The upcoming Olympic Games will inevitably remind people of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
At that time, in order to ensure the normal operation of the Beijing Olympic Games, the mainland used 300,000 surveillance cameras to observe every move around the Olympic venues without blind spots, and also set up a special anti-terrorist force of 100,000 people, mobilized helicopters, warplanes, and even ground-to-air missiles were "requisitioned."
We have also mobilized the citizens of Beijing to participate in the security operation, with 400,000 city volunteers and 1 million social volunteers providing services. Residents living in the vicinity of the Olympic venues are "questioned" almost daily to make sure no strangers show up.
These security jobs are relatively routine, so what is the hidden security work? The answer lies in the hostesses who accompany the guests from all over the world, what is their real identity?
'Terrorist threats' ahead of the Olympics
According to public data, the mainland has invested more than $300 million in the security work of the Beijing Olympic Games, and has begun to deploy the security work of the Olympic Games four years ahead of schedule, mobilized a large amount of manpower and material resources, and worked together with the military and police to create a safe environment, and has also arrested many criminals for this purpose.
Why does the mainland have to go to such great lengths?
Every time the Olympics are held, they become the focus of the world, and athletes from all countries compete on the field, which is not only a sports arena, but also a stage to show the strength of the country, in addition, the Olympic Games are also a "battlefield" for terrorists.
In 1972, Germany got a permit to host the Olympic Games, and was ready to show the world its hand to show the world the strength of Germany after the war, and also wanted to let countries know that the Hitler era was completely over. To this end, Germany has spent a lot of money to build the "Munich Olympic Village", which can accommodate more than 10,000 athletes.
On August 26, the Munich Olympics were held as scheduled, but unexpectedly, on September 4, a tragic shooting occurred in the Olympic Village. Two Israeli athletes were shot by terrorists and the remaining nine athletes were kidnapped and taken hostage.
Germany suspended all competitions in the Olympics, and the police vigorously arrested the group of terrorists, but the kidnapped Israeli athletes were all killed, and the German police killed five terrorists in the arrest operation.
In 1996, Atlanta learned the lessons of the German Olympics and stepped up security at the Olympic venues, but terrorists planted bombs in the Olympic Park, causing more than 100 injuries and two deaths.
In 2000, the Sydney Olympics were also nearly attacked by al-Qaeda, but in the end al-Qaeda failed to carry out the strike.
In 2004, it was Athens' turn to host the Olympic Games, and before the Games began, there were five bombings in Athens. One of the bombings took place at a police station in the centre of Athens, and one bomb was made by criminals who connected a household gas canister with a fuse, and the explosion took place around the power station in the town of Mitamorphis in Athens.
From this point of view, the Olympic Games are a sports event with its own "horror effect", and if it is done well, the whole world will praise it, and if it is not done well, the whole world will laugh at it.
For the mainland at that time, we needed to create an image of a great power in the international community, and the Olympic Games were a stage to show the strength of the continent.
What has the mainland done to ensure the smooth running of the Olympic Games? Where did the above-mentioned hostesses come from? Who are they?
Security for the Beijing Olympics
At that time, the security of the mainland Olympic Games adopted a three-level command system, which was divided into a national security system and a military security system. Among them, the security system at the national level is dominated by the Ministry of Public Security. In order to better accomplish the security work, our army has also set up a "group of forward command officers," who have the right to directly issue orders to the troops and take necessary actions.
In addition, the mainland has also specially set up a mysterious force - the Snow Wolf Commando, they are known as the guardian saints of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, mainly responsible for the core and central areas of the Olympic Games.
The best security action is to keep the enemy from getting closer, and to strangle the enemy's plot in the cradle. In order to achieve this goal, the security team of the mainland Olympic Games has made a "moat" project.
The Ministry of Public Security demanded that the police of Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, Shanxi, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Shandong take joint action to build a "moat" project to protect Beijing and prevent all terrorists from entering Beijing.
At that time, all people and cars entering Beijing had to go through careful and strict inspections, and the personnel in charge of security checks did not even let go of the corners.
The mainland has also mobilized the masses of people in Beijing to join in the security work, and if they find suspicious people, they will immediately report the case, and even guesthouses and hotels in Beijing have received notices to strictly check the information of the occupants, and this move is to put an end to the possibility of all criminals entering Beijing.
After the start of the Olympic Games, the nerves of the security team of the mainland Olympic Games jumped into a line, and civilian clothes military police were arranged in the venue, but this was far from enough, after all, it was impossible for the leaders to arrange for the police to follow them with guns, what should I do?
In order to ensure the safety of the leaders and guests on stage, the security team of the mainland Olympic Games found a strong "foreign aid", and this foreign aid force disguised itself as the Miss Etiquette of the Olympic Games and followed the leaders and guests.
Which unit took on the job of hostess?
In 2023, CCTV's "Let's Talk" program solved everyone's doubts, and Cui Jie, the captain of the first special operations team of the women's special operations team of the Falcon Commando of the Armed Police Force, participated in the program, she said in the program that during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, they had disguised themselves as "Miss Etiquette" to follow the guests and leaders.
Cui Jie said that after receiving the task, they began to conduct etiquette training, and grew their hair long half a year in advance, just to prepare for the Olympics.
The security team of the Continental Olympic Games chose the female soldiers of the Falcon Commando Women's Special Operations Brigade to dress up as Miss Manners out of safety considerations for the guests at the scene.
They are all experienced female warriors, and compared to ordinary hostesses, female warriors have stronger reflexes, can detect problems in time, protect guests and other personnel from retreating, and can also fight criminals when necessary.
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games ended successfully, leaving the world with the impression of a "strong China", and the security work of the Olympic Games has also been used by various countries to learn from.
Resources:
[1] CCTV "[Let's talk] Miss Etiquette at the Olympic Games turned out to be them?!" 20230514
[2] China Youth Daily, "100,000 Elite Anti-Terrorism Soldiers Defend the Olympic Games, 400,000 Urban Volunteers and 1 Million Social Volunteers Provide Security Support", 20080724
[3] Chinese Women, "Cui Jie: "Special Warfare Rose" Soaring Ambitions", 20230824