Brazil ensures security in World Cup, Olympics

A Rio police special unit CORE bomb squad agent takes part in a terrorist attack drill at a subway station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 7, 2013. Rio de Janeiro will host the Confederation Cup and World Youth Day in 2013, the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. (Getty Images)

Rio de Janeiro, April 17 (IANS): Brazil’s foreign minister Antonio Patriota reaffirmed that his government would ensure security for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in the country.

The government is taking “all necessary steps” to ensure security in major sports events and these steps will “ensure security of the events”, he said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement was made one day after two explosions killed three people, including an eight-year-old child, and injured over 100 others near the finishing line of the traditional Boston Marathon in the United States.

On the occasion, Patriota expressed Brazil’s solidarity with the US and said the Brazilian government will follow the investigations in order to understand the motivation behind this act.

After the Boston attack, Britain and Russia also announced increase in the security of sports events such as the London Marathon to be held next Sunday and the Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi in Russia next year.