107th IOC Session - LA84 Foundation

Several international competitions prior to
the Games (ICPGs) were held during the 1996 /
1997 winter season. These events provided
valuable opportunity for staff to gain experience
in Games security. At the World Short Track
Speed Skating Championships held in March
1997, security staff and volunteers carried out
security checks with metal detectors and accreditation
checks with handheld bar code readers.
As well as providing experience in using equipment,
the ICPGs were a chance to verify and
fine-tune security plans before the Games.
The Operations Manual was devised with
the aim of implementing a security policy that
was “simple, practical, and effective.” Each
venue was also furnished with a venue-specific
manual, reflecting local conditions. The venue
security managers, whilst basing decisions on
the manuals, adopted a flexible approach.
Security Staff
A total of 49,629 shifts were worked by the
following security staff:
• NAOC Staff
Comprising chiefly police officers seconded
to NAOC, staff worked at the Security
Command Centre, or at venues as venue security
manager (1,185).
• Olympic Volunteers
i) Support volunteers (4,524) from the prefecture
and host sites who were assigned as
venue security managers, assistant managers,
and team leaders.
ii) General volunteers (22,996) assisted with
ticket checks, zone control checks, and offered
language support at venues.
Approximately 4,500 of these were from
volunteer fire brigades at host sites and
were assigned to duties at the stadium for
the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and
at competition venues, where they provided
valuable backup.
• Private Security Companies
Eleven companies were carefully selected
from across Japan to provide security personnel
(20,924). With a few exceptions, each
company was assigned to one particular
venue to ensure effective liaison with the
venue security manager, and efficient use of
staff. Staff from private security companies
were asked to keep in the background, while
volunteers were assigned duties bringing them
into direct contact with spectators and the
Olympic Family. This ensured a vigilant yet
friendly security system.
At the MPC, all
personal belongings had
to be scanned.
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