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Athens Olympics 2004: U.S Order Code RL32497 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Athens Olympics 2004: U.S. Government Involvement in Security Preparations July 28, 2004 name redacted Analyst in American National Government Government and Finance Division Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress Athens Olympics 2004: U.S. Government Involvement in Security Preparations Summary The Athens Olympics 2004 are the first Summer Games to be held since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Salt Lake City Winter Olympics were held in February 2002, but the Winter Games involve far fewer people than the Summer Games. For example, 2,399 athletes competed in 2002; 10,500 athletes are expected to compete at the Athens Games, August 13-29, 2004. The Greek government expects 2 million visitors, 21,500 journalists, 5,500 team officials, and 8,000 members of the Olympic family. To help safeguard the Olympics, Greece reportedly has spent $1.2 billion on security, and plans to provide 25,000 police officers, 7,000 military troops, 3,000 coast guardsmen, 1,500 firefighters, 3,500 private security personnel, and 5,000 trained volunteers. Major security concerns include Greece’s location and topography, venues that were not completed until spring or summer 2004, and the status of a major security system. While the Paralympic Games will also be held in Athens, September 17-28, 2004, security concerns have largely focused on the traditional Olympics. U.S. government involvement in security efforts has taken several different forms. The United States, along with Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Spain, and the United Kingdom, form the Olympic Security Advisory Group (OSAG), which was established by the Greek government. OSAG members have provided various types of assistance to the Greek government, such as helping to develop a security plan and providing training on terrorism and explosives. U.S. government agencies and military forces also, for example, have helped to organize a security planning exercise, reportedly are prepared to assist with decontamination efforts, and have provided radiological detection equipment. The U.S. Sixth Fleet will patrol east and west of Greece during the Games. Overseeing the effort to safeguard the American team and support personnel in Athens will be the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Thomas J. Miller. In 2001, the State Department assigned a Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) special agent to serve as Olympic Security Coordinator (OSC). (Among its other missions, DS develops and implements security programs for safeguarding U.S. diplomatic personnel around the world.) As noted in State Department budget documents, the department plans to assign 150 DS special agents to Athens and surrounding areas before, and during, the Games. Reportedly, an evacuation plan has been developed for the U.S. Olympic team. Since January 2003, high-level U.S. government and Greek officials have met 10 times to discuss security issues and arrangements (among other topics, on occasion). Among the participants in such meetings have been Greece’s Prime Minister and Public Order Minister, the mayor of Athens, and the President of the United States, Deputy Secretary of State, and Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This report will be updated as circumstances warrant. Contents Introduction ......................................................1 Athens 2004 .....................................................2 U.S. Involvement in Security Efforts ...................................5 Assisting Greece ..............................................5 Olympic Security Advisory Group (OSAG) and Other International Assistance............................5 U.S. Government Agencies..................................6 Security for the U.S. Olympic Team...............................9 Meetings Between U.S. and Greek Officials........................11 Overview.......................................................14 Athens Olympics 2004: U.S. Government Involvement in Security Preparations Introduction The 2004 Games are the second, but the first summer, Olympics to be held since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.1 The Winter Games are significantly smaller than the Summer Games — 2,399 athletes from 77 nations, supported by 22,000 volunteers, participated in 78 events at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.2 At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 10,651 athletes from 199 nations competed in 300 events. Volunteers numbered 46,967.3 In recent history, three Olympic Games have been the target of terrorists. The most deadly terrorist attack occurred in 1972, at the Summer Games in Munich, when members of the Palestinian group Black September killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team and took nine others hostage. The remaining hostages were subsequently killed during a clash between the terrorists and law enforcement authorities.4 In 1992, a Basque separatist group threatened an attack on the Barcelona Summer Games, but it never materialized. The Centennial Olympic Park, a venue at the 1996 Atlanta Games, was the site of a bombing that killed one person and injured 100. In the modern history on the Olympics, the Summer Games have been cancelled three times, because of war: Berlin, 1916 (World War I); Tokyo, 1940 (World War II); and London, 1944 (World War II). In 1972, following the terrorist attack on members of the Israeli team, a memorial service was held, and the Games were suspended for 34 hours.5 1 For information about potential terrorist threats and Greek and international security planning, see CRS Report RS21833, Greece: Threat of Terrorism and Security at the Olympics, by (name redacted). 2 International Olympic Committee, “Salt Lake City 2002,” available at [http://www. olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=2002], visited July 2, 2004. 3 International Olympic Committee, “Sydney 2000,” available at [http://www.olympic.org/ uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=2000], visited July 2, 2004. 4 International Olympic Committee, “Munich 1972, Games of the XX Olympiad,” available at [http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1972], visited June 28, 2004; Dan Gilgoff, “The Meaning of Munich,” U.S. News and World Report, June 14, 2004, p. 39. 5 Ibid. CRS-2 After a summary of relevant information about the Athens Games largely from press reports, this report examines U.S. government efforts to assist the Greek government with security, and to safeguard the U.S. Olympic team. The next section consists of a list of meetings between high-level U.S. and Greek government officials that focused partially or entirely on security issues and preparations. Athens 2004 In 2004, the Olympics return to the site of the first modern Olympic Games, which were held in 1896. Also known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, the Athens Games will be held August 13-29, when 10,500 athletes will compete in 28 sports at 38 venues; 5,500 team officials from 201 national Olympic committees (NOCs) will accompany the athletes. Reportedly, the U.S. Olympic team will number approximately 550 athletes and 300 support staff.6 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) expects 21,500 members of the media to attend and report on the Games. While some athletes may choose to stay elsewhere, the Olympic village has room to house 16,000 athletes and team officials.7 Also expected at the Olympics are 8,000 members of the Olympic family, 3,000 judges and referees, and approximately 2 million visitors.8 Greece plans to provide 25,000 police officers, 7,000 military troops, 3,000 coast guardsmen, 1,500 firefighters, 3,500 private security personnel, and 5,000 trained volunteers.9 Additional forces will be provided by the Hellenic Armed Forces.10 Reportedly, Public Order Minister George Voulgarakis has stated that Greece will muster a total security force of 70,000.11 By mid-May 2004, Greece’s security bill for the Olympics reportedly had reached $1.2 billion. According to the Washington Post, security costs for recent Olympics were $310 million for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City; $210 million for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney; and $300 million for the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.12 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has a $170 million insurance policy for the Athens Olympics in the event that the Games are cancelled completely, or in part, because of terrorism, or some other catastrophic event, such as an earthquake. This is the first time that the IOC has obtained an insurance policy, 6 “Rogge Discusses Security Matters,” Washington Post, May 20, 2004, p. D5. 7 International Olympic Committee, “Athens 2004, Games of the XXVIII Olympiad,”available at [http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/athens/index_uk.asp], visited May 11, 2004. 8 Hellenic Republic, Embassy of Greece, “Embassy of Greece Olympic Security — A Summary,” press release, June 11, 2004, available at [http://www.greekembassy.org/ Embassy/content/en/Folder.aspx?office=1&folder=24], visited July 1, 2004. 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 11 Thomas Heath, “Greek Minister Touts Preparation,” Washington Post, May 8, 2004, p. D5. 12 Amy Shipley, “Greece Playing It Safe with Olympics,” Washington Post, Jan. 4, 2003, p. A1. CRS-3 although IOC President Jacques Rogge attempted to obtain insurance for the Salt Lake City Games in 2002. Apparently, the cost was prohibitive. (The IOC plans to obtain insurance for the 2006, 2008, and 2010 Olympics.) The Athens 2004 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (ATHOC) has
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