In conducting this analysis it is advisable to rather overestimate than underestimate the potential threat from crime or terrorism. In other words, although the country might have been low on the radar as a target, a different set of rules applies to events that attract tremendous media interest and foreign visitors. It is essential from the onset of this analysis to emphasise that the event is the primary target and not the host country. In other words, potential terrorists will assess the value of attacking an event from different perspectives, depending on their motivation and objectives. Equally, terrorists also need to make similar estimates, but with a very different outcome in mind. In assessing the potential economic and political benefits of hosting an event of this magnitude it will have to weigh up against them the costs required to develop and construct additional infrastructure, building and/or upgrading sport facilities, as well as focusing on other indirect needs such as housing and providing security to foreign guests. The host country of major sports events must assess the value of the exposure and direct and secondary benefits it might get from them. While crime and the threat of hooligans are more realistic, South Africa also needs to realise that in being part of the international community places the country in a different threat category than it is normally used to. Understandably, South Africa is not on the same level of alertness towards terrorism than countries in other parts of the world, but it is especially this level of comfort, or the common assessment that вЂit will never happen to usвЂ™, that contributes to South AfricaвЂ™s vulnerability as a potential target. The aim of this paper is not to discourage visitors from coming to South Africa, but rather to place the potential threat of terrorism in context.

An overview of preparations for the FIFA World Cup.

Terrorist threats associated with hosting a prominent sports event, while placing potential threats in context in South Africa.

This Working Paper will provide an overview of the following: Based on this, disregarding the potential threat of terrorism of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa because it has never been a target of a major terrorist attack will be a mistake. One cannot, for instance, compare the Olympic Games with a political event, or even hosting the FIFA World Cup with hosting the Cricket World Cup, mentioning two sports events that have been targeted or against which terrorist attacks have been planned. All events are confronted with different security threats.

On a national level, hosting the event has called for a revamping of infrastructure, including the building of new stadiums.

Although South Africa has successfully hosted a number of sport events (Rugby World Cup in 1995, African Cup of Nations in 1996, the All African Games in 1999 and the Cricket World Cup in 2003) as well as other events, such as the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 and the Non-Aligned Movement summit in 1998, that have attracted regional and international attention, hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2010 is clearly different вЂ“one only needs to take domestic and international attention and interest into considerationвЂ“.

Fifa 2010 world cup stadium