London's Olympic Games is not threatened by a major security contractor's failure to find enough staff, ministers and the head of the city's organising committee said on Sunday, seeking to quell a political storm ahead of athletes' arrival, Reuters reported today. Three days ago, the government announced it would draft in 3,500 extra troops as cover after contractor G4S admitted it was unlikely to train the guards it had promised under its 284 billion pound ($442 billion) contract in time. The news, two weeks before the start of the Games on July 27, prompted concerns over the safety of athletes and spectators, and raised fears that those trying to get into venues would face long queues to get through security. "(Security) has not been compromised," Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London Olympic organising committee (LOCOG), told BBC radio. "This is not about numbers. This is simply about the mix. We will have a safe and secure Games. Would I prefer not to be dealing with this two weeks out? The answer of course is yes." Safety has been at the top of organisers' list of concerns ever since four young British Islamists killed 52 people in suicide bomb attacks in the capital the day after London was awarded the games in 2005. Last month Jonathan Evans, the head of the MI5 domestic intelligence agency, warned that the Games presented an attractive target. While senior officials say there is nothing to indicate any attack is being planned, holes in the security apparatus have been highlighted before thousands of athletes and officials start arriving on Monday.
