RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Safeguarding the public and the athletes from potential danger will be the biggest challenge facing Rio de Janeiro when it hosts the 2016 Olympic Games, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge said yesterday.

Rio is known for its world famous landmarks and carnivals, however Brazil’s second-biggest city also has a reputation for endemic urban violence.

Rogge believes security, and to a lesser degree an efficient transport system, will be the organising committee’s biggest concerns in the lead-up to and during the Games.

“The number one challenge, since the Games of Munich in 1972 (when 11 members of the Israeli delegation were killed after being taken hostage by terrorists), is security. That is the main problem,” the Belgian told sports daily Lance.

“I’m not saying Rio is not equipped (to confront the problem). On the contrary, but I have to say that the number one issue is security. We are talking about human lives. “The second main problem, and it’s one that can be applied to all editions of the Games, with a few rare exceptions, is transport.” IOC chief Rogge, however, admits that even the most stringent security measures can be breached. “There’s no guarantees when it comes to security,” added Rogge. “London won the right to host the 2012 Games on the basis that the city was well-equipped on the security front. And two days later, there was a (terrorist) attack.”