Despite explosion 'The games will go on'

July 27, 1996
Web posted at: 9:50 a.m. EDT

ATLANTA (CNN) -- The explosion at Olympic Centennial Park will not halt the sports competition, though Saturday's games will be played in the shadow of flags at half-staff.

"The games will go on," said Francois Carrard, director general of the International Olympic Committee. (238K AIFF or WAV sound) He said buses would run and all venues open as scheduled.

Carrard expressed sympathy for the victims and their families, and said Olympic flags will be lowered to half- staff and a moment of silence observed at all venues.

Security at this most heavily guarded Olympics in history will get even tighter.

Centennial Park has been cordoned off and will be checked for more explosive devices, FBI agent Woody Johnson said. All venues and areas where athletes stay and practice will also be checked. More downtown streets have been closed off, and traffic diverted.

Gene Wilson, head of security for Atlanta's rapid transit system, MARTA, told CNN that trains continue to run but bomb teams are searching the trains and tunnels.

Olympic officials had promised to make Atlanta the most secure place on Earth during the two weeks of competition.

But all the elaborate measures could not prevent the explosion. "It's horrible -- the worst fears ... something we can't control," Bob Brennan, spokesman for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, said. "I'm stunned."

"It's horrible -- the worst fears ... something we can't control."

-- Bob Brennan, ACOG spokesman

Security was always one of the biggest concerns for organizers of the Atlanta Games. In the days before the Games, International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch had said the threat of terrorism was his biggest worry.

"The main concern is security," he said. "Today the risk of terrorism is higher than before. Today you have some people ready to die for religious or political ideas. It makes the fight against terrorism much more difficult."

The size and scope of the Atlanta Games -- the largest in history with 11,000 athletes from 197 countries -- provided a huge security challenge.

The federal government spent $227 million to protect the Games from terrorism. About 30,000 police, military personnel and private guards, as well as an array of high-tech surveillance equipment, were deployed.

Security concerns were already heightened when TWA Flight 800 exploded off the Long Island coast just two days before the July 19 opening ceremony.

Cracks in the security system were exposed when a man carrying a loaded handgun sneaked into Olympic Stadium before the opening ceremony. The man, who was dressed as a security guard, was arrested and released after police determined he posed no threat.

Bill Rathburn, ACOG's security chief, admitted at the time that the city's vaunted protective measures had failed.

"I certainly wouldn't sit here and say this is a good example of the success of our security program," he said.

Security has been a major concern for the Olympics ever since the 1972 Munich massacre, when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed by Palestinian terrorists.

In April, members of a militia group were arrested in central Georgia and accused of conspiring to stockpile bombs for a "war" with the government. Although initial reports of a plot to disrupt the Olympics were discounted, the raid illustrated that such elements lurk not far from Atlanta.

'Totally confident' in security measures

After the TWA explosion, IOC officials expressed confidence in Atlanta's security measures.

"Security is a top priority at every Olympic Games, whenever and wherever they are held," Carrard had said. "We are totally confident that all necessary measures have been taken. We are totally confident we are in the best possible hands in terms of security."

Carrard had said the TWA disaster should not create a climate of fear or cast a pall over the games.

"The Olympic movement through 100 years of existence has been accustomed to living in the world as it is," he said. "These days, the world is far from a happy world, with dramas, accidents and terrorism."

Olympic events scheduled for Saturday included cycling, rowing and women's beach volleyball finals. Track and field finals were also scheduled in men's and women's 100-meter races and the men's triple jump.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• Olympic Park Bombing - Sounds
• Olympic Park Bombing - Movies
• Olympic Park Bombing - Scenes
• 'Act of terrorism' shatters Olympic peace
• Who planted the bomb? - July 27, 1996
• Clinton pledges thorough effort to find Olympic park bomber - July 27, 1996
• Hospitals respond to emergency - July 27, 1996
• Despite explosion 'The games will go on' - July 27, 1996
• Olympic officials express sorrow at bombing - July 27, 1996
• Condolences, condemnation follow blast - July 27, 1996

Previous stories:

• Olympic security eyes home-grown terrorism - June 17, 1996
• Legacy of Munich: Atlanta mobilizes for terror-free Olympics - June 16, 1996
• In wake of Saudi bombing, Olympics officials say: 'We're ready' - June 29, 1996

Related sites:

• Centennial Olympic Park
• Official site of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games
• ACOG Press Briefing Concerning Explosion in Park
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• FBI testimony to Congress on the Olympics and terrorism
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC)

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