http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=15885851%26met hod=full%26siteid=50082%26headline=terrorist%2dalert%2dat%2d2006%2dcommonwea lth%2dgames-name_page.html
Terrorist alert at 2006 Commonwealth Games Aug 23 2005 Tryst Williams, Western Mail WELSH athletes have been classified as the sports stars at greatest risk of terrorist attack at next year's Commonwealth Games, it emerged last night. The cream of our national talent, together with that of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, has been assessed as being at the highest risk by the Australian Government in the wake of the London bombings. But, according to reports, a diplomatic row was brewing yesterday over whether armed British police officers would be allowed to travel to Melbourne with the national teams. Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock remained adamant that his country would not be making any special arrangements to allow British security forces - and possibly members of MI6 - to carry firearms. "The Australian Government has not received any requests from teams to bring their own security personnel at this stage," Ruddock said. "However, Australia has a long-standing policy regarding the non-carriage of firearms by foreign security personnel. The carriage of firearms is not permitted." Mr Ruddock's spokesman insisted the Games security force, led by Victoria Police and including Australian Federal Police, armed officers and private guards, was fully equipped to protect the 4500 athletes from 70 nations expected to travel to Melbourne. The Australian Government also vowed to spare no expense in covering any possible means of a terrorist attack with stringent bag and body searches, as well as the strategic positioning of anti-terrorist police, and elite army units at sensitive sites, including the 110,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is the focal point of the Games. The issue of whether the British police will be armed remains a delicate one between the UK and Australia but at this stage there is no indication the Australia Government will change its mind. "Any foreign protection and security officers would have no operational role in Australia," added Mr Ruddock's spokesman. A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police, who would be responsible for providing the armed protection, said they could not confirm whether an approach had been made to the Australian Government because they did not discuss "security matters". But defence and terrorism expert Paul Moorcraft said the issue was a common one as big international sporting events such as the Olympics. "It's a recurrent situation," said Dr Moorcraft, a director of the Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis, London. "It's usually seen as an implication that the host country can't deal with security but it's a political issue. There's usually a protocol." He added that with the close links between Australia and the UK it was likely a compromise would be reached - which could involve any British officers agreeing to be trained and armed by their Australian counterparts rather than bringing their own weapons. The Welsh team is expected to number as many as 250 people, made up of about 220 athletes and 30 backroom staff. Hotel arrangements prior to the start of the games on March 15 have not yet been finalised. A spokeswoman for Team Wales said security arrangements were a matter for Melbourne's Commonwealth Games Committee. International athletics has suffered at the hands of terrorism on two previous and notorious occasions. In 1972, 11 Israelis and a German policeman were killed when Palestinian terrorists took hostages at Munich's olympic village. And at the 1996 Atlanta Games, a spectator was killed when a bomb exploded at the city's Centennial Olympic Park. Welsh hurdling star Colin Jackson, a veteran of the 1996 games, said security matters were usually of little concern to athletes. "You don't think too much about it," he said. "To be honest it becomes more of a burden than anything else. It can take up to eight minutes to go through security checks and then there's the queuing but all you want to do is compete well. "Most sportspeople think when it's your time it's your time, and if they were concerned about it they wouldn't go to the competition. "I don't think it's necessary to have armed guards walking around the Olympic village." Previous attacks on major athletics competitions IN 1972, a Palestinian group known as Black September seized Israeli athletes inside the Olympic village in Munich, leading to the death of 11 Israelis and some of the terrorists. A bright September day turned bleak when the Palestinian group demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel in return for the hostages they held in Munich's Olympic Village. The Israelis said no deal. The Germans talked the terrorists out of the Olympic Village, but disaster followed in a shoot-out at a small airport. In addition to the 11 Israelis, one German policeman and five of eight terrorists died. Twenty-four years later tragedy struck at the Atlanta Olympics in the US. Lone militant Eric Rudolph planted a bomb at the city's Centennial Olympic Park that killed one person and injured 111 others. Earlier this year the anti-abortion extremist was sentenced to life in prison for his role in another deadly bombing at a women's clinic in the US city of Birmingham. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! 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