False starts out of the question for the man behind the computers

Jeremy Hore is preparing for one of the toughest jobs at the games, and this time next year the world will see how well he has done his homework.

If he succeeds, no one will notice but if he fails, thousands of journalists and hundreds of television crews from around the globe will be pointing fingers.

Hore is the chief technology integrator at Atos Origin, which will design, build and operate the vast IT system that will relay information - including event results and stats - to spectators and media around the world in real-time.

A network is being built for games management which will handle everything from accommodation to logistics, also in the hands of the Paris-based IT agency whose service covered Athens 2004 and the Winter Olympics in Turin last year.

'The extremely high visibility of the Games means it is a project on which you don't have a second chance to get it right,' said Hore, a 36-year-old Australian IT engineer.

'There is consistent pressure for us to be ready on time. In many company projects, IT designers and operators have a certain level of time flexibility. In fact, even with a space-shuttle launch, if a problem occurs before take-off, it can be delayed. But in the case of the Olympics, rescheduling is out of the question.'