Friday is the first day of a two-day Olympic crisis management exercise which includes the participation of Greece’s top military and law enforcement officials and American experts. The simulated exercise will be observed by security experts from other countries in the seven-nation advisory group, including Britain and Israel. A ministry statement said the drill is aimed at maintaining the “overall efficiency of the Olympic security planning” and the “operational readiness of officers involved in Olympic security”.
Legislation was enacted by Greece’s Culture Ministry Thursday so that Parliament can sort out the last loose ends of how Athens will function during the Games. The bill sets out traffic restrictions in the Olympic Ring, places limitations on a number of activities, limits outdoor advertising, allows the removal of ferry services from the port of Piraeus, and allows the speedy transfer of civil servants where necessary. It also keeps the courts open on Saturdays. The legislation also provides for the operating licenses of Olympic facilities, with one type of licence being issued for venues to simplify and speed up procedures.
Under new legislation hotels that fail to honour the deals they signed with the Athens organizing committee for rooms for members of the “Olympic family” will be fined up to 15,000 euros. If the hotel repeats the offence it may lose its licence for up to three months.
Physicians working at Athens hospitals staged a six-hour strike Friday to protest against cut-backs in promised overtime compensation during the Games. They say hospitals were already short staffed and would struggle to cope with the extra demand. Greece’s paramedics also went on strike last week, pledging they would only work normal shifts and not a minute overtime during the Games unless they get the promised payout.
A London-based company said it has been awarded a contract to supply Greek authorities with equipment to detect explosives, chemical agents and weapons for the Games. Smiths Detection will lease more than 260 X-ray systems that will be installed at airports, ports and Olympic venues and more than 200 hand-held chemical detection devices to be used by the military. The hand-held detectors will be used to spot nerve or blister agents in vapour form, or liquid agent contamination. Delivery of the equipment will begin immediately.
