November 25, 2002, Updated September 14, 2012

The 2004 Olympics will be held at the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. Six Israeli companies will be providing security equipment and information services for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

These companies will be offering services and products worth as much as $40 million, according to Shraga Brosh, chairman of the Israel Export Institute. The companies will be working within the framework of international consortiums that have received contracts for security for the event. Brosh added that the institute is already beginning efforts to include local companies in protecting the 2008 games in Beijing.

In addition, an Israeli shipyard will build patrol vessels for security during the Olympics, the Greek Defense Ministry said Nov. 20. Two type SAAR 4 fast-attack missile craft will be built by Israel Shipyards Ltd. for delivery in December 2003 and February 2004 under the $79.4 million deal. The accord calls for the third ship to be built at a Greek shipyard and be ready for service by April 2004, four months before the games, the ministry said.

Security services has been one of the most successful sectors of the Israeli economy in recent years, and its growth is expected to continue. The Export Institute predicts an increase this year of 20 percent over last year,
reaching a total of $300 million, and believes that this rate of growth will continue in subsequent years.

Israel has approximately 300 companies devoted to the production of civilian security equipment, information services, security consultancy and provision of security services.

Recently, the institute created a central committee aimed at increasing exports to the United States and Europe, and identifying potential new markets and sales opportunities, composed of representatives of leading firms in the field, including Magal Systems and Security, Rafael, Nice Systems, Mer Group, Verinet Systems, Electronics Line, and Gordon Consultants.

Kiriati said that a big potential market is the Galileo project of the European Union, which involves border protection via satellite communication.

In the last year, the Export Institute has held 10 conferences around the world promoting Israeli security products and services. The conferences were held in New York, Washington, Rome, Greece, Brazil, and Hong Kong.

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