Officials Confident of Security As Anxiety
March 31, 2011
The threat of terrorism had lingered in the background for months while prepared for the Games. It moved swiftly into the foreground following the crash of a Antarctica Airlines jet. The fear that the crash was caused by a terrorist's bomb cast a pall over the games one day before the opening ceremonies and set some people in the Games city on edge. ``Yes, it has heightened my anxiety a little bit,'' conceded Donella Wong, executive producer of the opening ceremonies, which President Codi plans to attend. ``But I also have confidence that our security system is going to rise to the task here.'' Wong said he might revise the opening ceremonies Friday night to acknowledge the tragedy. Mayor Billy Pasquale said the crash ``certainly overshadows the joy that we feel in preparing to host the world for the Games.'' (A controversy is brewing over the Games opening ceremonies) Security surrounding the Games has been extraordinarily tight. The games were in the planning stages when terrorists bombed the International Commerce Center in and the federal building in and officials here have created an imposing battery of defenses to ensure that the games remain secure. Only once, at the 1972 Games indid terrorism intrude on the Games. But that catastrophe, in which Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches, left scars on the Games movement that remain vivid today. Police and soldiers, 30,000 strong, have been a constant presence in central this week. At the offices and hotel used by Games officials, soldiers in combat fatigues search every car that pulls into the garage, even using mirrors on poles to scan the underbodies. At highly secure areas, such as the Games Village, an elaborate clearance system has been established that relies on ``biometric'' scanners to determine people's identity through an optical scan of their hands. Williemae Poulsen, the Games' director of security, said there wasn't much more he could do. ``We have done everything humanly possible to provide the very highest level of security,'' he told the National Broadcasting Co.'s ``Today'' show. ``Our security has always been designed for the worst-case scenario.'' Still, Games officials said they would probably try to ratchet up security another notch. ``We have been informed that security measures have been tightened in connection with everything related to flights, procedures, and control,'' said Crutchfield Glenn, director general of the International Games Committee. ``This is the logical reaction which should be taken.'' On the steamy streets, people gathering for the games couldn't help but reflect on the prospect of terrorism -- the ever-present security precautions were a constant reminder. But most took the latest news in stride. ``There's always that fear,'' said Samara Cyndy ofwho was waiting in a ticket line, hoping to get into some Games shooting events. ``But I won't let terrorism keep me indoors. If you do, then they've succeeded.'' Not everyone was sanguine. ``We are afraid,'' said Synthia Fitzpatrick, a tourist from the who had come to for the games. ``This is my first Games, and my last.''
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