Terrorism and the Olympics by Richards, Anthony; Fussey, Pete; Silke, Andrew;

Short description:

The book aims to outline the progress, problems and challenges of delivering a safe and secure Olympics in the context of the contemporary serious and enduring terrorist threat.

Long description:

The book aims to outline the progress, problems and challenges of delivering a safe and secure Olympics in the context of the contemporary serious and enduring terrorist threat. The enormous media profile and symbolic significance of the Olympic Games, the history of terrorists aiming to use such high-profile events to advance their cause, and Al Qaeda's aim to cause mass casualties, all have major implications for the security of London 2012.

Drawing on contributions from leading academics and practitioners in the field the book will assess the current terrorist threat, particularly focusing on terrorist targeting and how the Olympics might feature in this, before addressing particular response themes such as transport security, the role of surveillance, resilient designing of Olympic sites, the role of private security, and the challenge of inter-agency coordination. The book will conclude by providing an assessment of the legacy of Olympic security to date and will discuss the anticipated issues and dilemmas of the future.

This book will be of interest to students of terrorism studies, security studies, counter-terrorism and sports studies.

'This timely book provides realistic analyses of potential threats to the Olympics and possible countermeasures. All those responsible for protecting the Games and other major public events and gatherings would benefit from reading it.' - Paul Wilkinson, Emeritus Professor of International Relations, University of St Andrews

'Drawing on the expertise of internationally renowned academics and industry experts, Terrorism and the Olympics is an invaluable reference resource for those concerned about preventing potential threats to London’s 2012 Olympics and applying best practices to major public event security in general.'  - Dr Joshua Sinai, Virginia Tech

Table of Contents:

1. Towards an Understanding of Terrorism and the Olympics Anthony Richards, Pete Fussey, Andrew Silke  2. Terrorism, the Olympics and Sport: Recent Events and Concerns for the Future Anthony Richards  3. Al Qaeda and the London Olympics Afzal Ashraf  4. Understanding Terrorist Target Selection Andrew Silke  5. Securing the Transport System Steve Swain  6. Surveillance and the Olympic Spectacle Pete Fussey  7. Strategic Security Planning and the Resilient Design of Olympic Sites Jon Coaffee  8. Governing the Games in an Age of Uncertainty: the Olympics and Organisational Responses to Risk Will Jennings  9. The Role of the Private Security Industry David Evans  10. The Challenge of Inter-Agency Coordination Keith Weston  11. The European Union & the Promotion of Major Event Security Within the EU Area Frank Gregory  12. Critical Reflections on Securing the Olympics: Conclusions and Ways Forward Anthony Richards, Pete Fussey, Andrew Silke  Appendix: Terrorist Threats to the Olympics, 1972-2016 Pete Fussey