International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said at the end of an executive board meeting Wednesday that Olympic teams and athletes that stay at hotels or other sites outside the athletes’ village must be responsible for their own security during the Athens Games.
Rogge said, “this is not a new procedure, it’s been done before” noting that the Belgian team had its own security when he was the delegation leader at several Olympics.
He added that athletes making their own housing arrangements won’t have the same level of protection as those staying at the Olympic Village which comes under the umbrella of Greek security.
Rogge said it was up to the Greek government whether foreign security personnel can carry arms.
Greek Public Order Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis has said that no foreign security personnel will be allowed to carry weapons. But the Associated Press reports there is widespread speculation of a tacit understanding that athletes from the United States, Israel and other high-risk nations will have armed protection.
