By Valerie Gomez, Acia Gankin, Mary Levine and David Zhang
The 2014 Olympic Games are to be held in Sochi, within 300 miles of Russia’s North Caucasus region. These past months, insurgents and Islamic terrorists have threatened attacks on the Games, causing heightened fears of terrorist attacks on athletes and tourists.
This week, the world’s greatest athletes leave for the Sochi Olympics, where 88 countries will compete beginning Feb. 7.
According to NY Daily News, about 10,000 Americans are expected to attend the Games; however, thousands of tickets were not sold due to the tourists’ fear of a potential terrorist attack.
The government may be another source of violence to fear, though, as, according to Bloomberg news, the number of civilian casualties caused by the government’s offensive against radicals has risen as the number of suicide bombers has increased in the volatile North Caucasus region.
A Caucasus group, Imarat Kavkaz, is seen as the main danger by BBC. In July of this past year, the Imarat Kavkaz leader, Emir Umarov, instructed his followers to disrupt the Games. Still, British officials believe the chance of attack on Sochi is low because this group concerns itself with Russian interests rather than those of the West.
There are other terrorist groups, though, that worry potential travellers.
A militant Islamist group, Vilayat Dagestan, claimed responsibility for a pair of suicide bombs that killed 34 people in the city of Volgograd in December. The first bomb went off on a train while the next, by another suicide bomber, exploded on a commuter bus the following day. Volgograd is roughly 400 miles northeast of Sochi but is nonetheless a hub for Russians and tourists who are traveling to the Games by train.
UK officials believe that Sochi would be more difficult to attack than Volgograd as Russia has added an extra 37,000 troops and police to create “a ring of steel” around the Olympic venue.
Thus there is still concern regarding certain transit points of the Games, especially Volgograd; experts believe the terrorists are much more likely to target buses, tourist sites, or hotels than the Olympic venue, as these places tend to be the most saturated with people.
Junior Anton Malin, who has relatives residing in Volgograd, claims that despite the threats, he has confidence in Russia’s security measures.
“If there’s one thing Russia’s good at, it’s being security-conscious, and this Olympic Games is going to be one of the toughest to get into as a spectator for that reason,” Malin said. “So I’m not too worried about terrorist threats.”
Measures the Russian government has taken include flyers that have been distributed by security forces in Sochi warning of three women, also known as “black widows,” who may potentially perpetrate acts of terrorism.
“Black widows” are women sent to carry out suicide bombings in revenge for deceased family members, often deceased husbands, who were killed by Russian officials. According to US News, one of the suspects is 22-year-old widow, Ruzanna Ibragimova, who could already be in Sochi; the two other women are Zaira Aliyeva, 26, and Dzhannet Tsakhayeva, 34.
Another possible source of attack, though less likely, is Russian jihadists.
Officials have dismissed the letters threatening a terrorist attack that were sent to five countries’ National Olympic Committees, including the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Though no country has withdrawn from the Games, countries such as the US have taken precautions. For example, US athletes are not to wear clothing which could identify them as members of the team in Sochi.
However, despite the added stresses, Todd Elwell, a wellness teacher at South, believes that athletes’ performances will not be reduced.
“I don’t think [the threats from terrorists] will affect the athletes performances,” Elwell said. “I think it’s partly because of the fact that you’ve spent so many hours trying to prepare yourself for this moment and your focus is on giving your best performance and, for many athletes, hoping to win a medal.
“In this day in age, I think athletes are kind of aware of the possibilities that can happen in their venues. I think it’s sad that so much time and money and effort has to be spent on preventing someone from doing something bad.”
The National Security Council claims that the US government has offered its full support in security preparations.
The US has taken measures to protect its citizens and prevent an attack by sending FBI agents and collecting Counter Terrorism intelligence, which is shared with Russia. The US has also posted two warships in the Black Sea with air assets which are prepared to evacuate Americans if an attack were to occur.
One Russian student at South, sophomore Nicole Ginzburg, believes that the threats of attack on the Olympic Games will have a detrimental effect on Russia’s economy.
“A great deal of money was put into the Olympics,” Ginzburg said. “Now that people aren’t going out of fear of getting attacked, Russia won’t make enough money.”
