Sports of The Times
Sochi 2014
Terrorism and Tension for Sochi, Not Sports and Joy
By JULIET MACUR
Never before has the pre-Olympic chatter been less about the athletes or
the sports. And never before has the conversation leading up the Games
been so grim.
Polls Find Security Is Americans’ Top Olympic ConcernTerrorism and Tension for Sochi, Not Sports and Joy
SOCHI,
Russia — One of my neighbors who doesn’t follow the news stopped me a
few days before I flew to the Winter Olympics. She was excited to hear
that I was going to Russia, and told me how lucky I was.
Could
I pick up some souvenirs for her, she asked, perhaps some nesting dolls
— you know, the colorful, babushka-wearing wooden toys of decreasing
size that fit inside one another?
Nesting
dolls? Her request threw me. In the lead-up to the Olympics, it was
hard to think about anything quaint about Russia, not when the focus has
been on terrorism and security. There’s nothing like a report about a
“black widow” suicide bomber having infiltrated secure Olympic areas to
douse one’s enthusiasm for the Winter Games.
To
sober things up even more, 40 gay organizations have demanded that the
top Olympics sponsors speak out against the legislation Russia passed
last summer that is considered antigay, saying that those companies are
risking their reputation because they haven’t taken a stand. Has that
issue reached its boiling point?
We’ll find out soon. At the same time, athletes will be winning medals. But will anyone notice?
Never
before has the pre-Olympic chatter been less about the athletes or the
sports. And never before has the conversation leading to the Games been
so grim: suicide bombers have struck Volgograd, about 400 miles north of
Sochi, three times since the fall — including strikes in December that
killed at least 34 people.
Global
security experts have called this the most dangerous Games ever, based
on the location of the competitions, the seriousness of the threats
(including one from the head of a terrorist organization who last summer
lifted a moratorium on civilian targets), and the capability of
terrorist groups to carry out their plans (several in that region
already have).
“It
was a very, very risky decision for the Olympic committee” to hold the
Olympics in Sochi, said Andrew C. Kuchins, the director and senior
fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic
& International Studies, a security think tank in Washington. He
basically said what is on the minds of many people headed to the Games,
and the many people — including athletes’ families and friends — who
were too scared to attend.
What was the International Olympic Committee thinking?
Seven
years ago, the I.O.C. awarded the 2014 Winter Games to Sochi, making it
the first subtropical host of the Winter Olympics. Its voters were
wooed by President Vladimir V. Putin’s pitch for the Games, as well as
his charm, both of which he delivered to voters in person.
Sochi 2014
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“His
performance was superb,” Patrick Hickey, an I.O.C. member from Ireland,
said after the vote. “He was humble. He spoke in English and French.
The second-most powerful man in the world said everything will be
delivered.”
Blinded
by Putin’s celebrity and his vision of creating a brand new winter
sports haven, the I.O.C. seemed to overlook the fact that Sochi is in
one most restive areas of the world, where Russians have been fighting
the Chechens, with violent ends, for hundreds of years. To ignore that,
or at least put it aside, was quite a gamble. It was a move that has
risked the safety of athletes and visitors to Sochi, and put a dark
cloud over the entire Olympic experience.
The
I.O.C. chose Sochi over cities like Salzburg, Austria — the location of
“The Sound of Music,” for gosh sakes — which was on the short list for
these Games. Those Olympic officials are now safely tucked into their
resort-and-spa by the sea in Sochi, with extra security not afforded to
most other Olympic visitors.
Of
course, threats to the Olympics are nothing new. The possibility of
terrorism has hovered over every Olympics since Israeli athletes were
taken hostage and killed at the Munich Games of 1972, and it has been an
increasingly oppressive concern since the 9/11 attacks.
Major
sporting events, particularly international ones, are now considered
perfect targets for terrorists. That’s not changing anytime soon.
In Manhattan last fall, months after two deadly bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, helicopters hovered over the last few miles of the New York City Marathon.
Police dogs roamed the course, and scuba divers even checked the rivers
to ensure the runners’ safety. Spectators had to pass through security
just to get near the finish line in Central Park.
At
Sunday’s Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium, tailgating was banned and
access was severely restricted as part of the elaborate security plans
that have become the norm.
None
of that happened at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, an event many Olympic
veterans say was one of the best ever. Those Games were the first of my
eight Olympics, and most of my memories are of smiling and happy people.
Athletes proudly wore their country’s uniforms outside the venues,
receiving only high-fives and cheers.
They weren’t walking targets. “No worries, mate,” should have been the official motto of Sydney’s Summer Games.
But
such worry-free days are gone. These Games will go on, the only
consolation being that we’re all in this together now, like nesting
dolls.
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