On guard: USSA partner Global Rescue readies for Sochi security concerns

Security in Sochi (GEPA/Christian Walgram)

Check Google News for “Sochi Olympics,” and the results you get are mostly about security: what Russia is going to do to keep Olympic teams and other visitors safe, and how determined some anti-Moscow insurgents are to disrupt the Games.

The threat to Russia and its first Olympic Winter Games was underscored in horrific fashion in late December, when more than 30 people were killed in two suicide bombings in Volgograd, just 400 miles away from the Olympic venues. Sochi itself is within the mountainous North Caucasus region, home to ethnic groups that have long been at odds with Moscow, most recently demonstrated in years of war between Chechen insurgents and the Russian government.

The Volgograd bombings prompted USSA President Bill Marolt to write to his organization’s supporters. “The events of the last two days in Volgograd have focused attention on security issues surrounding the Olympic Games in Sochi,” he wrote. “I want to assure you that the USSA has been monitoring the situation in Russia and Sochi closely and has taken every precaution to insure the safety of our athletes, guests and staff.”

This is an except. Read the complete article on Global Rescue’s security plans for Sochi in our Olympic Preview Issue of the digital magazine here.