[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 139 (Tuesday, October 1, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12130-S12132]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUCCESS OF THE 1996 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES
Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to
recognize the success of the 1996 Centennial Olympic games and the
Paralympic games which were held this summer in Atlanta.
The statement made by many that the Centennial games in Atlanta were
the greatest ever was right on the mark. The athletes and the
spectators who attended the events understand better than anyone the
extraordinary success of the 1996 Olympics. In the face of pressures
that defy imagination, ACOG staff and volunteers staged an Olympics of
breathtaking grandeur and dignity. Our law enforcement and military
personnel put together a security force that was unprecedented in its
commitment, performance, and cooperation.
I have talked to countless people who attended both the Centennial
games and the Paralympic games, and I have talked to numerous
individual members of the International Olympic Committee. There was
universal praise of the extraordinary job that was done in Atlanta and
elsewhere in dealing with events that were unprecedented in their size
and scope.
All in all, more than 10,000 athletes and 2 million spectators from
around the world participated in the Olympics. In comparison, the
Atlanta Olympic games were twice the size of the 1984 Los Angeles
Olympics in terms of the number of participants and spectators, and
larger than the Los Angeles and Barcelona games combined. More
spectators attended women's events at the Centennial games than
attended all events in Los Angeles. In addition, Atlanta hosted
athletes from 197 countries around the globe. That is an additional 57
countries above the 140 who participated in the 1984 Games. To give my
colleagues a point of reference, particularly for the football fans
among them, the Atlanta Olympic games were the equivalent of one city
hosting six Super Bowl games each day for 17 days straight. So it was a
Super Bowl times six, each day for 17 days. That was quite an
undertaking.
While much praise should be given to the many workers who contributed
to the success of these Games, I would be remiss if I failed to mention
some of the athletes who gave it their all in these Games. Who can
forget the South African marathon runner, Josiah Thugwane, the first
black South African to win a Gold Medal for the unified
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team of South Africa? Or Naim Suleymanoglu, endeared to all as ``Pocket
Hercules,'' who stunned the world by lifting over his head nearly
triple his weight?
I will always remember watching Michael Johnson sprint across the
finish line. Among America's special heroes was young Kerri Strug, who
as you may recall, injured herself on the vault but continued valiantly
to make a second leap to help ensure a team gold medal for the U.S.
women's gymnastics team. I could spend all day recounting the many
heroic and inspirational accomplishments from the Olympic games, but
the story from Atlanta did not end there.
Just 12 days after the conclusion of the 1996 summer Olympics,
another sporting event of great magnitude occurred in Atlanta. The
Paralympic games hosted more than 3,500 athletes from 119 nations,
competing in 19 different sports. While not as large as the Centennial
games, this was the largest gathering of people with disabilities ever
assembled anywhere in the world. Certainly it was every bit as large as
the Centennial games in terms of the spirit, heart, and courage of
those who competed.
I have been honored to work for a number of years in assisting the
Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee in preparation for the
Paralympics. I consider the opportunity I had to support these games to
be one of the highlights of my Senate career. I also had the pleasure
of being a spectator at many of the Paralympic events, and I know that
the level of skill and achievement shown by these athletes was truly
outstanding by any standard.
The opening ceremonies offered a glimpse of what was to come, as a
sold-out crowd of over 64,000 spectators watched 36 year old American
mountain-climber Mark Wellman light the Paralympic Torch by pulling
himself hand over hand up the 98-foot tower carrying the torch between
his legs. Mark was paralyzed from the waist down after a 50-foot fall
while mountain climbing 14 years ago. He was soon followed by Hou Bin
of China who set a world record in the high jump on the first day of
the track and field competition by clearing 1.92 meters, approximately
6 feet, 3 inches. For those of you unfamiliar with Hou Bin, he has only
one leg, but that did not stop him from winning the hearts of
spectators from around the world as he went on in an attempt to break
his own record. While he was ultimately unsuccessful, you would not
have known that from the roar of the crowd.
Yet another stunning performance was that of Troy Sachs who led the
Australian men's wheelchair basketball team to victory by scoring a
Paralympic record-breaking 42 points. I rank it among the finest
basketball performances I have ever seen. Leading the American
Paralympic team was Tony Volpentest who set a new world record in the
100 meter dash, running a time of 11.36 seconds--that is 1.52 seconds
shy of Donovan Bailey's record in the Olympics.
