Olympics official wary of athletes staying outside village
MADRID – Extra security measures may be needed to protect athletes staying outside of the Olympic Village during the games in Rio de Janeiro, including Rafael Nadal, who will be staying at a friend’s house, one of Brazil’s top security officials said Monday.
Andrei Rodrigues, responsible for overseeing Brazil’s security in special events, said a specific plan to protect Nadal may be required after the local organizing committee notified authorities of the intention of the 14-time Grand Slam winner to stay on his own.
Rodrigues said a few golfers are also among those not staying at the athletes village and may need special security plans.
The Brazilian official said that although it would be impossible to provide “personal security” to all athletes in Rio, a few situations could prompt special attention from local authorities and would be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.
“Any action out of the ordinary will obviously prompt greater concern,” Rodrigues told The Associated Press after a media event in Madrid. “We would need to come up with a secondary operation, so that is a concern to us, obviously. It would be more comfortable for us if all athletes stayed in the village and traveled from there to the training venues and to the competition venues.”
The U.S. men’s and women’s basketball teams will be staying on a cruise ship in Rio’s renovated port area, where increased security is already expected.
Nadal’s case prompts special concern because he will not be staying at a hotel, as will most other athletes skipping the Olympic Village. Most hotels picked by athletes already have their own security measures in place and are well prepared to protect their guests.
Rodrigues did not give any specific details about where, or with whom, the Spaniard will be staying during the Aug. 5-21 games.
“The information we received from the committee is that he will be staying at a residence,” Rodrigues said. “We will need to know more about everything that could impact security. But it shouldn’t be a major issue.”
Nadal was a star attraction at the Olympic Village in 2008 in Beijing, when he won the gold medal. He was constantly sought-after by other athletes for autographs and photos. The Spaniard missed the 2012 London Games because of an injury.
“The athletes are the VIP clients of the games,” Rodrigues said. “They are the stars and they have to shine, so obviously we need to make sure that they have all the conditions to compete, and for that to happen we need to keep them safe.”
Rodrigues did not elaborate on the golfers who are not staying at the Olympic Village. He said members of some equestrian teams also do not plan to use the official Olympic accommodation.
Rodrigues said organizers do not intend to interfere with the athletes’ choices of accommodation, although the local organizing committee can make recommendations based on security concerns.
The Brazilian official said the critical event security-wise will be the games’ opening ceremony, when nearly 100 heads of states and about 10,000 athletes will be at the Maracana Stadium.
He said security in the soccer host cities – Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Salvador, Manaus and Belo Horizonte– will follow the same model used during the World Cup two years ago, when no major incidents occurred.
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Updates with more detail, quotes. With AP Photos.
AP-WF-04-25-16 1522GMT