Olympics: Australia's Travel Warning is 'insult to Greece'

The Athens Games struck its first note of international discord yesterday when Greek organisers and a senior member of the International Olympic Committee criticised the Australian government for overplaying the security risks.

On Tuesday Canberra upgraded its travel advice for Greece, warning visitors of firebomb attacks after three small explosions outside a police station in Athens last week, an incident the Greeks dismissed as the work of local extremists.

The warning came despite Australia being one of the seven countries that have been advising Athens. Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, president of the Athens organising committee, said the warning was an insult to Greece.

"This is the result of a misconception about my country and is unfair," she said. "Twelve million people come here every year and enjoy our country's hospitality and this is the experience we would recommend to our Australian friends."

Denis Oswald, chairman of the IOC's co-ordination committee, said he was "surprised and disappointed" by the statement. However, he went on to imply that bombs were a fact of life in the city. "I am told this sort of thing happens not every day but from time to time. There is nothing you can do to stop someone throwing a bomb out of a car at 4am."