Warning to U.S. athletes: No Olympic uniform outside Sochi venues - Camille Vigil

     Last week, the U.S. Olympic uniforms for this year's winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia have been unveiled by designer Ralph Lauren. However, U.S. security officials are now advising Olympic athletes not to wear their uniforms outside Olympic arenas and venues. Increased security precautions have been made such as this one after U.S. officials got word that Russian authorities were searching for a suspected terrorist in the Sochi area. One U.S. State department official told reporters that "Our expectation is that we will see more in the coming weeks", referencing reports of suspected terrorist activities in Sochi. State Department officials will be traveling with athletes to each and every venue they attend during the Olympics as part of their security measures. With more than 230 athletes and nearly 270 coaches, there will likely be a very large number of security personnel attending the winter games to keep a "watchful eye" on athletes to ensure their safety. In addition, there will be about 10,000 U.S. citizens attending the games as spectators. According to officials, talks have taken place with the Russian government on "protection of our citizens". The U.S. is even moving two war ships into the nearby Black Sea as a precaution if evacuation is necessary.
     The most impactful part of this article was that the U.S. is moving war ships into the Black Sea in case of the need for evacuation from Russia. This action really shows how great the possibility of threat is that something could go wrong at these Olympics. However, it is good to know that the U.S. is taking considerable measures to make sure U.S. athletes and citizens are safe no matter what happens. Though the threat of terror is great in Russia, I am surprised that this has overshadowed the threat that laws regarding homosexuality may have on U.S. athletes and citizens. The U.S. is thought to be a very tolerant and accepting nation for homosexuality, while Russia is just the opposite, with new laws banning gay propaganda. I would think this might cause trouble for U.S. athletes, but based on the security measures stated in this article, no trouble will hopefully come about.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/24/us/sochi-us-security/index.html?hpt=us_c2