BRUSSELS (AP) - European Union justice and interior ministers adopted a handbook yesterday to counter terrorist threats at sports events, such as this summer’s Olympics in Athens.

The so-called “security handbook” sets out practical guidelines for coordination between European police, military and intelligence authorities, officials said.

Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said the handbook was “designed to prevent terrorist acts at the Games” and other big sporting events, such as the upcoming soccer World Cup in Germany in 2006.

“The Olympic Games are an enormously significant event in the world sporting calendar,” McDowell told reporters. “The very significance of the event means that the possibility of terrorists seeking to exploit it for their own purposes cannot be excluded.” The handbook will serve as a “reference point” for authorities to plan the best prevention and, if needed, responses to a terrorist attack.