SALT LAKE CITY?About 300 people who signed up to volunteer or work for the Winter Olympics have been rejected because of criminal background checks.

Utah?s Bureau of Criminal Identification says about 3 percent of all Olympic applicants are failing background checks. That means thousands of more people could be turned away.

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee is paying $10 for background checks that could total $1 million, making for the Bureau of Criminal Identification?s largest contract.

The checks are necessary to ensure the protection of dignitaries, athletes and spectators, Romney said Friday.