Olympics: London will not become siege city says Coe

LONDON: London Olympics chief Sebastian Coe has vowed that the British capital will not become a ‘siege city’ in 2012 despite plans to deploy large numbers of weapons and soldiers. The British government announced that it would have 13,500 troops on duty for the 2012 Games, more than the 7,000 widely expected. In addition, two navy ships, warplanes and ground-to-air missiles would also be deployed to provide security for the event. However, Coe insisted that security concerns would be finely balanced with making visitors feel welcome. “There has to be proportionality here,” said Coe. “We want people to come here and leave feeling they’ve had an extraordinary time and want to come back.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2011.