Political violence and the travellers: A case study of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Author: Meri-liis Tahmazova
0 Commentries
Abstract
The observed findings in this paper highlight the security environment and its attendant risks that can extremely affect travellers behaviour. Mega‐events, in particular Olympic Games, present a special venue for the practice of risk management, because of high security threat. Hence, this paper analyses the management of security risks in the case the London 2012 Olympic Games. It also demonstrates how the 2012 Games will ensure safe environment to the travellers and what lessons can be learned from the past.
It is evident that tourism is an economic activity of immense global significance (Pender and Sharpley, 2005). According to the WTO's definition of tourism is now the one that is most widely accepted around the world. Hence, in relation to political violence, tourism can be classified as s a terrorism 'capital', due to high public visibility, global media exposure and symbolic representation (Toohey and Taylor, 2006). In essence, the threat of danger that accompanies terrorism or political turmoil tends to intimidate potential tourists more severely.
In order to understand terrorism activity, it is useful to characterize it. Namely, terrorism is defined as a systematic and persistent strategy practiced by a state or political group against another state, political or social group through a campaign of acts of violence, such as assassinations, hijacking, use of explosives, sabotage, murder and the like, with the intent of creating a state of terror and public intimidation to achieve political, social or religious ends. Consequently, moments of crisis and the handling of post- crisis situation have attracted considerable attention across the social sciences in recent years, in large part as a result of focusing events such as 9/11.
Certainly, London 2012 Olympic Games will attract a huge amount of attention around the world. Sporting events in general are social occasions, and Olympic Games have become the sports meetings with the greatest social presence in the world today. Nevertheless, on the other hand, the return of terrorism to the streets of London is a reminder that political violence has not gone away.
Concerns over Olympic surroundings security were justified when the 'Revolutionary Struggle' terrorist group used explosives to destroy an Athens police station in 2004. The group justified their actions as a demonstration of the vulnerability of the games and as a protest against business interests linked to the games. Moreover, the kidnap of eleven Israeli athletes and coaches from the Munich Olympic Village provides a powerful example of what can go wrong. Particularly, this demonstrates how the Munich attack combines the same blend of technical problems, individual error and organizational failure that characterizes more familiar forms of 'workplace accident' (Johnson, 2008).
Even though, a legacy of 9/11, and subsequent terrorist attacks such as the Bali, Madrid and London bombings, is evident that the organisers have to think the unthinkable to safeguard the travellers.
A division director within the RCMP, Canada's federal policing agency responsible for security for the 2010 Winter Games, explained the effects of 9/11 on major event security planning in Canada, noting that: "I think [9/11] sensitized us to the fact that terrorists will be very innovative and more sophisticated than perhaps we anticipate. 9/11 forced us to look at the broader potential risks that we face, and it brought about a whole means of reviewing our practices to mitigate those threats to Canada in general".
Fundamentally, London is experienced in organising mega-events and so far has organised them well in terms of travellers safety. Therefore, a model developed by the Rand Corporation intended to assist in security planning efforts for the London 2012 Olympics to ensure safety of the travellers. The model is designed to help 'foresee, in a structured and systematic way, a range of different potential security environments that could potentially exist in 2012', including catastrophic and worst-case scenarios. The vital point is that the organisers of London 2012 Games have to be prepared to mitigate the effects of biochemical incidents. There has indeed been concern over the use of nuclear materials, especially following the arrest of a group from Afghanistan which possessed plans for the Lucas Heights reactor, before the Sydney Games.
All examples above illustrate that mega-events are classified as a terrorism 'capital', due to their high public visibility, global media exposure and symbolic representation. In fact, the requirement is for travellers to feel 'safe' when they visit a mega- event, therefore perceptions of tourist safety become vital in attracting international and domestic travellers. Indeed, there is growing concern about threats against the infrastructure that supports the Games. For instance, immediately before the 2006 Winter Olympics several terrorist groups were arrested for planning to attack the Metro system in neighbouring cities. Additionally, the Madrid bombings illustrate the potential for similar attacks on the public travelling to Olympic venues. In fact, when security officials examine the recent past in order to plan for terrorist attacks, a major lesson they take away from 9/11 is that domestic security threats exist on a scale that was previously imagined only in warfare. One result has been the continuous reiteration in official circles that London 2012 Olympic Games security planners must 'think outside the box' in order to secure the safety to the travellers.
Refrence
Johnson, W. C. (2008) Using Evacuation Simulations to Ensure the Safety and Security of the 2012 Olympic Venues. Safety Science [online] <http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:BETPu6swl68J:scholar.google.com/+London+2012+Olympic+Games+affecting+travellers&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5>. [cited 16th April 2011].
Pender, L., and Sharpley, R. (2005) The Management of Tourism.1st ed., London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Toohey, K., and Taylor, T. (2007) in Taylor, T., and Toohey, K. (eds.) Perceptions of Terrorism Threats at the 2004 Olympic Games: Implications for Sport Events. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 12(2), pp.99-114.