Mr. President, I also want to take this time to recognize and honor
all of the many people who dedicated their time and efforts. This
effort brought together literally hundreds of Federal, State, local,
and civic leaders, as well as thousands of volunteers. The Atlanta
volunteers were certainly the best in history. They were simply
amazing, and the games could not have been held without them.
Unfortunately, time prohibits me from mentioning all of the people who
were truly instrumental in putting on the games, but I would like to
recognize a few of them.
Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games
When Billy Payne originally submitted his proposal to bring the
Olympic games to Atlanta, many people did not take him seriously; but
just ask them now. He is perhaps the best example of what Atlanta has
to offer in terms of leadership and vision. His partner, former Atlanta
mayor, Congressman, and Ambassador Andy Young, provided the key element
of diplomacy needed to convince the International Olympic Committee to
choose Atlanta. I should also thank A.D. Frazier, who did an
outstanding job, as well as the entire team at ACOG.
Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee
My special thanks go to the Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee,
led by its president, Andy Fleming. Andy had perhaps the most difficult
challenge of all in leading the effort to stage the Paralympic games.
Faced with the disadvantage of lesser name recognition and financial
resources, the Paralympic Organizing Committee put on a world class
event which truly met the high standards set by the Olympic games. Andy
was assisted by the able leadership, service, and great dedication of
Harald Hansen, chairman of First Union National Bank of Georgia, and
David Simmons, chief operating officer for the Paralympic games.
DoD Support
The 1996 Centennial Olympic and the Paralympic games were successful
in large part due to the tremendous support of the Department of
Defense. Without the assistance of the Department of Defense, working
in concert with State and local public safety officials, the Olympics
and Paralympics could not have been held. Not surprisingly, these
events were too big for any single municipal or State government to
ensure safety and security without appropriate help from the Federal
Government.
Those who won the selection of Atlanta as the Olympic venue
understood at the beginning that they would be responsible for
providing the cost of putting on the Games, and they raised about $1.5
billion to do so. They could not, however, guarantee the security of
all the athletes and the millions of visitors from all over the world.
In the era of modern terrorism, safety for an event of this type simply
cannot be guaranteed without help from the Federal Government. I hope
the Congress will keep this in mind as our friends in Utah prepare for
the 2002 winter Olympic games.
Billy Payne expressed his appreciation for the Department of Defense
support this way:
Thanks to the support of the Department of Defense and the
soldiers, sailors, and airmen who served in Atlanta during
the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the safety of the public and
the athletes was assured. DoD and its military forces
provided the safety net and back-up law enforcement needed
when confronted with securing the largest peacetime event in
history.
From the explosive ordnance teams to the military police
units to communications specialists, DoD personnel performed
critical missions. Working in conjunction with law
enforcement, DoD personnel helped secure the village where
the athletes of 197 nations were housed. On the night of the
tragic bombing in Centennial Olympic Park, DoD personnel in
the downtown area remained calm and at their posts,
reinforcing the public's perception that security authorities
were fully prepared to deal with the situation. The ability
of military personnel to increase their shifts and
immediately provide more manpower to the streets was a clear
signal to the Olympic family and spectators that America was
prepared for all contingencies.
All who came to the Games in Atlanta are indebted to the
Department of Defense for the professional and dedicated
effort of the troops who were part of the Summer Olympics.
These men and women showed the world, once again, that the
soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the United States military
are the finest in the world.
In 1992, Congress first appropriated funds to the Department of
Defense for security and logistical support for the 1996 Olympic and
Paralympic games. Since that time, a multitude of DoD personnel have
aggressively worked to ensure the success and security of this
significant public event. The impact of DOD support to the 1996 summer
Olympics is difficult to summarize in a short time. More than 13,000
active duty, Reserve, and National Guard personnel were committed in
support of the Games in Atlanta and in the other competition cities.
These military members came from 45 states and territories and provided
support to security operations at 44 Olympic sites.
Of the men and women who came to Atlanta, over 9,000 National Guard
personnel provided support in the form of roving and fixed perimeter
security, command post support, route security, and vehicular
inspection. More than 1,000 active duty soldiers, sailors, airmen, and
Marines were entrusted with the important responsibility of
transporting athletes and law enforcement personnel to the secured
villages and venues. These drivers successfully negotiated the crowded
streets of Atlanta more than 650 times each day. DOD provided 33
helicopters, and military aviators flew 300 missions in support of the
law enforcement security operations. DOD provided critical equipment to
more than 60 Federal, State,
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and local law enforcement agencies and organizing committees. DOD bomb
disposal experts responded to 450 calls on suspect items; and DOD, the
FBI, and our health officials prepared for any kind of chemical or
biological attack. A force of more than 1,300 personnel, from all
services, was required to provide base camp support for the DOD
personnel supporting the Olympic games.
