Australia hires Rio   security











 Samantha Lane










 Olympic Games


 The AOC is gravely concerned 
 about Rio Olympics security.
 Photo: Getty Images






 The Australian Olympic Committee
  has become so concerned 
 about security in Rio it has seen fit 
 to hire a private firm to be on 
 standby to protect the national 
 team in the Games' host city.
 


 Miffed that Rio's mayor and 
 Games organising committee boss 
 have ignored their escalating security
  worries, Australian Olympic
  chiefs have enlisted the additional
  and independent safeguards
  for the national travelling 
 party that will number almost 
 800athletes and support staff.
 Fairfax Media has learnt the extra
  protection resources would be 
 mobilised at the discretion and 
 direction of team security director
  Greg Nance, a former Australian
  Army officer who was also 
 charged with minding athletes 
 and officials in London.
 Meanwhile, Australian team 
 boss Kitty Chiller has effectively 
 given up on a response to her official
  request that local authorities 
 bolster security on the ground in 
 Rio earlier than planned. 
 This is despite the fact the early 
 security boost that has been proposed
  in writing by Chiller has 
 been formally endorsed by the International
  Olympic Committee.
 Chiller's request follows several 
 alarming incidents in Rio with 
 Australian team connections. The 
 latest concerned an AOC staffer 
 who witnessed a close range 
 shooting while in a cafe in reputedly
  affluent Ipanema. Fairfax 
 has been told the AOC employee 
 has had counselling over the incident
  but is set to remain part of the 
 travelling team to Brazil for the 
 Games that begin on   August 5.
 In   June, Australian Paralympian
  Liesl Tesch and team physiotherapist
  Sarah Ross were robbed 
 at gunpoint while training in Rio. 
 Tesch, who won gold for Australia 
 in sailing at the 2012 Olympics and 
 has also won silver and bronze 
 medals in wheelchair basketball in 
 previous Olympics, described the 
 incident as "absolutely horrific".
 Chiller wrote two weeks ago to 
 Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, to 
 push for security boosts as soon as 
 possible. She also wrote to Rio 
 games organising head Carlos 
 Arthur Nuzman.  
 Paes claimed earlier this year 
 that Australian Olympic bosses 




 had peddled unnecessarily negative
  messages about the host city 
 and described the AOC as "a 
 source of aggressions to Brazil". 
 This followed the AOC issuing an 
 official edict to national team 
 members that they should not visit
  Rio's favelas. 
 In the view of the AOC, security 
 in Rio next month for the Australian
  team poses a vastly greater 
 risk than the Zika virus.
 "To be honest, what would keep 
 me awake more at night is the potential
  risk with security," Chiller, 
 who lands in Rio next week, told 
 Fairfax Media. "The 780 people I 
 take over I want to bring them all 
 back safely and well."
 The AOC is satisfied with the 
 planned deployment of 100,000 




 security personnel on the streets 
 of Rio during Games time, but has 
 formed the strong view this 
 should happen earlier.
 Chiller is bemused and clearly 
 concerned that she has had no response
  to her request from either 
   Mayor Paes or the Games' organising
  head, Nuzman. It seems a 
 particularly extraordinary state 
 of affairs given the IOC urged local 
 authorities to respond to Chiller.
 "More and more teams from all 
 countries, not just Australia, will 
 be starting to arrive in the next 
 couple of weeks," Chiller said. 
 "It's disappointing not to get a 
 response. And every day that goes 
 by that we don't get a response is 
 one less day that they can put in 
 place what we had asked for."