The security issue at the 2004 Olympics

Spectacular Security: Mega-Events and the Security Complex

“…The C4I system in Athens, for example, was one element in a broader upgrade and retrofit of the entire Greek policing and military apparatus including refurbished police stations and equipment and advanced training for Special Forces (Samatas 2004; GAO 2005). Though Greece’s security efforts during the 17‐day period of the Games reflect the dominant role the United States played in setting Greece’s domestic agenda (Tsoukala 2006), the continuing use of the C4I system reflects Greece’s explicit objectives to use the Olympics as an opportunity to upgrade and modernize different aspects of the country. Speaking in relation to their $1.5 billion USD Olympic security budget, George Floridis, Greek Minister of Public Order stated:…”

The discourse of Olympic security: London 2012

“…In keeping with Tsoukala, 2006) the function of these hyperbolic descriptions was to create a set of imaginary relations between the Games and its wider context, which could be used as a logical pretext to justify the scale and extent of the security operation for London 2012. This security operation was dubbed insistently in the corpus with the noun phrase 'safety and security' in order to yoke the positive connotations the word 'safety' with the more problematic concept of 'security', and imbue it with greater positivity.…”

“…Employing a semiotic approach Price (2008) Focusing on the Athens Olympics, Tsoukala (2006) carried out a content analysis of relevant articles carried by two prominent US newspapers in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics. Data reveals an assessment of security measures which feature two attributes: 'Greek dilatoriness' and criticism of Greek officials and law enforcement agents; and the 'potentially limitless and unpredictable' nature of the terrorist threat (p. 51).…”

“…This combined with memories of the 1972 Munich attack by the Black September Group and the 9/11 Islamist attacks on the Twin Towers to intensify the preoccupation of Games organisers with security for London 2012 (Coaffee, Fussey and Moore, 2011;Giulianotti and Klauser, 2011;Tsoukala, 2006). Summer Olympic Games have been called 'sport mega-events' because of their scale (Roche, 2009); these are highly visible, 'deeply symbolic' occasions that take place in large cities, combining intensive media coverage with astringent security and surveillance strategies (Boyle and Haggerty, 2009: 257).…”

“…The security operation for Athens 2004 involved 70,000 security personnel (Samatas, 2011;Tsoukala, 2006), 35,000 soldiers (Coaffee et al, 2011), AWACS aircraft (Brianas, in Samatas, 2011: 3352), Patriot ground-toair missiles, police helicopters, fighter jets, minesweepers and a surveillance airship, or 'blimp' (Coafee et al, 2011). Athens also purchased an ill-fated C4I (Command, Control, Communication, Computer and Integration) System featuring between 13,000 and 14,000 surveillance cameras, mobile surveillance vans and chemical detectors (Coafee et al, 2011;Samatas, 2011;Tsoukala, 2006). In turn, China invited Greece along with experts from 74 other countries to work with them towards the Beijing Olympics (Yu, Klauser and Chan, 2009: 396).…”