When the tragic explosion in Centennial Park occurred, National Guard
and uniformed military personnel were on the scene immediately, and
their calmness and discipline were absolutely indispensable in the
first few critical moments. Within 24 hours, military personnel were
able to double their security forces at select critical locations. DOD
also provided critical transportation support for almost 500 additional
State personnel who were activated in response to the bombing to
supplement state law enforcement resources. The Federal law enforcement
training center depended on DOD for transportation, housing, meals, and
other support for more than 900 personnel they committed to the post-
bombing security operations when no other source was available.
Let me pause here for a moment to again express my sympathy for the
family of Mrs. Alice Hawthorne, who died during this tragic event. Her
death has sent a powerful message throughout our Nation and the world
about the horror of acts of senseless violence and terrorism. However,
we must never forget that this tragedy in the context of the Olympics
pales beside the unspeakable personal loss and grief that have befallen
her family.
In addition to supporting the Olympic games, DOD extended assistance
to the 1996 Paralympic games. Over 990 active duty and National Guard
personnel supplied transportation, medical, linguistic, logistical, and
communications support to 17 venues in the Atlanta area. Our soldiers
took great pride in participating in a project that assisted athletes
of such astounding and great courage. Members of our military sadly are
no strangers to the impact of injury or illness that some define as
incapacitating. But the Paralympic athletes proved by their own
performance and their tremendous courage that the definition of
incapacitated needs reexamination by our society.
I want to thank in particular Secretary of Defense Bill Perry,
Secretary of the Army Togo West, Assistant Secretary Mike Walker,
General John Tilleli, and his assistant General Bob Hicks for their
outstanding leadership and support in assisting the Olympics and
Paralympics. In addition to DOD personnel, I would like to thank the
Attorney General Janet Reno, the Deputy Attorney General Jamie
Gorelick, FBI Director Louis Freeh, Atlanta Director of the FBI Woody
Johnson, and Gil Childers for all their hard work. Let me also
recognize all the administration staff from the DOD and the Federal law
enforcement agencies whom I have not named here for all of their hard
work.
Finally let me thank President Clinton and Vice President Gore,
particularly Vice President Gore, whose direct personal involvement
from the beginning was vital in keeping the Federal involvement in the
games focused and effective. All of us in Georgia are grateful for
their support.
State and Local Officials
It goes without saying that State and local support was crucial in
putting on these games. The State of Georgia spent more than $72
million on Olympic security alone, including the salaries of law
officers who were assigned to full-time Olympic security duties. Not
counting State prison guards, some 73 percent of all State of Georgia
employees who have law enforcement credentials were assigned to the
Olympics. These figures obviously do not include fire and emergency
medical personnel.
Governor Zell Miller led the effort to ensure that the State of
Georgia contributed the appropriate resources to help construct the
various venues, roads, and buildings necessary for the games. Gary
McConnell, chief of staff of the State Olympic Law Enforcement Command,
Georgia Adjutant General William Bland, Director Buddy Nix of the GBI,
Colonel Sid Miles of the Georgia State Patrol and Department of Public
Safety, and Atlanta chief of police Beverly Harvard led the State and
local security effort. Our National Guard units from Georgia and other
States under the leadership of General Bland were superb. Special
thanks should also go to Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, members of the
Atlanta city council, and the Fulton County Commissioners whose
leadership was instrumental in preparing Atlanta to host the games.
In addition, I want to thank all the Georgia health officials who
were involved in preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics and
insuring the well being of the spectators and participants. They are
often overlooked, but their contributions are every bit as critical.
I would also like to thank my fellow colleagues in the Congress who
helped with the Olympics and Paralympics, especially my fellow
colleagues from the Georgia delegation. Most noteworthy, of course,
were Congressman Lewis, Speaker Gingrich, and Senator Coverdell.
Finally, I would like to thank my staff on the Senate Armed Services
Committee and my personal staff for their assistance to me in working
on these games.
Mr. President, I wish I could personally thank everyone who was
involved in preparing for these great games. This was literally a
historic event. I am proud to have been a part of these games, and I am
thankful for the opportunity.
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