Sochi Olympics Organizers Downplay Attempted Plane Hijacking

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IOC Spokesman Says Hijacking During Olympic Opening Ceremony Was a Minor Incident


Olympic officials said there was no security threat from an attempted hijacking of an Istanbul-bound plane during the opening ceremony of the Win.  SOCHI, Russia—Olympic officials played down an attempted plane hijacking that took place during the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Games, saying it didn’t occur over Russian airspace and was beyond the host nation’s jurisdiction.

“Frankly, it seemed like a minor incident,” Mark Adams, a spokesman for the International Olympic Committee, said of Friday’s attempted hijacking of an Istanbul-bound Pegasus Airlines flight, in which a passenger declared he had a bomb and demanded the plane be rerouted to Sochi. Turkish authorities escorted the plane to a safe landing in Istanbul, where the alleged hijacker was taken into custody.



Sochi 2014 organizing committee president Dmitry Chernyshenko said he hadn’t received threats corresponding to the attempted hijacking. Also in their daily media briefing Saturday, organizers were discreet in describing early demand for Sochi events. They said some perception of low attendance could be attributed to Russian fans not arriving at events early enough.

“We’re trying to inspire our local fans to come earlier,” Mr. Chernyshenko said.

Friday, the Sochi organizing committee said about 80% of the total tickets to the Olympics had been sold by the end of January.



Officials didn’t provide a specific attendance number for the opening ceremony at Fisht Stadium, but said there were no empty seats and that 44,431 people were admitted to the Olympic Park, including those who had obtained grounds passes. The Sochi organizers also faced some criticism for a decision to show, for some Russian television viewers, a pretaped rehearsal of giant snowflakes blossoming into the Olympic rings, after one snowflake failed to change during Friday’s ceremony.  “Some television stations did one thing, some did another. It was a very technical performance. I don’t kind of see what the problem is,” Mr. Adams said.
ter Games in Sochi.


The Olympics in Russia have gotten a lot of criticism lately, and it won't be dying down anytime soon.  Many security threats were prevalent before, during, and after the games which for those who don't understand the news, or don't triple check their sources then they may be misunderstood.  The Sochi officials are doing all that they can to protect the games, and if people are worried about security, than they shouldn't complain about how strict the TSA is.