Seven years ago, George Souflias felt Greece might have made a mistake in taking on the Olympics, but now the public works minister says his concerns will disappear by the start of the Games in August.

The Financial Times newspaper on Friday quoted Souflias as telling a parliamentary committee: "I have to question whether our country should have undertaken the organisation of the Games."

But hours later Souflias, in charge of Olympic construction projects, said his remarks on Thursday had been misinterpreted and that was his view when Greece was bidding for the Games in 1997.

"These concerns will disappear by the outcome of the event," said Souflias, a former national economy minister. "I am concerned though how my words were so distorted by some."

The Athens Olympics open on August 13.

Spiralling security and construction costs have hurt the government's finances, while builders are still working flat out to complete some of the venues and infrastructure projects.