Security Implications of Major Sporting Events: Goals in South Africa

Major sporting events such as the Olympic Games, this month’s football World Cup and the October Commonwealth Games in Delhi present serious security challenges. As well as taking place in large, complex and dispersed locations, such events attract a range of criminal activities: terrorism or direct action groups try to make a statement in front of a global television audience, while organised and petty criminals attempt to cash-in on the influx of spectators, VIPs and corporate hospitality guests. Host nations and governing bodies, meanwhile, are constrained in their planning by the need for the event to run smoothly and e ficiently, their reputation depends on it.