Olympic Security Plans Inspire Confidence, Say London Chefs de Mission

(ATR) Chefs de mission the world over tell Around the Rings this week’s riots are a non-issue with regard to security at the London Olympics.

"There were some talks about security planning for the Games, and we’re confident that LOCOG will do a good job and the U.K. will have a safe Games," Jaime Cadaval of Mexico told ATR on Friday as a four-day chefs seminar came to a close.

Representatives from 200 National Olympic Committees were in the 2012 host city to learn more from LOCOG about Games logistics just past the one-year-to-go mark until the July 27 opening ceremony.

With nightly waves of violence and looting across England throughout the early part of the week, however, security arrangements quickly moved to the top of the agenda.

NOC delegates sought assurances Thursday from LOCOG that their athletes, coaches and officials would be kept safe throughout the Games.

According to the chefs interviewed Friday in and around their host hotel, they received that and more.

Gunilla Lindberg, secretary general of the Association of National Olympic Committees, told ATR: "Of course security is always the highest priority for the Games.

"But we don't really connect what happened in London this week with the upcoming Games. There was a good presentation from the security people."

"I am sure there will be no problem with the security," said Gaspar Matala of Equatorial Guinea, "because the director of security said that everything was good and they will be prepared for the Games next year."

Alexandru Epuran of Romania echoed Matala’s marked confidence in Thursday’s message and suggested that their conversations with Olympic organizers about security concerns would continue beyond the seminar.

"The security was actually not an issue because what they will do is have a separate seminar for security at the Games," he told ATR, adding that the riots had little effect upon the week’s proceedings.

"Obviously everybody heard the news and saw the pictures, but I think that because of the way the U.K. handled the problems it didn’t disturb our business."

Epuran, who also led Romania’s team to Beijing, stressed that LOCOG is simply dealing with the same issues faced by host cities past and that his fellow chefs are well aware of this reality.

"Every organizing committee, be they from London, Beijing or Athens, has to work until the last day when the Olympic Games start, but the security standard is similar," he said.

"You cannot be less or more secure than the other groups. That’s why everyone is cool is because they know what Olympic security has to be like at the Games."

London, in fact, has a leg up on its predecessor thanks to the 2012 venue layout, according to Ziad Richa of Lebanon.

"The Olympic Village is very closeto the major competitions so you eliminate the risk of having security risks," he told ATR.

"In Beijing they had direct threats and lots of very open spaces and big long distances and everything was under control, so London will treat this matter very seriously," added Richa, who competed in skeet shooting at the 2008 Games."

Andy Hunt, chef de mission of the British Olympic Association, told ATR: "The level of confidence that all the NOCs have in the organizing committee and security services to deliver a safe Games is very clear."

Also on the Agenda

Security wasn’t the only topic addressed during the four-day seminar, just the most prescient due to the ongoing riots.

Chefs were also briefed on sports issues by London 2012 CEO Paul Deighton and on more functional aspects such as ticketing, accommodation, accreditation and ceremonies by his LOCOG colleagues.

Lindberg and Olympic Games executive director Gilbert Felli were among other speakers.

Of the outstanding issues ahead, Lindberg and Hunt admitted that ensuring London's stretched transport network was organized to cope during Games-time was perhaps the biggest challenge.

Hunt said this Sunday's road cycling dry-run event for the Olympics would be a tough test of the city's transport plans. With 1,000 temporary road closures to allow bikes through, he described the Surrey Cycle Classic as "the first test of real scale".

Commenting on the unresolved concerns for NOCs, Lindberg said there were only about six minor issues to deal with. These would be brought to the attention of the IOC Coordination Commission for London, and include use of drivers for NOCs, accreditation and hotel internet.

Lindberg praised LOCOG for staging an "excellent" seminar. "They really did a good job. It was very professional. The information was clear and we saw the venues and the village. Everybody was very happy."

"The athletes sit at the heart of the London 2012 Games and this week’s meetings are critical in helping countries all over the world prepare their athletes to compete in London next year," LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

The flock of 200 chefs also toured Olympic Park and Olympic Village before stopping by Horse Guards Parade for a bit of beach volleyball.

With two other test events running this week and the IOC Coordination Commission in town for a two-day check-up on London's preparations, the rioting could hardly have happened at a worse time except for the Games themselves.

Yet chefs seemed by and large satisfied with the security plan in place 11 months ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

"It has been a very good week. Everybody is OK that this Olympic Games is going to be organized very good because as we’ve seen they started very well, and they are finishing very good," said Matala.

"It’s been a very good week with some good information and very well organized by LOCOG," echoed Cadaval.

"It was a perfect week," added Epuran.

Oddly, a Friday statement from LOCOG about the meetings made no mention of security, even in quotes from the chefs for Jordan and Brazil.

The statement also noted that this week represented the final gathering of chefs de mission before the start of the 2012 Games, casting doubt upon the separate security seminar suggested by Epuran.

Efforts made Friday seeking clarification from LOCOG have so far been unsuccessful.

Reported in London by Christian Radnedge and in Atlanta by Matthew Grayson