Blairs in Olympic boost

Tony Blair and his wife Cherie are considering planning their holidays around next year's Athens Olympics in order to boost London's bid for the 2012 Olympics.

The Prime Minister and his wife, an athletics fan, are looking at visiting the Greek capital during the second half of the Games which run from 13-29 August.

The 2012 campaign will be in full flow by then with just 11 months to go before the International Olympic Committee vote in Singapore in July 2005.

Security is going to be a key issue in Athens and the Blairs visit will require special planning. But the Prime Minister is well aware that the IOC view government support as being vital to any bid.

Cherie Blair is expected to work as one of the ambassadors of the London bid together with personalities from the world of sport, business and the media.

The Prime Minister's wife visited the World Athletics Championships yesterday in Paris, London's biggest rival in the 2012 race where she toured the media facilities.

But she was prevented from scoring a PR victory for the bid by advocating her support of it after The Daily Telegraph, who were chaperoning her, refused to let anyone talk to her.