In light of Southern California threats, LA 2024 officials focus on security for Olympics
“I think security is a concern for everyone in all markets, but it has not been a specific concern that any members have raised about Los Angeles,” Casey Wasserman says.
With Los Angeles Unified School District campuses closed Tuesday because of a reported threat — and the area still reeling from terror attacks in San Bernardino two weeks ago — the committee hoping to bring the Olympic Games back to Southern California has been focused on security issues.
LA 2024 officials, who are in the midst of a two-year campaign to win the Games, said they have contacted local, county and state governments to seek help with plans to safeguard the event.
“It’s obviously a very high priority for us,” LA 2024 Chief Executive Gene Sykes said in a teleconference after meeting with the U.S. Olympic Committee in New York on Tuesday afternoon.
Sykes said he expects to reach some decisions on planning within the next few weeks.
Asked whether recent events might affect the way Olympic officials from other parts of the world view his city, LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman said: “I think security is a concern for everyone in all markets, but it has not been a specific concern that any members have raised about Los Angeles.”
In years past, the U.S. government has given a special designation to Olympic Games in this country and devoted extensive federal resources to providing security.
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