Security officials for the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games are reportedly planning for a terror threat, which means an attack is considered “highly likely”.
Home Secretary Theresa May told a conference on Olympic security, “like all Western countries we face a number of ongoing threats to national security. We face a real and enduring threat from terrorism, and the Games, as an iconic event, will represent a target for terrorist groups. Our Olympic security plan has been developed against the assumption that the terrorist threat level will be severe”.
She added, “the terrorist threat has developed and evolved over the past few years and we have specifically designed a plan that is flexible and everything is under regular review. We are ready to take on the challenge of delivering a safe and secure Games, which uphold Olympic values and their ethics. We need an approach that is robust but seamless, visible but not intrusive, tough but intelligent.
“Our plans are well developed and on track and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shares that judgement. The Games must not only be an amazing spectacle, they must be safe”.
Meanwhile London 2012 organizers appear to be backtracking on initial reports that infants would be charged admission to the Games. They now say they would consider options for new mothers who want to bring their babies into venues, after some parents complained.
Organizers issued a statement saying, “of course we understand that some new mums may want to take their babies to events they have tickets to, and we look at what we can do when the remaining tickets go on sale in April”.
According to The Associated Press, one woman wrote that while she and her husband were lucky enough to get tickets to an equestrian event, organizers had told here there are no children’s tickets so she would have to pay 95 pounds for a three-month-old in a sling.
