Wow, such hyperbole...
--M
Terror, mentally ill threaten Games
By KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU CHIEF
Edmonton Sun Nov 5/2008
Canada is facing the threat of terrorist attacks, disruption from mentally disturbed people and corruption from organized criminals as it plays host to the 2010 Olympic Games.
Documents obtained by Sun Media through Access to Information show officials are also bracing for potential cost overruns, public health disasters and protests during the international sporting event in Vancouver-Whistler.
One May 2007 RCMP threat assessment report warns that a thwarted terrorist plot to attack sites in Canada last year serves as a reminder that "not only must we monitor international terrorist plots directed toward the Olympics, but as well, those originating within Canada."
The perception that Canada has shifted away from being a peacekeeping nation with a combat role in Afghanistan might increase the risk of becoming a target, the report suggests.
But the documents, heavily censored and stamped "secret," suggest the most likely and immediate risk to Canada lies in financial security, with corruption the "inevitable byproduct" of vast sums of money and multi-million dollar profits associated with the Games.
Another document predicts counterfeit production of official clothing will be rampant.
"It is expected that counterfeit reproduction of these products will increase as the Games approach, translating into financial loss to taxpayers," the documents read.
As for the risk posed by mentally unstable people, the reports suggest while some have a propensity for violence, most are disruptive.
In Athens in 2004, a Canadian spectator jumped into the Olympic diving pool wearing a tutu and white tights with polka dots. During the same Games, an Irish-born former priest disrupted a marathon by pushing the race leader into the crowd, declaring he wanted to announce the second coming of Jesus.
