Football
Associated Press 19y

Security still top priority as Sydney 2000 officials visit London

LONDON -- The terror attacks in London won't affect security
plans for the 2012 Olympics, bid leader Sebastian Coe said
Wednesday.

"Security has always been the most important parts of the
candidate file and in practice, the thing all games hinge on," Coe
said. "It's no higher than it was."

Four bombs killed at least 52 people and injured about 700
others last Thursday, a day after London was awarded the Olympics.

London bid chief executive Keith Mills said the British capital
has borrowed heavily from the Sydney model of a stadium and
athlete's village close together. Sydney hosted the games in 2000.

"We've been able to bring our village inside the Olympic Park
... that means we can lock down, from a security perspective, a
large number of venues along with all of the athletes and all of
the officials," Mills said. "In the light of the last week or so,
that seems an even better decision."

Coe and other London 2012 officials will travel to Sydney this
year to learn more about hosting the games. They met with New South
Wales state Premier Bob Carr on Wednesday.

"No one does security and policing better than the Brits,"
Carr said. "We came to the UK to learn about security for the
games in 2000. There's not much we can teach this part of the world
about security."

British policeman Peter Ryan was in charge of security in Sydney
and also advised in Athens last year.

Several figures involved in Sydney, including chief operating
officer Jim Sloman and transport and media officials, have worked
with London's bid. Sloman is expected to continue working with
London.

"We all accept that Sydney was the high water mark of Olympic
Games both in organization and certainly in the concept behind the
games," Coe said. "It also happened to be the biggest birthday
party probably in the history of the Olympic movement. This bid has
already leant very heavily on the Australian experience."

Carr said his main advice to London was to look at the big
picture.

"I want them to be prepared for all the arguments, all the
heartache, all the angst and anxiety along the way," Carr said.
"But once the torch arrives, they'll be a heartwarming and
unifying experience that compensates for the distress and the hard
decisions that have to be made."

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