Security Update
Security update as of July 27, 2005
Dear Team Canada Members,
In light of the recent security issues in Cesme and Kusadasi, both neighboring
cities to Izmir, we would like to provide you a brief update on the situation
in the event you have questions. We do not want to be alarmist, and are
extremely confident and comfortable in the preparations that are being
made, however, security awareness at major games is now a priority. We
would encourage all those traveling to the Universiade to factor security
considerations into your preparation for the event.
As indicated to all Sports on the Sport Leaders conference call in June,
RCMP officer and Team Canada liaison Pierre Soumis is in constant contact
with the Canadian and Turkish authorities regarding all aspects of Team
Canada security. In addition, we have created a security network amongst
G8 nations to share intelligence, and security and safety strategies.
We have an open dialogue with the Canadian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey,
and they have just completed a trip to Izmir to perform a threat assessment,
and indicate these are random acts, and will NOT issue a "DO NOT
TRAVEL" advisory at this time.
From a Team Canada perspective, we are developing crisis management strategies
to be ready for any situation that arises and will provide security briefing
to all team members during orientations on site in Izmir.
As a standard practice, a complete list of Team Canada members including
passport numbers and flight itineraries has been provided to the Canadian
Embassy in Turkey, and you may keep up to date on any issues surrounding
travel to Turkey on the Canadian DEFAIT website at http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/report-en.asp?country=300000.
In addition, you may contact Team Canada during the Universiade at canada@universitysport.ca,
and we will be placing an emergency mobile phone number on the Team Canada
website at http://www.cisport.ca/e/international/universiade/izmir_2005/information/contact_team.cfm
as of August 4, 2005.
Please know we are very prudent in these matters, and in 2004, Canadian
Interuniversity Sport withdrew from a World University Championships
due to an unstable security situation. At this time, we fully intend
on participating in the Universiade, and our advance security team
will arrive in Izmir on July 31, followed by Senior Mission staff
on August 2. As with any team, it is ultimately your voluntary decision
to attend the Universiade, and we appreciate that some may approach
the decision with anxiety. We would be happy to speak with anyone
about these issues. Our goal is to make this one of the most memorable
experiences of your athletic career, and we look forward to serving
you in Izmir.
Sincerely,
Patricia Murray
Chef de Mission
Team Canada
Tel: 613-562-5670
E-mail:
Colin Timm
Assistant Chef de Mission
Team Canada
Tel: 613-562-5670
E-mail:
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