Terrorism and the Olympics

In light of the resources and attention devoted to the possibility of a terrorist attack at the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in London, England, START has compiled a background report on the history of terrorism and the Olympics since 1970. We review terrorist attacks that have taken place during the Olympic Games in the host country, as well as those indirectly related to the Olympic Games and similar major sporting events. Bearing in mind that the heightened profile of these events might increase the likelihood of a terrorist attack while the heightened security and surveillance might decrease the likelihood of an attack, we discuss general patterns of terrorism in Olympic host countries at the time of the Games, compared to the same time period the previous year.