Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Oh dear...

So 100 days to go until the Olympics and this morning 3 bombs went off in Athens (a fourth was diffused). Thankfully nobody was seriously hurt, but the message that bombs can and have been planted in the city is another nightmare for the organisers.

Last time I was in Athens, several Athenians told me they'd be leaving the city during the Olympics - partly because they always clear out in stifling August, but also because of their fear of terrorists.

With the much-publicised problems with infrastructure as well as these bombs, there seems to be a real chance that spectators will simply stay away. The PR for the Games couldn't have been much worse - and it's hard to imagine many people are feeling particularly keen on spending a lot of money to visit them, when they could stay at home in comfort and safety and watch them on the TV.

Here's hoping there's some brighter Olympic news soon.

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