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BOITANO.
HE WAS PART OF THE DELEGATION TO
SOCHI.
HE'S JUST NOW BACK AND HE'S IN
NEW YORK.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE ON THE SECURITY
FRONT?
WERE YOU SCARED?
DID THEY SEEM PREPARED?
WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
>> YOU KNOW, I WAS A LITTLE BIT
NERVOUS GOING IN BUT I KNEW THAT
IT WAS DEFINITELY THE IOC, THE
RUSSIAN AS AMERICANS WERE
LOOKING AFTER IT SO I KNEW WE'D
BE TAKEN CARE OF.
THERE WAS OFFICIAL SECURITY AND
RUSSIAN BODYGUARDS SO WE
TRAVELED EVERYWHERE WITH THAT
AND WHEN WE GO TO THE VENUES, I
HAD A RING OF SECURITY TO GO
INTO THE MAIN VENUES AND THAT --
FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, TOOK A
LOT OF TIME FOR PEOPLE WHO JUST
HAD TICKETS TO GET THROUGH IT.
IT TOOK CLOSE TO AN HOUR TO GET
THROUGH THAT.
BUT ONCE YOU GOT THROUGH THAT,
ALL OF THE DIFFERENT VENUES WERE
WITHIN THAT RING.
IF YOU PLANNED OUT YOUR WHOLE
DAY, YOU COULD STAY WITHIN THE
RING AND GO FROM DIFFERENT VENUE
AND SEE DIFFERENT SPORTS.
>> SO BASICALLY, WHAT YOU WERE
SAYING, AS YOU WERE A MEMBER OF
THE OFFICIAL U.S. DELEGATION,
YOU HAD SPECIAL STATUS, SPECIAL
SECURITY, NOT NECESSARILY WHAT
OTHERS WERE GETTING.
WHAT ABOUT THE ATHLETES?
BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO FOCUS ON
WINNING THEIR SPECIFIC
COMPETITION.
DO YOU THINK THAT WORRYING ABOUT
SECURITY MAY HAVE PLAYED GAMES
WITH THEIR MINDS AND STUFF LIKE
THAT?
>> YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK SO.
AND I THINK THAT PROBABLY THE
SAFEST PLACE TO BE WAS INSIDE
THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE BECAUSE,
FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IT WAS A
FORTRESS.
AND I THINK WHEN YOU'RE AN
ELITE-LEVEL ATHLETE AND YOU'RE
FOCUSING ON THE TASK AT HAND OF
REPRESENTING YOUR COUNTRY AND
GOING FOR A MEDAL, EVERYTHING
ELSE OUTSIDE OF YOUR BUBBLE
DOESN'T REALLY EXIST.
SO I CAN SAFELY SAY THAT
PROBABLY THE ATHLETES WERE JUST
CONCENTRATING ON THEIR -- YOU
KNOW, THEIR GAMES OR THEIR
EVENTS AND NOT REALLY TOO
CONCERNED WITH THE SAFETY.
>> SO WAS SOCHI READY?
YOU PARTICIPATED IN THE WINTER
OLYMPIC GAMES IN SARJEVO.
WAS THE TOWN READY FOR ALL OF
THESE PEOPLE?
>> THE TOWN -- IT SEEMED LIKE
SOCHI WAS READY.
THERE WERE NO CARS ON THE STREET
OTHER THAN OFFICIAL TRANSPORT
VEHICLES.
FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE REST
OF THE CITY WAS ASKED NOT TO
DRIVE OR WAS TOLD THAT THEY
COULDN'T DRIVE.
SO TRANSPORTATION WAS REALLY
GREAT.
IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WEREN'T A
LOT OF PEOPLE THERE YET AND THE
AUDIENCE MEMBERS -- I WENT TO
FIVE DIFFERENT EVENTS AND IT
SEEMED LIKE THE PEOPLE IN THE
AUDIENCE WERE RUSSIANS MOSTLY.
YOU DIDN'T SEE A LOT OF
TRAVELERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES,
AT LEAST I DIDN'T.
BUT IT SEEMED -- THE
TRANSPORTATION WAS REALLY GREAT
AND FOR ALL THE TALK ABOUT
SECURITY, IT SEEMED LIKE THE
SECURITY WAS REALLY HIGH.
>> YOU'RE BACK IN NEW YORK NOW.
I'M SORT OF SURPRISED YOU DIDN'T
WANT TO STAY FOR THE GAMES AND
WATCH ALL OF THE COMPETITION?
>> I DID.
BUT I NEEDED TO COME BACK WITH
THE DELEGATION.
WE WENT FOR FOUR DAYS AND IT WAS
A GREAT DELEGATION TO BE A PART
OF AND I HAD TO CATCH A RIDE
BACK WITH THEM.
>> WHAT ABOUT DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST GAYS IN RUSSIA?
THAT WAS A BIG ISSUE GOING IN AS
WELL GIVEN THE ANTI-GAY
PROPAGANDA GOING ON.
WHAT DID YOU EXPERIENCE, IF
ANYTHING, ALONG THOSE LINES?
>> I SORT OF PUT MY PRIVACY
ASIDE AND CAME OUT TO SUPPORT
THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE OF
INTOLERANCE AND BE ON THE
DELEGATION AND I LOVE THE
PLATFORM, I LOVED THE MESSAGE
THAT WE WERE SENDING.
I GOT A REALLY GOOD FEELING FROM
PEOPLE THERE.
WE DID A PRESS CONFERENCE THE