Greek media and the International Olympics Committee gave organisers top marks for coming back from a bad start.

The opening rowing events were hit by high winds, raising questions about the venue's location, and the German team's withdrawal with food poisoning.

"You have to give ATHOC, the 2004 organisers, credit for a gutsy fightback after wearying weeks of being attacked from all sides," the prestigious Kathimerini newspaper said.

The IOC was even more forthcoming, describing the tests in rowing, canoeing, show jumping, beach volleyball, archery, sailing and cycling as a "successful" demonstration of Athens' skills and flexibility to deal with problems.

"The IOC is satisfied with the work carried out by the organisers and by city and government authorities," chief inspector Denis Oswald told reporters.

"We were pleased to see that across the board, the level of operations was good."

The words were music to the ears of organisers who only lost their cool in reacting to criticism of the early rowing events and angrily striking back when questions were raised about security.

"With a month of ambitious test events nearly completed, and mostly successful, Greek organisers ought to be able to give themselves a pat on the back," The Athens News said in a front page story on Friday.

"Instead, organising chief Gianna Angelopoulos, Culture/Olympics Minister Evangelos Venizelos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis are all talking about a conspiracy against Greece."

Unused to the searing international spotlight shone on Greece during the tests with the Games just one year away next August 13, the finger was mainly pointed at so-called foreign conspirators.

Some Greek media and some Athens officials said the "trouble makers" ranged from international companies eager for Olympic contracts to Australians jealous that Athens would surpass Sydney's highly-praised Games in 2000.

"Well meant criticism is welcome," Angelopoulos said in an interview with the Tae nea newspaper earlier in the week.

"I'd rather not surmise on the possible interests hidden behind such attacks but one cannot fail to wonder."

CONSPIRACY STORM

The conspiracy storm forced Australian Ambassador to Greece Stuart Hume to go on a media offensive to defend his country's decision this week to issue a security alert about travel to Greece.

Hume said the warning, similar to ones issued for Germany and Italy, was a "category 2" on a rising scale of one to seven with seven the most risky.

"All this speculation in the Greek press that this is linked to security concerns over the Olympics is completely erroneous," he told Athens News.

With the test events completed, the furore was on the way to dying down, with Angelopoulos's advice to her workers not to inflame the situation by speaking too much.

There was even a sense of humour back among organisers.

"Forget about the Aussie travel alert," one Olympic worker said.

"Our biggest security threat is Brits on Greek beaches," he added, in reference to an outbreak of violent and lewd behaviour among young British holiday makers which has captured as many headlines in Athens and London as the past month of Olympic news.