Government spokesman George Petalotis on Monday denied that losing the organisation of the Mediterranean Games was "embarrassing" for Greece and stressed that the government could not have consented to a "squandering of public money that the ministers of the previous government had carelessly promised".

He pointed out that the government had at no time refused to carry out works needed for the Mediterranean Games and its infrastructure but only drawn the line at "fiestas that would have cost the Greek people millions and been a real provocation" at a time of austerity.

Petalotis also noted that the Greek side had promptly informed the committee for the Mediterranean Games of the changes.

Asked whether any of the projects scheduled to take place for the Games would be carried out, Petalotis said that there were "behind-the-scenes" dealings for some of these projects and that all of them were now under review.

The International Committee for the Mediterranean Games (ICMG) last Friday announced that Greece had been stripped of the 2013 Mediterranean Games awarded to Volos and Larissa in 2007 because of delays in work to build the facilities and the government's decision to withdraw 190 million euro of funding for accommodation.