British Columbia will host the Winter Olympics in February. During the games, the Vancouver, Whistler region will witness "the largest domestic security operation in Canadian history." The Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit (ISU) will be scouring all Olympic venues with sniffer dogs. Security will also focus beyond to practice venues across the lower mainland and all transit routes. Whistler village will also be affected along with back country trails. The ISU made it painfully clear that no stone will be left unturned.

With world-wide media attention focused on Vancouver during the Olympics, it's a perfect storm for the geocaching bomb scare heard around the world. For this reason, the BCGA thought it best to take a proactive approach. The BCGA contacted the ISU to give them a heads up on what geocaching is all about.

In response, the ISU issued a gentle but stern warning to geocachers as follows:

"Thank you for e-mail. While we appreciate the heads up, it will be your member's responsibility to "know before they go" hunting for hidden cache. The Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit's mandate is to ensure a safe and secure Games for everyone. This includes security at the Olympic and Paralympic venues, protections of athletes, Olympic family and officials and protective services. Our Vancouver 2010 ISU workforce will be ensuring perimeters around venues are secure and we are asking the public to respect these perimeters and the direction given to them by security officers.

The Vancouver 2010 ISU security workforce consists of a variety of law enforcement personnel (RCMP and 118 other police agencies wearing their respective uniforms) and private security while in the backcountry (Cypress Mountain, Whistler Mountain and Callaghan Valley) and on water, law enforcement will be joined by Canadian Forces personnel.

We are asking your members to exercise common sense when geocaching. For example, it may be best to stay away from a hidden cache if its location may fall within a restricted venue perimeter or the immediate area. Please have your members check out our website www.v2010isu.com which includes links to our partner's websites. We are mere weeks away from the largest domestic security operation in Canadian history and your association's cooperation would be greatly appreciated."

In order to avoid the mother of all bomb scares, it would be prudent not to hide nor seek geocaches around Olympic venues for the next couple of months. The Whistler, Vancouver downtown cores and the back country in between will be heavily policed. If you own a geocache within a secure perimeter as described by the ISU large enough to be confused with a bomb (micros are probably OK), it may be an idea to pick it up and disable the cache for the duration of the Olympics.