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Terrorism concerns mount over summer Olympics
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by hel Jonas
Wednesday, May 5, 2004
Terrorism concerns are mounting with the approach of the August 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, raising questions about Greece’s ability to cope with terrorist threats.
Michael Barnett, a UW political science professor, said there is always more fear about terrorism when major events like the Olympics take place because of their world-wide notoriety. According to Barnett, there is concern “to the extent that what terrorists are looking for is a global stage … so the world is watching.”
Athens 2004 President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said in a press release that international cooperation is the basis of the planning and implementation for the Olympics security program.
Since the Athens Games are the first Summer Olympics since the events of September 11, 2001, “Security is our top priority,” she said.
The Olympics has been the venue of previous major attacks, including an incident in Munich in 1972 when Palestinian militants gunned down Israeli athletes, and in 1996 when a bomb exploded in the Atlanta Olympic village. This year, security measures are expected to cost nearly $1 billion, a number that is nearly three times that of the entire budget for the Sydney Games in 2000.
“In these circumstances, we are planning to apply what can be described as the most complex and demanding security program in the history of the Olympic Games,” Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said in a press release.
However, concerns continue to grow as questions arise about whether preparations for the Games and security are on track. Athens Olympic Committee Security Advisor Peter Ryan said in a press release, “The security effort for Athens 2004 is on track, even as we face tight schedules and tremendous challenges. The Olympic homecoming to Greece will represent the best in humanity; we can and must all work hard to protect that effort.”
Olympic athletes also have concerns about terrorism, but are confident effective safety measures will be enacted.
“As far as we go, we have no qualms about coming to Athens,” NBA Commissioner, David Stern, said in a press release. “We know that great efforts are being made to ensure our team’s security and we are confident that everything will go well.”
With less than 100 days to go until the Games, Angelopoulos-Daskalaki indicated Athens will be working around the clock to prepare and put into place the “largest, most comprehensive and best-funded security effort in Olympic history … Our celebration of the world’s greatest athletes and Greece’s Olympic tradition will be powerful and compelling, and we look forward to welcoming the world to an extraordinary Olympic Homecoming.”
