First lady visits Olympic park

ATLANTA (CNN) -- First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton paid a surprise visit to Centennial Olympic Park Wednesday morning, a day after the site reopened to Olympic crowds. The park had been closed for three days after a bombing early Saturday that killed a Georgia woman and injured more than 100 people attending a late-night concert.

Mrs. Clinton briefly toured the park with Georgia Gov. Zell Miller, Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, and former mayor and current Atlanta Olympic Co-Chairman Andrew Young.

"I'm happy to see everybody really enjoying themselves," the first lady said of the mid-morning crowds in the park. (45K AIFF or WAV sound)

The park reopened Tuesday with increased security, but the original concept for the park -- an open space for Olympic spectators and people-watchers to gather -- was intact.

Reporters on hand with Mrs. Clinton said the new security measures in place, including a doubled police presence and random bag searches, seemed less intense than on Tuesday.

Visitors to the park have created a makeshift memorial near the spot where the bomb went off. The memorial includes Turkish flags in honor of the Turkish journalist who suffered a fatal heart attack while running to cover the aftermath of the bombing.

• First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton

Sights and sounds The investigation The victims Reactions Olympic security Impact on the games Related sites

Tell us what you think! You said it...

© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.