JACQUES ROGGE: "There is already, before the Games even begin, a great legacy in east London, a great legacy of the sports venues and this is a tangible legacy. To conclude, prime minister, we are a happy International Olympic Committee. Thank you very much."
But not everyone is happy. On two days this week, immigration lines reached well over ninety minutes at Heathrow, London's main airport. Some travelers expressed their anger and shared photographs on the Internet.
British lawmakers are warning that Olympic visitors could face long waits in immigration lines or on airplanes. The government says it will be ready. A temporary terminal at the airport has been built especially for Olympic competitors.
There are also concerns about traffic on roads and crowds on public transportation during the Games.
Another concern is security. This will be Britain's biggest peacetime security operation ever. The security budget has doubled to eight hundred eighty-two million dollars. In a late addition, the Ministry of Defense is providing thirteen thousand five hundred soldiers for the Games.
David Rubens is a security consultant specializing in the Olympics.
DAVID RUBENS: "It's very difficult to maintain the balance between an open and welcoming event and security management. It's different from what happened in Vancouver, it's certainly different from what happened in Beijing. And the people responsible will be lying awake at night trying to wonder whether they've got that balance right, and the answer is, if it goes wrong, then you got it wrong."
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25