The security issues surrounding the forthcoming Winter Olympics, which open in Turin later today, are proving to be quite a headache for the organisers.
Authorities are spending over $100m on security, with 15,000 police officers being deployed.
There will be a no-fly zone over the city, as 15 heads of state attend today's opening ceremony.
Yesterday the Olympic flame was diverted in Turin, to avoid protests over a planned local high-speed rail link and over spending on the Games.
The Italian government are focusing on two issues; the possibility of a Muslim protest about the Danish cartoons and a very aggressive series of demonstrations from Italian anarchists and subversive groups.
Two Nato surveillance aircraft will enforce the no-fly ban over Turin during the opening ceremony.
The torch relay carrying the Olympic flame around Italy has already been disrupted several times during its two-month trip.
Protesters say that tunnelling for the railway in the Susa valley, where some of the events will be held, will ruin the environment and release asbestos and uranium into the atmosphere.
One protester is quoted by Reuters as saying:
"These are dirty Games because they have spent huge amounts of money and we don't know what use it will be in the future."
The question is, are the Olympics now proving to be just too expensive and too disrupting to be held anymore?
No comments:
Post a Comment