London party ends quickly

By T.J. QUINN in London
and MICHAEL O'KEEFFE in New York
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS

Confetti littered Trafalgar Square yesterday morning, a day after revelers waving Union Jacks dove into the fountain behind Lord Nelson's statue to celebrate London's Olympic triumph.

The city's major newspapers trumpeted London's victory over Paris, Madrid, New York City and Moscow for the right to play host to the 2012 Olympics.

"Vive le ros bif," they shouted.

But by late evening, the city was eerily quiet - except for the emergency vehicle sirens that occasionally wailed through the streets - and the Olympics were the last thing on the minds of Londoners who suffered through a string of morning rush-hour explosions, the worst attack on the city since World War II.

At least 37 people were killed and 700 injured by the blasts that ripped through three London subway trains and a double-decker bus. British authorities say the attack may be linked to Al-Qaeda.

"Even London, that has probably the best and most sophisticated security services in the world, finds it difficult to deal with these sorts of attacks," Ken Mills, chief executive of London's bid team, said in Singapore.

The International Olympic Committee said the London bombings were not related to the Olympics. "It is a very sad fact of society today that tragic and shocking attacks of this nature can happen in any city at any time," the IOC said in a statement.

Some London residents expressed shock at the devastation that hit so hard on the heels of triumph. "We were quite glad that we got the Olympic bid," said Arvind Mavji, a worker at Euston railway station. "Today we are wondering if it was worth it."

Others, however, tried to emulate the defiance and stoicism that carried London through German air strikes during World War II. "As Brits, we'll carry on - it doesn't scare us at all," said tour guide Michael Cahill. "It's Great Britain - it's not called 'Great' for nothing."

Horse racing at Epsom Downs was canceled yesterday, as was an Olympic celebration. "It would be completely inappropriate in view of this appalling tragedy," Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said.

But the Scottish Open golf tournament in Luss and a cricket match between England and Australia went on as scheduled.

The Royal and Ancient Club said it is satisfied with the security measures in place for next week's British Open at St. Andrews, but officials privately acknowledged they may take additional steps once they confer with security experts. Compared to American sporting events, security at Scotland's St. Andrews is lax: Security officials do not limit the size of bags or check visitors with metal detectors. Unlike U.S. golf courses, the venerable golf club is not surrounded by security fences.

Meanwhile, Major League Baseball said its security officials are working with Detroit police to shore up security at next week's All-Star Game. "We are all aware the world we live in is different since 9/11," said MLB spokesman Rich Levin. "As soon as this happened, our security people were in contact with the local authorities. Security is always a top priority."

Security measures were also beefed up at the Stadium yesterday before the Yankees' game with the Cleveland Indians. "People should know we're very much in tune with what's going on," Yankee spokesman Rick Cerrone said.

The NFL and NBA are out of season, but spokesmen for both leagues said officials constantly review security measures and that they are satisfied their procedures will keep fans and players safe. "An event like that in London underscores how important that is," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.

It's much easier, however, to secure an arena or stadium than public transportation. But, as Tom Seitz, executive director of USA Water Polo, said: "You can't prepare for everything."

"It's just a shame that this terrorism becomes involved with sport," Seitz said. "Certainly it has a dampening impact on this city and the celebration involved with the (Olympic) bid - whether the attacks were related or not."