Games faces greatest terror threat at Athens

The IOC depend on the Games for their income from sponsors and TV revenue.

Since taking charge three years ago, Rogge has been keen to make sure that the organisation and their affiliated international sports federations and national Olympic committees could survive if the event had to be cancelled. He said: "The Games are our sole source of income. I said at the beginning of September 2001, just before 9/11, that we needed to have reserves to allow us to work for four years if the Games were cancelled for any reason - earthquakes, terrorism, political issues, epidemic.

"I spoke about insurance at that time. A week later came 9/11. I wanted to have an insurance for the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002 but at that time there was no way you could find an insurance.

"But we wanted to go to Athens and other Games with insurance. We will do it for the 2006 Turin Winter Games and for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. The situation is very simple. We are living in a new world, in a different world. The IOC cannot have a prudent management without securing its financial means."

The IOC have refused to reveal which insurance syndicate is involved in the £100m deal or how high the premiums are. However, Rogge clearly is adamant that the event will open in the Greek capital on 13 August.

He said: "One should not underestimate the huge difficulties we had in 1976 and 1980 when the very existence of the Olympic Games was at stake.

"We have a huge security issue worldwide. But at that time in 1980, three months before the Games, no one really knew whether they would be organised. Today we are going for the Games. That's for sure."

The Evening Standard revealed last week that Olympic officials from European countries involved in military operations in Iraq have had secret talks about security.

Officials from Britain, Spain, Italy and Poland, whose athletes have become potential terrorist targets after the War, were all called to a hastily arranged meeting in Paris 12 days ago together with Germany and France who will send large teams to the Greek capital.

Both Britain and the United States are expected to take undercover guards to Athens to protect their teams although the Greek government has said they cannot be armed.

Rogge defended the right of every country to beef up the security of their teams. But he said Greece, which has been taking advice from British and American security experts since getting the event in 1997, would be running the show.

He said: "It is common knowledge that many teams have included a security advisor in their teams. Now these teams are probably going to send a few more of them and they have been discussing that."

But he added: "Be sure that the Games are under the total control of the Greeks. They are not under control of foreign powers in no aspect whatsoever."

The Greeks have, nevertheless, called on NATO to provide support for a military operation that is costing £430m, three times as much as Sydney Games four years ago.

Rogge said: "NATO is not necessary a new issue. The French Air force was on permanent alert before the Albertville Winter Games in 1992. So it is not an exception."

The Greeks are under intense pressure to be ready in time for the event after dragging their feet with preparations in the first three years after they won the IOC vote in 1997.

Rogge said: "There is no doubt they underestimated the difficulty of the Games. There was a lot of good will but they probably did not understand the scope and the magnitude of it."