Major sports events now represent high-profile targets, under threat from activist groups anxious to use the global audiences of sport for their own political or criminal agenda.While the attack by terrorists on the Israeli team at the Munich 1974 Olympic Games may provide the most graphic example of the collision between sport and political extremism, every event is and will remain an attractive opportunity to terrorists.
The primary responsibility of the organisers of any event must be the safety of spectators, competitors, officials, media, volunteers and all the other groups and individuals who hold a stake in its delivery. As a result, billions of dollars are spent each year to ensure that sports events are protected by sophisticated security programmes, which draw on leading-edge thinking and the application of innovative technologies to combat threats, from wherever or whomever they originate.
The history of sports event management is punctuated by incidents where the failure to provide a secure and safe environment has resulted in the loss of life and limb.Many will be aware of the disasters that have occurred at Munich, Heysel, Hillsborough, Atlanta and Ellis Park, and what these incidents represent in terms of their consequences to security and safety management.
But what of the other events that might have happened had it not been for rigorous intelligence, security and safety mechanisms? We know, for example, that captured terrorists linked to the Madrid train bombings in March 2004 were also planning an attack on the city’s Bernabeu stadium.Other life-threatening actions by individuals and organisations have also been thwarted or deterred by the heightened security and risk management measures implemented at major events post 9/11.
Today, sports event security is a highly specialised discipline, which relies on the expertise of professionals drawn from the armed forces and police and intelligence services as well as event and facility operations professionals.In terms of sports management, security and safety are inter-related responsibilities for those executives charged with the demanding task of delivering a trouble-free event. Security management also encompasses the protection of stadia, arenas and other critical assets from organisations and individuals wishing to cause collateral damage or disruption to an event.
This report highlights the areas where sports organisations and their security partners can assess and manage security and safety threats. It recognises the difficulties facing managers as they strive to achieve the right balance between sustaining high levels of security, while still preserving the traditionally exuberant atmosphere of a sports event.
This is a key challenge for the future, but one that can be surmounted as sports participants increasingly understand and welcome the need for security at major events, preferring the ‘known inconvenience’ of security measures to a ‘fear of the unknown’ threat.
Reference: Stevens, Andy (2007) Security and Safety: Evolving Strategies for a Changing World. August. London: SportBusiness Group.
