Everyone who had plans to attend the 2014 Winter Olympics most likely experienced a nervous pit in their stomachs when watching the news in December. Eyes plastered to the television screen, the world learned of violent obstacles that may interfere with the Olympics and make traveling there unsafe.
People immediately began questioning the safety of the event, selling their tickets and cancelling flights. This was unnecessary, however, as the Russian authorities were simultaneously making the proper security changes to make it a perfectly safe event.
As the most universally popular collection of sporting events of all time, the Olympic Games attract flocks of spectators from countries all over the world every two years. It is one of the international sphere’s finest displays of diplomacy, as representatives of all ethnicities and backgrounds observe and cheer in the same stands for the same event peacefully.
According to the media, this year will be different. Terrorists will obstruct and overcome the peace experienced in all prior years. But will this year really be different from others?
In late December, two attacks by suicide bombers occurred within 24 hours of each other. These attacks targeted two forms of public transportation in Volgograd, Russia, a key transit hub for travel to Sochi. The deaths of 34 innocent citizens in this political manner immediately sent people into a frenzy, raising questions about whether Russia would proceed to hold the Games, if it would be safe to send the athletes there and who is responsible for their security.
They were not considering that the bombings could actually serve as incentive to build an exceedingly thorough security system.
The explosions — on a public bus and in a train station — were the acts of a terrorist group that has remained anonymous. People suspected the leader of a local extremist group who threatened in July to do everything in his power to prevent the Games from occurring. This week, that theory has been solidified with a new threat from the same group. This one warns of a “present” to be given to Sochi and every person there. Yet as the world grows increasingly nervous, there is something else the people can consider.
What these doubtful individuals forget is that this is nothing novel to the security world. Terrorists have threatened countless Olympic Games in past years — why should this year be any different? The fact is, many terrorist threats and attempts in the past were defeated, making the Olympic venue arguably the safest place in the world. Past Games proved mostly successful in fending off attacks, allowing officials to be comfortable enough to send their most crucial political figures to attend the Games, despite terrorist threats.
If anything, the bombings in Volgograd are prompting an even more extensive security task force to prepare for the Olympics because Russia is currently determined to not lose any more souls to terrorist attacks. This year will include one of the most tightly and extensively monitored Games in history in order to ensure the worrying public’s safety.
The question on all spectators’ minds: Is it worth the risk? Australia seems to think it is not worth it, as all Australian athletes have been mandated to arrive in Sochi by air, thus minimizing their exposure to possible terrorist attacks in Russia.
But is their concern warranted? Some say it is, comparing this terrorist group to al-Qaida. Some claim that if such terrorists threatened to disrupt the Games, they would see to it without fail. By this reasoning, some are led to believe that this group will not rest until it sees its desired result: the derailing or cancellation of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
In response, authorities started by ramping up surveillance, examining thousands of buildings and searching just as many people. Police are detaining any and all who resist, actions that scream to the public, “No one will get by us.” Most recently, the Russians requested the usage of sophisticated American technologies that can detect and interfere with the radio signals that are necessary to detonate a bomb. If the Americans grant Russia permission to borrow the technology, Sochi will be fully equipped to handle any attack to protect the public.
While it may be slightly more difficult for authorities to cover other parts of Russia, be sure that the Games will be monitored more closely than ever.
There is little doubt that Russia will make up for the previous terrorist attacks by being thorough and secure. For those planning on attending the Olympics, you should be confident that Russian security has made the necessary changes to ensure everyone’s safety at the venue.
Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick ’17 can be contacted at megan_grapengeter-rudnick@brown.edu.
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