented security to guard the Athens Olympics went into full swing with under a week to go. [Reuters: Sports]
Greek officials claim that no specific threats against the games exist, and that with one week to go before the first events, Greece is one of the safest nations in the world.
Greece declared itself the safest country on earth on Saturday as unprecedented security to guard the Athens Olympics went into full swing with under a week to go.
NATO ships patrolled the turquoise waters of the Aegean, a communications and surveillance blimp hovered over Athens, and most of the 70,000 strong security force called in to protect the August 13-29 Games moved into position.
"Greece is the most secure country in the world," deputy defense minister Ioannis Lampropoulos declared. "We have no feeling that we are threatened by anyone."
Most of Greece's airforce was on standby and dozens of Patriot defense missiles, creating an air shield above the capital, were armed and locked.
And with the first of seven luxury cruise ships that will host VIPs and Olympic officials already docked at the port of Piraeus, the most expensive Olympics security operation ever got under way, six days before the opening ceremony.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge applauded Greece's one billion euro security efforts, four times bigger than Sydney spent for the 2000 Olympics.
