Twenty-four hours after the annual university Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge had to be restarted half-way through because of a swimmer protesting in the River Thames, Moynihan said no stone would be left unturned "so we can have the best chance of an incident-free Games".

The incident brought security at London 2012 into sharp focus and Moynihan, a former Olympic rower who also competed in the Boat Race for Oxford, told the BBC Sportsweek programme: "Every conceivable scenario is being reviewed and looked at.

"I am confident no more can be done."

He admitted that implementing security for the athletes and public at each of the venues was, in many respects, "the biggest ask" of the entire event and that protecting all the sports, especially those such as the marathon and sailing, was "a major challenge".

"It's a challenge that has been taken on to a level that I have never seen at a sporting event before.

"I don't think more could be done."

Moynihan conceded, however, that it could still take "just one idiot" to disrupt the Games in the same way the Boat Race was dramatically halted before Cambridge went on to win second time round.


"You can never get it perfect unless you just removed all the crowds," he said.

"I don't think more can be done [but] it just takes one idiot, similar to the idiot [at the Boat Race], who causes major disruption.

"It's unlikely to be a well orchestrated campaign.

"That's why all the security measures need to be put in place to minimise the chances of that happening.

"You can never completely remove it but you can do everything possible to protect the interests of the athletes by minimising it."

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