SOCHI, March 7 (R-Sport) - There will be no "extraordinary" security measures at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, the head of the National Antiterrorism Committee said Thursday.
Some athletes have complained about excessive policing during test events at the Black Sea resort, despite proximity to volatile provinces further east making it a potential target come February 2014.
But Vladimir Kuleshov, a deputy chief at the Federal Security Service and the head of the antiterrorism committee, insists spectator and athlete comfort is just as great a priority for Russia's first-ever Winter Olympics.
"The organizers and the operational HQ will first of all be concerned with the comfort of the participants of the Olympic Games, the guests at our competition, and obviously, Sochi residents," Kuleshov said.
"Nothing extraordinary will be employed," he added, referring to security measures at the Games themselves. "Our Russian laws will be in force; this will allow everyone to feel comfortable."
He noted that during the Olympic period, unspecified action will be taken to limit the movement of firearms. Gun ownership is legal in Russia.
In October, the Russian Interior Ministry announced it would seek an outright ban on gun sales weeks ahead of the Games.
Stun guns, handcuffs and pepper spray would also be forbidden under the restrictions, which would come into force a month before the February 7 opening ceremony and remain in effect nearly two months after the February 23 closing ceremony.
Fears of overbearing security spoiling the Games are not confined to Russia.
Concerns raised in the run-up to London Games forced chief organizer Sebastian Coe into repeated statements that "this is not a security event."
