Olympic Spirit Is One Of Worry

By Margot Roosevelt

The breaking news on saltlake2002.com is that Kleenex has been named Official Facial Tissue Supplier for the Winter Games. Also, "It's not too late for you to order your Official Olympic Legacy Brick." The happy chat belies a serious attack of pre-Games jitters. The Salt Lake Teachers Association wants all schools closed to keep out terrorists. Fearful callers are swamping talk-radio shows to voice bio-chemical scenarios. And even Mayor Rocky Anderson acknowledges that since Sept. 11, "more people are going to take vacations out of state" during the Games.

Will the celebration turn into an armed camp? The number of law-enforcement agents and soldiers is being boosted from 6,000 to more than 8,500, and the National Guard, not volunteers, will operate the metal detectors. Concrete bunkers and a 10-ft.-high chain-link fence bristling with cameras will enclose a seven-block area downtown, including the main skating rink, the media center and the medal-awards plaza. Plainclothes cops will patrol the streets, and sensors will monitor the air for germs and chemicals. The no-fly zone will expand to 100 miles beyond the city, and the Air Force is pondering F-16 patrols. Still, David Tubbs, executive director of the Utah Olympic Safety Command, stresses that no threats have surfaced and that ticket sales remain brisk.

--By Margot Roosevelt