Coe dismisses concerns over security of London
Updated: 2011-12-13 15:39
(Xinhua)
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BEIJING - Sebastian Coe, the president of the organizing committee of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said on Saturday that the Games will be safe and smooth though many security concerns were aroused recently.
Complex security issues for the Olympics have been altered after the London riots in August, which shocked Britain and damaged London's image abroad, but Coe expressed no worries about that.
"Security in big global city is of course always a challenge. It is something you have to get right. You want people coming to city feeling they are coming for celebration, not a security event, so get the balance is important," said Coe, who was in Beijing to attend the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly.
Coe said the riots didn't impact the Games' preparation.
"We had test events going on at that time, and most of them were unaffected, police controlled the situation very quickly," said Coe.
"We also had chef de mission meetings, with 205 Olympic committees to ensure those meetings running unaffected. So in a way, it was a good testing force a year before the Olympics."