Olympic Family Helps Fire Recovery in Greece

(ATR) The IOC and other Olympic organizations are coming to the aid of Greek athletes after the fires that ravaged communities east of Athens last week.

"The IOC, together with ANOC and the European Olympic Committees, has informed us about a financial contribution of $150,000 towards the victims (athletes), sport facilities and sport clubs that have suffered damages from the devastating fires of last week," Hellenic Olympic Committee President Spyros Capralos reports to Around the Rings.

Capralos says the donation has been widely reported in the Greek press and has received positive coverage.

The wildfires east of Athens killed at least 91 people with 25 still missing.

The Greek government is facing questions about whether it could have done more to save lives. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited the town of Mati on Monday that was hardest hit by the flames.

During an emergency meeting of his cabinet Friday, Tsipras said that he assumed "political responsibility" for the tragedy.

Arson is suspected as the cause of the fires, which did not affect any of the Olympic venues from the 2004 Olympics.

In 2007, arsonist-set fires devastated the area around ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese, west of Athens.

The IOC and other Olympic organizations provided assistance in 2017 to national Olympic committees in the Caribbean which were affected by a series of hurricane disasters

Reported by Ed Hula.