Serena may skip Olympics over terror fears

Tennis ace Serena Williams may stay away from the summer Olympics in Greece over fears she could be targeted by terrorists.

Just days after the FBI said it feared al Qaida could attempt a terrorist spectacular at the games, the Wimbledon champion said her life was a “little bit more important than tennis”.

She said: “If it became a real concern to where I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable, then I wouldn’t go to Athens.

“You can’t stop living your life because you’re scared something is going to happen.

“But at the same time, I’m very aware of things that are going on in the world… It’s definitely a concern of mine. I’d be kind of naïve to say it isn’t.”

She was speaking after winning in the third round of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Florida.

It made her the first American athlete to admit that security concerns could keep her away from the games.

Serena and her sister Venus won gold in the doubles at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Serena is due to play singles and doubles at this year’s games, which run from August 13 to 29.

Last week FBI Director Robert Mueller said he feared the recent train bombings in Madrid may have given al-Qaida a boost, and that bombers could launch an attack on the Olympics or attempt to influence the November presidential election in the US with an attack.

“We understand that between now and the election, there is a window of time in which terrorists may well wish to influence events, whether it’s in the United States or overseas,” he said.

Mr Mueller said he was awaiting a review of a recent anti-terrorism exercise to “see again what we could do if there are areas that need to be shored up” in advance of the Olympics.

Asked if security would be adequate by the time the Olympics began, Mr Mueller said: “It’s premature to make any definitive judgment as to where we are in the stages of preparations.”

The worst terrorist act at an Olympics was in 1972, in Germany, when eight Arab terrorists stormed into the Olympic village and raided the building housing the Israeli squad.

Two Israeli athletes were killed and nine more were taken as hostages. The terrorists demanded the release of over 200 Palestinians from Israeli jails.

A day later a gun battle broke out at Munich airport as the terrorists attempted to leave the country for the Middle East.

The nine athletes, one policeman and two terrorists were killed in the shoot-out.

In July 1996, during the Games in Atlanta, a bomb was detonated at the Centennial Olympic Park, killing one person and injuring more than 100 others.