Security of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi
PDF

Keywords

air defense system
air safety
restricted areas
security system
terrorist attack

How to Cite

Radomyski, A. (2021). Security of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Safety & Defense, 7(1), 92-105. https://doi.org/10.37105/sd.117

Abstract

Given the fact that major sporting events such as the Olympic Games attract attention all over the world, the aspect of their security has become even more important, especially after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Organizers of this type of mass sports event treat the issue of safety as top priority.

The paper examines the empirical data from scientific publications, press releases and formal government documents that pertain to Russia's preparation to properly secure the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in terms of security.

The aim of this article was to identify the threats to the Winter Olympics in Sochi and to characterize the security system organized by Russia against this background.

The conducted research confirmed that the greatest threat in Russia was the high activity of national liberation groups, fighters and terrorists from the Sochi area, which clearly intensified in the period preceding the Olympics. In addition, the security system created by Russia involved many different state bodies, including agencies, police and law enforcement services, and the army.

Based on the research, it can be concluded that the security system created in Sochi may be a good example for other countries that will try to organize the Olympic Games in the future.

https://doi.org/10.37105/sd.117
PDF

References

Boyle, Ph. (2012). Securing the Olympic Games: Exemplifications of Global Gov-ernance, in Helen Jefferson Lenskyj and Stephen Wagg (eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Olympic Studies, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 394.

Colarusso, J. (2019, August, 1). RUSSI: The Circassians and the Sochi Olympics. John Colarusso. Retrived http://www.johncolarusso.net. Russia: New Harass-ment of Olympic Critics.

Dean, K. (2014). Winter Olympic Games: Long-term Lessons for Sochi, Colliers International, Ester Europe, I Q, February, p. 5. file:///C:/Users/ADAMRA~1/AppData/Local/Temp/colsochi.pdf

Demidov, D.D.B. (2015). Sky over Sochi at the castle organization of air defense of facilities for the XXII Winter Olympic Games and XI Winter Paralympic Games 2014, Aerospace Defense, No 3.

Department of State (2014). Office of the Spokesperson, Special Briefing: Senior Administration Officials Teleconference, January 24.

Falkowski, M. (2016, April, 4). Rosyjski „Bliski Wschód”: eskalacja konfliktów re-ligijnych na Kaukazie Północnym, „Komentarze” Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich, No 207.

Fergus, N. (2014, June, 26). A former Australian intelligence agent whose consult-ing firm Intelligent Risks worked on the Athens Olympics, quoted in Andrew Chang, ‘Fearing Olympic Terror, Athens Gears Up’, ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=79466

Frankovic, K. (2014, January, 29). More than half of Americans have little to no confidence that Sochi will be safe from terrorist attacks, but most people still want the US to participate, Politics & current affairs. https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2014/01/29/olympic-interest-olympic-fears

Frolov, V. (2013, October, 28). A Global Power Can’t Have Porous Borders, The Moscow Times, http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/a-global-power-cant-have-porous-borders/488532.html

Garamone, J. (2014, January, 21). U.S., Russian Leaders Discuss Afghanistan, So-chi, History,” News, American Forces Press Service. https://www.jcs.mil/Media/News/News-Display/Article/571636/us-russian-leaders-discuss-afghanistan-sochi-history/

Global Rescue (2013, November, 25). Global Rescue to Support U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association at 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, news release. https://www.globalrescue.com/about.cfm?view=news&article=116.

Grove, T. (2013, July, 3). Islamist Rebel Vows “Maximum Force” to Stop Sochi Olympics, Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/us-russia-olympics militantsidUSBRE96207T20130703

Horne, J. Manzenreiter, W. (2006). An Introduction to the Sociology of Sports Mega-Events, Sociological Review 54, No. 2, p. 19.

International Olympic Committee (2007), IOC 2014 Evaluation Commission Re-port, p. 23. http://www.olympic.org/ Docu-ments/Reports/EN/en_report_1187.pdf.

Lovelace, D. C. Jr. (2017). Terrorism: Commentary on Security Documents: Rus-sia's Resurgence, Oxford University Press, Volume 146, p.71.

Luccacioni, C. Cohen, A. (2014). Sochi: Security and Counterterrorism at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Issue Brief, No 4116, January 06, p.1.

Müller, M. (2014).After Sochi 2014: costs and impacts of Russia’s Olympic Games, Eurasian Geography and Economics , Vol. 55, No. 6, p. 628–655.

Nichol J. Halchin E. J. W. Rollins, A. Tiersky, S. Woehrel (2014, January, 26), The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: Security and Human Rights Issues, Report, Con-gressional Research Service. file:///C:/Users/ADAMRA~1/AppData/Local/Temp/R43383.pdf

Parfitt, T. (2013, July, 3), Doku Umarov Calls for Islamists to Disrupt Sochi Win-ter Olympics, Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10157474/Doku- Umarov-calls-for-Islamists-to-disrupt-Sochi-Winter-Olympics.html

Radomyski, A. (2019). Contemporary aspects of civil aviation security against aviation terrorism, Transport Means - Proceedings of the International Confer-ence, October 2-4, Palanga, Lithuania, file:///C:/Users/ADAMRA~1/AppData/Local/Temp/Transport-means-2019-Part-3.pdf

Radomyski, A. Bernat, P. (2018). Contemporary Determinants of Organising Ef-fective Protection of Civil Aviation Against Terrorism, Transportation Research Procedia, Volume 35. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352146518303612

Radomyski, A. Dobija, K., Michalak, A. (2012). Determinanty użycia wojsk OPL w osłonie imprez sportowych o wymiarze międzynarodowym, Akademia Obrony Narodwej, Warszawa.

Russian Secret Service (2012, May, 10). Sochi 2014 Olympics Terror Attack Foiled in Breakaway Republic of Abkhazia, CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-secret-service-sochi-2014-olympics-terror-attack-foiled-in-breakaway-republic-of-abkhazia/

Šiljak, V. Vukašinović, V. Đurovi, D. (2016). Security Requirements at the Olympic Games, Sportlogia, No 12 (1), p. 38.

Silke, A. (2010). Understanding Terrorist Target Selection, A. Richards, P. Fussey, and A. Silke (Eds), Terrorism and the Olympics: Major Event Security and Les-sons for the Future, London, Routledge, p. 58.

Spaaij, R. (2016). Terrorism and Security at the Olympics: Empirical Trends and Evolving Research Agendas, The International Journal of the History of Sport, Vol. 33, No. 4, p. 452.

Schwirtz, N. (2011, December, 16). Journalist Is Shot Dead in Russia’s North Cau-casus Region,” The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/world/europe/journalist-is-shot-dead-in-russias-north-caucasus-region.html?_r=0

The Kremlin (2014). President of Russia, Interview to Russian and Foreign Me-dia, January 19. http://www.en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/interviews/20080

U.S. Department of Defense (2014). Press Briefing with Rear Admiral Kirby from the Pentagon, January 23. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/606940/department-of-defense-press-briefing-by-rear-adm-kirby-in-the-pentagon-briefing/

Yu. Y, Klauser, F., Chan, G. (2009). Governing Security at the 2008 Beijing Olym-pics’, The International Journal of the History of Sport 26, No 3, p. 390

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.