Olympics News round-up: Organisers of next week's shooting World Cup in Athens have defended the newly-built Olympic shooting centre after several Australian Olympic gold medallists claimed it was "a disgrace".

World Cup organisers said the venue, located east of the capital, will be ready and open for training from Monday next, as agreed, three days before the start of the ISSF World Cup for rifle, pistol, running target and clay target.

"The only thing I can tell those who say the venue is not suitable, to come and train here on Monday and then tell me it's not good enough," a senior World Cup organiser said yesterday. "The venue will be ready before the start of the test event, as agreed."

The spokesman was responding to accusations made by Australian Olympic gold medallists, Michael Diamond and Russell Mark, in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, claiming the venue did not meet Olympic standards.

"I have spoken to Russell and he has told me the venue is unsuitable," said Diamond, who a few years ago rejected an offer by the Greek government to swap teams for the Athens Games.

Diamond is still chasing a place on the Australian shooting team for the Athens Games.

Mark, a double trap gold medallist at the 1996 Atlanta Games and a silver medallist in Sydney four years ago, who has been to the Olympic venue, said there was no electricity to put the clay targets up for the competitors.

"I can't believe it . . . the venue is a disgrace," said Mark. "I don't think they can get the venue ready in three days and it's a serious problem without any power, the cables above the ground and a kilometre dust road going to the venue which is like a mountain goat track," he said.

Greece has been accused of falling dangerously behind schedule in preparations to get dozens of sports venues ready in time for the August 13th-29th Games.

Several of the test events held since last year, aimed at testing the Olympic sports facilities, were held at different venues as the sites were not yet completed.

However, Athens 2004 Games organisers yesterday rejected concerns over its security plans as the British Olympic Association and Scotland Yard lent much-needed backing for Greece.

After a series of fiercely critical articles in British and Australian media over the past week, organisers said their security plans were the most extensive in the history of the Olympics.

"There is unprecedented work taking place for the Athens Olympics security," Games organisers ATHOC said in a statement. "No single athlete who took part in the 40 test events has expressed concern over security measures."

Greece is putting in place the biggest security blueprint in the history of the Games, worth more than €650 million.

Over 45,000 security personnel, three times as many as in the Sydney 2000 Olympics, will be deployed. NATO will also provide air and sea patrols during the Games.

Philip Pope, British Olympic Association spokesman, said he was satisfied with the organisers' plans. "The British Olympic Association continues to feel very comfortable and satisfied with the security arrangements," he said.

Britain is one of seven nations, including Spain, Israel, the United States, Germany, France and Australia, forming a first-ever Olympics security advisory group.

A Greek police spokesman said Britain had participated in drawing up the security plans for the Games.

"The security plan has been discussed and agreed upon by the advisory board which includes the United Kingdom," said Lefteris Economou.