Winter GamesTwo Austrian athletes threatened with kidnapping if they compete at Sochi
Two Austrian athletes — Alpine skier Bernadette Schild and skeleton racer Janine Flock, the current European champion— have received letters warning them to cancel their plans to compete in the Sochi Winter Games. The letters said that if they did attend the Games, they will be kidnapped. The letters are in line with threats made by Islamist militants in the Caucuses that if the Winter Games opened as scheduled on Friday, then the athletes participating in the Games, the spectators, and Russian security personnel would all be considered fair targets for attack. Similarly threatening letters were last month sent to delegations in several countries.
Two Austrian athletes — Alpine skier Bernadette Schild and skeleton racer Janine Flock, the current European champion— have received letters warning them to cancel their plans to compete in the Sochi Winter Games. The letters said that if they did attend the Games, they will be kidnapped.
Austrian and Russian counterterrorism agencies are now investigating the threats.
The letters were sent to Schild and Flock care of the Austrian national Olympic committee, and they are in line with threats made by Islamist militants in the Caucuses that if the Winter Games open as scheduled on Friday, then the athletes participating in the Games, the spectators who come to watch the competitions, and Russian security personnel would all be considered fair targets for attack.
The Guardian reports that initially, Austrian media had reported that it was Schild’s sister, former world champion Marlies, who had been threatened.
Similarly threatening letters were last month sent to delegations in several countries, but the International Olympic Committee judged them to pose no danger.
“We informed the minister of internal affairs and Austria’s police … there is no actual threat at the moment,” Peter Mennel, general secretary of Austria’s Olympic committee, said.
“We have two security people here [at Sochi] and if the threat is confirmed we will give additional security to the athletes,” he told reporters at the Olympic village on the outskirts of Sochi.
Mennel said he spoke with one of the two athletes by phone and the other in person. He said one of the two told him: “I’m not afraid and I know we’re in good hands.”
The Austrian interior ministry confirmed the national counter-terrorism agency had been brought in to look at the origin and content of the letter.
“We have taken all precautionary measures. The people affected have been informed and the Russian authorities are aware,” a ministry’s spokesman said.
The Guardian notes that no other national Olympic committee reported receiving such letters this week.
Russian and IOC officials say they are confident that athletes and spectators at the Games will be safe.
“Every big event nowadays is under threat,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in Sochi on Monday. “We have to address this. The alternative would be to surrender to terrorists.”
