World

Artefacts stolen from ancient Olympic museum

09:01 am on 18 February 2012

Dozens of artefacts have been stolen from a Greek museum dedicated to the history of the early Olympics.

Two masked men overpowered a guard at the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games in Antiquity in Olympia in western Greece at about 7.30am on Friday. One was armed with a pistol.

Display cabinets were smashed and more than 60 objects, mostly bronze and clay statuettes, were taken.

Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos has tendered his resignation, but the BBC reports it has yet not been accepted.

Hundreds of thousands of people visit Olympia - the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games - every year.