posted on Aug, 11 2004 @ 05:32 PM
THESSALONIKI, Greece -- Police used Olympic soccer preliminaries, which began in four different cities Wednesday, as a test of their readiness before
the main event in Athens.
"We will see how safety measures work in real conditions," Public Order Ministry general secretary Leonidas Evangelidis said during a security
briefing in this northern Greek city.
Host Greece played the United States in the women's tournament in Iraklio, on the island of Crete, while games began in Thessaloniki, Volos in central
Greece and Patras in the south.