AOC: The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has signed an agreement with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to provide advice on the security and safety for all the Teams the AOC will send away through to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The agreement will start with next February’s PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games and will also include the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires 2018, the 2019 World Beach Games, the 2019 Pacific Games, the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne 2020, as well as Tokyo 2020.
Making the announcement, AOC CEO Matt Carroll said, “Every Games city presents a unique set of challenges and this agreement will ensure our Teams are provided with the best advice possible in regards to safety and security.
“The AFP’s guidance will help the AOC to prepare and plan to send multiple Teams away to compete in cities all over the world while importantly providing security advice on the ground at each Games.”
The agreement will mean a member of the AFP will attend all of the AOC’s operational meetings to ensure they can relay the best security plan possible in the leadup and throughout each event.
The first Games the AFP will provide support on as part of the new agreement is the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games where Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman will lead a Team of approximately 50 athletes in the popular Korean snow sport city.
“The safety of our Team is always of the highest priority, and this is always the case no matter where the Games are held,” Chesterman said.
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) are in regular and close contact directly with the governments concerned and the United Nations who will continue to monitor the situation on the Korean peninsula very closely.”
The AOC is taking every precaution possible and Chesterman believes the Games will be a success come February.
“We are comfortable with the priority that the IOC and the PyeongChang Organising Committee are placing on security to ensure the safety of our athletes and the Games.
“We are in the final phase of our preparation of our Team. The PyeongChang Organising Committee has done a wonderful job preparing for the Games and we are very much looking forward to participating in what I believe will be a very successful Games for the Olympic movement.”
Chesterman will lead a delegation along with Carroll to the final planning visit to PyeongChang. The visit will coincide with a security briefing being held by the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee for all Teams participating in the Games next February.
It will be the final visit before the Australian Team competes in PyeongChang.
AFP Coordinator Protection Operations Phil Small said the AFP is proud to be able to provide security advice for upcoming Olympic events to ensure the safety of Australia’s athletes.
“There are many complex challenges within the international security environment; however, these can be addressed through the close working relationships the AFP enjoys with its international partners and the AOC.
“We look forward to working closely with the AOC in the lead up to all AOC supported events from PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games through to Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” said Mr Small.
“We look forward to working closely with the AOC in the lead up to all AOC supported events from PyeongChang."
olympics.com.au
