TURIN 2006 WINTER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ROME 000771 SIPDIS SENSITIVE PASS TO TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (TSA) AND GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE (GAO); DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR S/ES-O, S/CT, EUR, DS, AND CA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC CASC CMGT ECON IT KOLY OVIP PTER PARALYMPIC GAMES SUBJECT: TURIN 2006 WINTER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT (SITREP) #4, 03/13/2006 REF: ROME 000770 ¶1. (SBU) The following cable provides information on security, public diplomacy, and consular activities in Turin, Italy, for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. ¶2. (SBU) The interagency Olympic Security Coordination (OSC) Office can be contacted on a 24-hour basis at the following numbers: USG Joint Operations Center (JOC):39-011-55-99-793/794/564 (tel);011-39-011-55-99-590 (fax) USG Threat Integration Center (TIC): 39-011-55-99-790/791 (tel);011-39-011-55-99-590 (fax). ¶3. (SBU) Attached is a key for USG acronyms used within this cable: the inter-agency Olympic Security Coordination Office (OSC); the USG inter-agency Olympic Security Operations Center OSOC, including the 24/7 Joint Operations Center (JOC) and Threat Integration Center (TIC); the National Information Center for the Winter Olympics (CNIO), which is a Government of Italy (GOI) hosted multinational center; the Turin Olympics Organizing Committee (TOROC); the International Olympics Committee (IOC); the US Olympic Committee (USOC); European high-speed train project that is controversial in mountain towns near Olympics sites (TAV - Italian acronym); the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Public Affairs/Public Diplomacy (PA/PD); Consular Affairs (CA); and the Italian Ministry of Interior (MOI). KEY POINTS -------------- ¶4. (U) The U.S. Paralympic Alpine ski team lived up to expectations in the downhill competition with Kevin Bramble defending his Salt Lake title with a gold medal, and Chris Devlin-Young taking the silver in the men's field. U.S. athletes Steve Cook and Laurie Stephens each won gold medals in the men's cross country, and women's mono-ski downhill. There was no coverage of the US Delegation in the local press, and only minimal coverage of the Paralympics outside of the Turin-based daily La Stampa. Mission Italy will ensure that coverage of the US Delegation's participation in the Paralympics is on its websites. SECURITY ISSUES -------------- ¶5. (U) Terrorists Activity: No activity has been identified. ¶6. (SBU) Threats: There is no credible, specific information suggesting that terrorists intend to target the Paralympic Games. ¶7. (U) Demonstrations/Protests: The OSC is not aware of any scheduled protests or plans to disrupt Paralympics. Italian authorities remain on heightened alert throughout Turin to ensure the safety of spectators and VIPs attending the Olympic event. ¶8. (U) The USG interagency OSC, JOC, and TIC will operate seven days a week from 0800 to 1700 hours. The hours of operation will be extended to include any night events. PENDING MATTERS -------------- ¶9. (U) There are no unresolved issues at this time. PUBLIC AFFAIRS -------------- ¶10. (U) None of the local newspapers carried any news of the visit of the US Delegation. With the exception of the Italian daily La Stampa, there was only minimal coverage of the Paralympics in the press. Mission Italy will ensure that the coverage of the US Delegation's participation in the Parlympics is on its websites. ¶11. (U) There is an interesting follow-up article in La Stampa from Turin Mayor Chiamparino's open letter in Sunday's edition. Mayor Chiamparino talked about making Turin a "permanent Olympic city," like a showcase city, where international events would continue to take place. The mayor then posed the premise of raising taxes to accomplish this idea. It is estimated that it would cost Turin an additional 10 millions Euros a year to maintain the same services it had during the Olympics Games. The article asked it readership how much would they be willing to pay to maintain Turin as an Olympic city. CONSULAR AFFAIRS -------------- ¶12. (U) Consular Section Turin had no requests for Sunday, March 12, 2006. 13.. (U) The Consular Office for the duration of the Turin Paralympics is co-located with the Public Affairs office in the same building as the OSC and Olympics Coordination Office in Turin. The Consular Section is staffed by four staff members and one consular officer. The office will be open from 0900 to 1800 hours. The office provides emergency services for US citizens, and has established an extensive network of contacts with hotels, hospitals, and local law enforcement officials. Contact information: Telephone number: 011-5599-330. FAX: 011-5599-551. Additional information may be found at HTTP://Milan.USConsulate.Gov. SPOGLI