The International Atomic Energy Agency worked for two years with China to plan for and protect against potential radiological and nuclear incidents at the Summer Olympic Games that began today in Beijing, the agency said (see GSN, July 18).
In cooperation with the Chinese Atomic Energy Authority, IAEA advisers helped to train law enforcement personnel, intelligence officials and emergency responders, equipping them with nuclear detection, physical protection and emergency response procedures.
The agency provided similar support for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens (see GSN, May 25, 2004), the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament in Germany (see GSN, April 27, 2006) and last year's 15th Pan American Games in Brazil (see GSN, July 13, 2007; International Atomic Energy Agency release, Aug. 8).