Determined to put on a show of “solidarity” for Boston, London Marathon organizers will stage their race on Sunday despite the threat of terrorism.
The British capital has long been a top target for terrorists, and concerns have only intensified ahead of Sunday’s race after Monday’s harrowing scenes at the Boston Marathon, where bombs killed three people and injured many more.
However, British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said the London Marathon, watched by an estimated 500,000 spectators and run through some of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, should be staged as planned to show ”we won’t be cowered by this sort of behavior.”
”The best way for us to react is to push ahead with the marathon on Sunday, to get people on the streets and to celebrate it as we always do in London,” Robertson told the BBC on Tuesday.
”These are balance of judgments, but we are absolutely confident here that we can keep the event safe and secure. I think this is one of those incidents where the best way to show solidarity with Boston is to continue and send a very clear message to those responsible.”
Security is being scrutinized after the events in Boston, where two bombs exploded near the finish of the marathon.
Prince Harry – the patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust – will attend Sunday’s race and make the presentations to the winners.
”The London Marathon fully expects at this stage … (to) go ahead as planned on Sunday, although we are continuing to review security with the Metropolitan Police in the coming days,” Nick Bitel, chief executive of the London Marathon, said Tuesday in an interview on the race website.
”The London Marathon will be in touch with the runners through their email and they will hear from us on a daily basis in that way. We will try to keep updating our runners throughout this period.”
