Daily Mirror exposes security farce; CHRISTIAN GYSIN discovers amazing safety lapses less than 24 hrs after the blast.Olympic security was exposed as a farce by the Daily Mirror last night. Less than 24 hours after the Centennial Park Centennial Park can mean:
tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. lapses in safety around the Olympic stadium The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. Traditionally, the opening and closing ceremonies and the track & field competitions are held in the Olympic Stadium. . This was despite insistence from both the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. (ACOG ACOG American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists ) and the police that security was at an all-time high. Although scanners and guards manned posts around the 80,000 capacity stadium, the Mirror was able to walk into the venue virtually unchecked. Instead of using a press entrance to the stadium I decided to head for one of those used by members of the public. I arrived at the Olympic stadium just 40 minutes before the 100 metres men's semi-final. The event, staged at 7.35pm, was followed by the final 90 minutes later. Before leaving Atlanta city centre, I packed a normal "working" bag. It contained a small Tandy computer, a tape recorder tape recorder, device for recording information on strips of plastic tape (usually polyester) that are coated with fine particles of a magnetic substance, usually an oxide of iron, cobalt, or chromium. The coating is normally held on the tape with a special binder. , spare batteries and a mobile phone. At previous security checks around the world - and even in Atlanta during the first high-profile and "uneasy" days of the Games - such a bag would have been both X-rayed and hand-searched. That search ALWAYS involves proving to a guard that any electrical or computer equipment carried is in working order. Journalists around the world have spent hours satisfying security guards that what they are carrying is both essential and operational. But last night, despite all the promises of greater protection, the search pro- cedure was a joke. Once at the scanning gate, just 200 yards from the stadium, I expected - and hoped for my own safety - that my bag would be thoroughly searched.Choosing the busiest time of day, just before a major event, I queued with the public. Before walking through a standard airport-style metal detector scanner, I was asked to pass my bag to the side of the machine. In the first week of the Games, it was carefully looked at and checked. Last night, I was simply asked what was in the bag. I had expected that I would have to undergo the normal procedure of proving that all the contents were genuine instruments and not "dummies". I was staggered when my offer to turn on and operate the computer, cassette recorder and phone was declined. All three pieces of equipment could have contained either weapons or explosives. Instead, I was waved through. Two minutes later I was in the Olympic stadium. The other serious worry is the Americans' clear lack of experience in dealing with the aftermath of such a terrorist attack. The Daily Mirror was on the scene of the bomb outrage minutes after the explosion. Reporters and the public were able to get within 100 yards of the blast. More importantly, the public was not moved back from the scene for more than 90 minutes. The danger of a secondary explosion did not seem to concern the authorities. If a second bomb had exploded hundreds more people would have been injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. , maimed maim tr.v. maimed, maim·ing, maims 1. To disable or disfigure, usually by depriving of the use of a limb or other part of the body. See Synonyms at batter1. 2. or killed. MAYOR Bill Campbell defended the security arrangements in his city last night. He said swift action had saved "hundreds of lives". "The real story is not the act of terrorism but the acts of heroism Heroism See also Bravery. Achilles Greek hero without whom Troy could not have been taken. [Gk. Lit.: Iliad] Aeneas Trojan hero; legendary founder of Roman race. [Rom. Lit. that saved so many people,"'' he told CNN CNN or Cable News Network Subsidiary company of Turner Broadcasting Systems. It was created by Ted Turner in 1980 to present 24-hour live news broadcasts, using satellites to transmit reports from news bureaus around the world. News. |
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