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CNN Live At Daybreak
Ridge Says Olympics Are Safe, But Do Athletes Agree?
Aired February 08, 2002 - 05:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So, let the games begin. The opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics kicks off tonight with concerns about security on the front burner. Homeland security chief Tom Ridge says the games will be as safe as human beings and technology can make them. But are the athletes buying it?
CNN's John Giannone has some answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN GIANNONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behind every snapshot and snow capped peak, lining every acre of beauty and majesty, woven into the fabric of these winter games lies a blanket of security. A $310 million show of force encompassing both man and man's best friend, 16,000 patrons of peace, some with weapons of war, on the ground and high above it, all sworn to provide the best possible sense of security.
MITT ROMNEY, SALT LAKE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: The games are federally about athletes and their ability to perform in a fair and safe way before the world. And any terrorist threat threatens that. And therefore it's a more fundamental concern, I think, than just money.
MICHELLE KWAN, U.S. FIGURE SKATER: I don't want it to be canceled, you know? You just hope everything is going to be OK and that it's going to be a wonderful, wonderful competition, a wonderful event, and the spirit is going to lift everybody.
JAKE FIALA, U.S. DOWNHILL SKIER: I've never seen anything like it. I'm sure it was similar to how it was at the Super Bowl. But we go through a lot of metal detectors and dogs and mirrors and army guys. So, we definitely feel safe once we get up there.
CAMMI GRANATO, U.S. HOCKEY TEAM: We just put our trust in them and we're here because, you know, we want to be here and they're here to protect us and make sure everything goes smoothly and we're trusting that that's going to be the case.
GIANNONE: With that trust comes high levels of responsibility, a minuscule margin for error in shepherding more than 2,500 athletes, a record quarter of a million fans throughout the 10 Olympic venues the next two plus weeks. TODD ELDREDGE, U.S. FIGURE SKATER: If, you know, the organizing committees and the security people here think that, you know, there would be any question, you know, as to whether the security was going to be great, you know, then I think they would take whatever measures they had to to make it safe for us.
TRICIA DUNN, U.S. HOCKEY PLAYER: We've been reassured that things have been, you know, checked and rechecked and now it's kind of, we've just kind of got to go about our business and worry about the games. So that's what we're looking forward to doing.
LEA ANN PARSLEY, U.S. SKELETON TEAM MEMBER: I think they're doing absolutely everything that they can. So, yes, it does help a little bit to know, you know, OK, at our venue, what are you guys doing? You know, what kind of increased security will we see? But we don't need to know the details.
GIANNONE: Some of those details include bomb sweeps, video surveillance, metal detectors, even state-of-the-art facial recognition technology. But because stringent security will no doubt impact these games, those attending have been warned to pack warm clothes and plenty of patience.
FIALA: We have an early start, 10:00 in the morning. So I'm guessing we're going to have to leave the hotel by 5:30 or 6:00 or so. But they're doing everything they can. It's somewhat difficult for us because it's a catch-22. You know, we want to be up there quickly, but we also, we also want to be safe.
BRIAN SHIMER, U.S. BOBSLEDDER: Being here in the U.S. I feel the safest. I don't think, I know the Olympics, I would think, would be a big target and, but I feel safer here than going overseas for a World Cup race.
BODE MILLER, U.S. SLALOM SKIER: Obviously it would be a little bit of a bummer if something, you know, if somebody were to try to do something to one of the athletes or anything like that. But, you know, I think, you know, I think that's in the back of everybody's mind, maybe, you know? But it is whether the security is here or not.
PICABO STREET, U.S. SKIER: I have no control over things I don't have control over so I don't spend my time worrying about those. I just kind of let those go, relinquish those to the people who are responsible for them, concentrate on my plan of attack and giving the American people and the world something really great to watch and be proud of.
GIANNONE: That $310 million security budget is roughly the gross national product of the country of Grenada and $40 million of that total came after September 11. And while Utah Governor Mike Leavitt says this will be the safest place on earth the next two weeks, some international athletes don't agree and have vowed to skip Friday's opening ceremony.
At the 19th Olympic Winter Games, I'm John Giannone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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