Are We Safe During the London Olympics?

From July 27 to August 12, the 2012 Summer Olympics will take place in London, England, making London the first city ever to host the Games three times.

It’s certainly an honour for the city – but what does it mean for the Londoners? With so many people coming to the city, we have to ask, “Will we be safe during the London Olympics?”

The venues

While it’s certain that the Olympic visitors will in no way restrict themselves to just watching the games, with all the other wonderful sights that London has to offer, it’s also taken for granted that the greatest concentration of crowds will occur at the Olympic event venues.

Naturally, these areas will pose the greatest security risks:

• The Olympic Zone. The opening and closing ceremonies will be held in the Olympic Stadium. Other sports to be held in this area are athletics, fencing, handball, and modern pentathlon (fencing), cycling (BMX and track), field hockey, pool sports, basketball, and handball.

• The River Zone. This includes four venues in the Thames Gateway area. The sports to be played here are boxing, wrestling, fencing, martial arts, table tennis, weightlifting, equestrian, modern pentathlon (riding, running, shooting), basketball, and gymnastics.

• The Central Zone, the venues of which are spread across west and central London – including Hyde Park, Wembley Stadium, and Regent’s Park – will feature tennis, volleyball, triathlon (swimming), archery, marathon running, road cycling, badminton, gymnastics, archery, and football.

• Outside Greater London. These venues include Dorney Lake for rowing and canoeing, Hadleigh Farm for mountain biking, Lee Valley White Water Centre for slalom canoeing, Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy for sailing, and Brands Hatch for the Paralympics road cycling.

Transportation

As far as crowds go, it’s not just the venues themselves we need to be concerned about. People will need a way to get from here to there.

When we made the bid for holding this Olympics event in London, the city’s public transport system received a poor score in the International Olympic Committee’s evaluation.

It was assumed, but not guaranteed, that the transportation condition would be improved in time for the Games. The East and North London lines, as well as the Docklands Light Railway, are to be upgraded and expanded. There is also the much-touted Olympic Javelin service.

But how sufficient all these upgrades will be when the Olympic crowds arrive remains to be seen.

Precautions

Having said that, here are some safety precautions to take if you plan to watch the London Olympics:

• Keep your bags zipped. Avoid taking out valuables such as your MP3 player, mobile phone, or wallet.

• If you find an unattended bag or package, let the police know about it immediately. Do the same if you see any other suspicious activities.

• Do not use earphones while in transport. These restrict your hearing and can delay your reaction to sudden danger signals.

• If you take your bike, park it properly and keep it locked. • Do not be tempted you to take an unbooked minicab, despite any difficulties in transportation. These services are unsafe and uninsured. There are plenty of reputable London minicabs offer their services, which you can book in advance through licensed operators.