ATHENS. Aug 7: Greek sports minister Andreas Fouras on Wednesday tried to defuse the war of words between IAAF K:sldent Primo Nebiolo and al organisers over the low attendance at the World Championships. reports AP.

"Let people do their jobs and not have others trying to find blame where there is none," Fouras said at a function organised by the Greek Athletics Federation. where Nebiolo was one

ana Athens '97 officialrover the small turnout on the first day of the championships threatened to overshadow the event.

According to Greek newspaper reports. Nebiolo allegedly demanded that Fouras Are Evangelos Savramis. the organizing committee's general director.

Savramis had earlier accused Nebiolo of using soldiers to pack Rome's stadium during the 1987 championships. He further infuriated Nebiolo by saying that tickets were not watermelons and could not be flogged by vans with loudspeakers driving around the capital.

The International Olympic Committee president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, defended the Greeks.

"It is unjust the war that is occurring in Athens, firstly because there were no significant finals on Saturday and secondly because this stadium is too big to fill." Samaranch was quoted as saying by the Athens dally Ethnos. ”n fact things here are better than they were at

Goteborg, Sweden, hosted the 1995 World Championships.

Ethnos and other newspapers quoted Samaranch as saying that Barcelona's Camp Nou soccer stadium, which seats nearly 120,000. looks empty when there are 75.000 fans inside it.

"Don't forget that even a big stadium can look empty even with 50.000 people inside it." Samaranch said.

Athens' cavernous Olympic Stadium, which seats about 85.000.