Local organizing committee spokesman Jens Grittner said he had full confidence that the authorities in Stuttgart were handling the situation directly and effectively.

"We're not that worried," Grittner said. So far, "it had nothing really to do with 'hooliganism,' meaning nobody was there who would have been known to police.

"If you see the huge amount of people partying peacefully in Germany you must regard this as an exception," he added. "It can happen at this kind of party. We don't want to reduce the seriousness of this, but we must compliment the police for their immediate intervention."

AP Sports Writer John Pye in Berlin contributed to this report.