ATHENS (AP) -- Olympic officials responsible for keeping political messages out of the Athens Games confronted Cuba's delegation for hanging giant photomurals of a chess-playing Fidel Castro and Che Guevara in their corner of the Olympic village.

The Cubans hung the two-storey photographs last week to commemorate Castro's 77th birthday.

"On his birthday, the Olympic team sends from Athens a message of admiration, respect and support to the main inspiration of Cuban sport: President Fidel Castro," said Humberto Rodriguez, president of the Cuban Sports Institute.

The International Olympic Committee asked the Cubans to pull down the posters, but they remained Wednesday -- Guevara in black and white, Castro in colour. An IOC spokesman didn't know if an arrangement had been reached to remove them.