The observed findings in this paper highlight the security environment and its attendant risks that can extremely affect travellers behaviour. Mega‐events, in particular Olympic Games, present a special venue for the practice of risk management, because of high security threat. Hence, this paper analyses the management of security risks in the case the London 2012 Olympic Games. It also demonstrates how the 2012 Games will ensure safe environment to the travellers and what lessons can be learned from the past.
It is evident that tourism is an economic activity of immense global significance (Pender and Sharpley, 2005). According to the WTO's definition of tourism is now the one that is most widely accepted around the world. Hence, in relation to political violence, tourism can be classified as s a terrorism 'capital', due to high public visibility, global media exposure and symbolic representation (Toohey and Taylor, 2006). In essence, the threat of danger that accompanies terrorism or political turmoil tends to intimidate potential tourists more severely.
In order to understand terrorism activity, it is useful to characterize it. Namely, terrorism is defined as a systematic and persistent strategy practiced by a state or political group against another state, political or social group through a campaign of acts of violence, such as assassinations, hijacking, use of explosives, sabotage, murder and the like, with the intent of creating a state of terror and public intimidation to achieve political, social or religious ends. Consequently, moments of crisis and the handling of post- crisis situation have attracted considerable attention across the social sciences in recent years, in large part as a result of focusing events such as 9/11.
Certainly, London 2012 Olympic Games will attract a huge amount of attention around the world. Sporting events in general are social occasions, and Olympic Games have become the sports meetings with the greatest social presence in the world today. Nevertheless, on the other hand, the return of terrorism to the streets of London is a reminder that political violence has not gone away.
Concerns over Olympic surroundings security were justified when the 'Revolutionary Struggle' terrorist group used explosives to destroy an Athens police station in 2004. The group justified their actions as a demonstration of the vulnerability of the games and as a protest against business interests linked to the games. Moreover, the kidnap of eleven Israeli athletes and coaches from the Munich Olympic Village provides a powerful example of what can go wrong. Particularly, this demonstrates how the Munich attack combines the same blend of technical problems, individual error and organizational failure that characterizes more familiar forms of 'workplace accident' (Johnson, 2008).
Even though, a legacy of 9/11, and subsequent terrorist attacks such as the Bali, Madrid and London bombings, is evident that the organisers have to think the unthinkable to safeguard the travellers.
A division director within the RCMP, Canada's federal policing agency responsible for security for the 2010 Winter Games, explained the effects of 9/11 on major event security planning in Canada, noting that: "I think [9/11] sensitized us to the fact that terrorists will be very innovative and more sophisticated than perhaps we anticipate. 9/11 forced us to look at the broader potential risks that we face, and it brought about a whole means of reviewing our practices to mitigate those threats to Canada in general".
Fundamentally, London is experienced in organising mega-events and so far has organised them well in terms of travellers safety. Therefore, a model developed by the Rand Corporation intended to assist in security planning efforts for the London 2012 Olympics to ensure safety of the travellers. The model is designed to help 'foresee, in a structured and systematic way, a range of different potential security environments that could potentially exist in 2012', including catastrophic and worst-case scenarios. The vital point is that the organisers of London 2012 Games have to be prepared to mitigate the effects of biochemical incidents. There has indeed been concern over the use of nuclear materials, especially following the arrest of a group from Afghanistan which possessed plans for the Lucas Heights reactor, before the Sydney Games.
All examples above illustrate that mega-events are classified as a terrorism 'capital', due to their high public visibility, global media exposure and symbolic representation. In fact, the requirement is for travellers to feel 'safe' when they visit a mega- event, therefore perceptions of tourist safety become vital in attracting international and domestic travellers. Indeed, there is growing concern about threats against the infrastructure that supports the Games. For instance, immediately before the 2006 Winter Olympics several terrorist groups were arrested for planning to attack the Metro system in neighbouring cities. Additionally, the Madrid bombings illustrate the potential for similar attacks on the public travelling to Olympic venues. In fact, when security officials examine the recent past in order to plan for terrorist attacks, a major lesson they take away from 9/11 is that domestic security threats exist on a scale that was previously imagined only in warfare. One result has been the continuous reiteration in official circles that London 2012 Olympic Games security planners must 'think outside the box' in order to secure the safety to the travellers.
Refrence
Johnson, W. C. (2008) Using Evacuation Simulations to Ensure the Safety and Security of the 2012 Olympic Venues. Safety Science [online] <http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:BETPu6swl68J:scholar.google.com/+London+2012+Olympic+Games+affecting+travellers&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5>. [cited 16th April 2011].
Pender, L., and Sharpley, R. (2005) The Management of Tourism.1st ed., London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Toohey, K., and Taylor, T. (2007) in Taylor, T., and Toohey, K. (eds.) Perceptions of Terrorism Threats at the 2004 Olympic Games: Implications for Sport Events. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 12(2), pp.99-114.