Security

Security During The 1992 Barcelona Olympics

In contrast to the last time the Olympics were held in Europe in 1972 when security was explicitly downplayed with disastrous results, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics organizers prioritized security and put a lot of resources behind it. The organizers’ efforts set the standard for security in following Olympic Games in other cities. Two major concerns at the time were ensuring that Europe would not experience a repeat of the disaster at the Munich Olympics and keeping Spanish domestic terrorist threats from influencing the Games in any way.

Major Concerns

The Barcelona Olympics were the first Olympics held in Europe since the 1972 Olympics. The lack of security during the 1972 Olympics backfired tragically. “Black September” was the terrorist organization that was responsible for the terror attack which killed seventeen people including six Israeli Olympic coaches and five Israeli Olympic athletes. The 1972 Olympic Games in Munich were a reminder that lax security could result in disastrous consequences for an Olympic city.

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Members of the media capture the tragic events live during the Olympic Games in Munich.

According to an article from the Washington Post written in 1991, Spain ranked as one of the world’s most terrorist-troubled locations. The year before the Olympics, a Basque terrorist group advised travel agencies to warn clients of the risks they would take if they visited Spain the following year [2]. The movement, known as “Basque Homeland and Freedom,” or “ETA,” was formed in the 1960’s and was active into the 1990’s. ETA carried out car bombings and assassinations in several of Spain’s major cities. One of the cities the group targeted was Barcelona.

Preparations

In the years prior to the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, Spanish officials held meetings with security experts from several countries. Spanish officials worked particularly closely with neighboring France, which also had experience fighting ETA, as the organization was active on French territory as well.

Before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Spanish officials took aggressive measures to prevent any incidents before the beginning of the Games in July. The ETA’s top membership was arrested in France, and the itinerant command that was operating around Barcelona was dismantled. The Civil Governor of Barcelona, Ferran Cardenal, believed that because of the measures that were taken, ETA was much weaker than it had been in the past. Cardenal also stated that they had received “intelligence information that its interest in disrupting the Olympics has fallen. But,” he continued, “we can’t lower our guard.” [3]

Ferran Cardenal was not kidding when he said that he did not want to let down his guard. Cardenal brought in 15,000 National Police members to strengthen the 12,000 policemen that were regularly assigned to Barcelona. He also mobilized Barcelona’s 5,000-member municipal police force. There were 5,000 soldiers who were assigned to protect airports, frontiers, and highways as well [3]. Cardenal believed that security encompassed more than just preventing terror attacks. “It goes from controlling pickpockets to combating business crimes, such as falsification of Olympic symbols and mascots,” he said [3].

Ferran Cardenal

According to the South Florida newspaper The Sun Sentinal, Spain’s top police officer, Rafael Vera, directed security during the Olympics. Vera commanded a fleet of warships, 47,000 police officers, the entire Spanish Air Force, and a secret security network. Vera was most proud of his “toys,” which included a fleet of manned and robot submarines, police helicopters which he named “Blue Thunder,” and a digital ID system which could lock in on someone’s facial features [1].

Spanish Navy emblem

Logistics were very important in combatting potential terrorist plots. While some of the Olympic venues were located in Barcelona, others were located up to 100 miles away. To keep all of the athletes and spectators safe, the Spanish needed a complex logistics system to cover all of the Olympic venues. Spanish authorities accomplished this by using advanced communications, which were backed by helicopters. Athletes from the United States were given special protection while in their assigned Olympic Villages and during transportation, because of their high status. Israel was also given permission to station its own security guards inside the Israeli compound at the village, because of what happened in Munich [2] .

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics was the fourth most expensive Olympic Games of all time. The city spent $15 billion on the Olympics total. Still, the Olympics created a $5 billion profit for the city of Barcelona. The money that Barcelona spent on facilities and security may have seemed ridiculous, but the Games still turned out to be a major economic boon for the city. The Olympics attracted millions of visitors to Barcelona by creating an image of a safe and beautiful city for vacationing and business [5].

The Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys during the Opening Ceremony

Ever since the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, tight security was requested at all of the Olympic Games. There were certain precautions that every host city had to take to ensure the safety of its visitors. The actions taken by Ferran Cardenal certainly showed what can happen when something is played safe. Many people probably thought that he was too heavy-handed and crossed the line with security. However, Cardenal can boast that the Barcelona Olympics were a success at the end of the day.

The 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona set a new standard for security during massive sporting events such as the Olympics. During the 1992 Olympics there was not a single security breach. Barcelona took every needed step to ensure that its visitors and athletes were safe from outside threats. The 1992 Barcelona Olympics were not only successful, but they also set the standard for security in future Olympic games and major sporting events.