Safety in any setting is vital. People want to know that wherever they go, there won't be in any danger. Sport is no different. In fact, sport can be the most unpredictable and dangerous. This is because athletes travel the world and possibly, into the unknowns of the foreign land that they are going to.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has confirmed the Proteas tour to Bangladesh will be going ahead despite the political tension in the country.
The Proteas will face the Tigers in two Tests played in Dhaka and Chattogram. The tour was in doubt following the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to move the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates due to the political situation.
A security assessment was conducted and it was deemed that it would be safe for the Proteas to travel to the subcontinent for the two games which form part of the World Test Championship (WTC). Cricket South Africa confirmed the tour will go ahead and it has been deemed safe to do so.
"CSA and the Bangladesh Cricket Board can confirm the two-match Test series scheduled to start on 21 October will go ahead. A security assessment was recently conducted by CSA’s Operations Manager, Team Security Manager, Safety and Security Consultant and a representative of the South African Cricketers’ Association. CSA has given the series a go-ahead based on the recommendations made by the team after an in-loco inspection visit to Bangladesh."
I believe the most well-known example is the attack on the Sri Lankan players during a tour in 2009. The 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team occurred on 3 March 2009, when a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers, part of a larger convoy, was fired upon by 12 gunmen near Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan.
The cricketers were on their way to play the third day of the second Test against the Pakistani cricket team. Six members of the Sri Lanka national cricket team were wounded and six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed.
The attack was believed to have been carried out by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. In August 2016, three of the terrorists involved in the attack were killed during a police raid in Lahore. In October, the attack's mastermind was killed in eastern Afghanistan during a military operation, while hiding there.
The safety of touring cricket teams in Pakistan had long been an issue. In May 2002, New Zealand abandoned their Test series in Pakistan after a suicide bomb attack outside their hotel. However, they returned in the 2003/2004 season to fulfill their commitments.
Australia had refused to tour in October 2002 on safety grounds. The Sri Lankan cricket team was in Pakistan as a replacement for the Indian team, who had pulled out after the Mumbai attacks. In order to persuade the Sri Lankan team to visit, the Pakistan government offered to give them presidential-style security. The series was the first Test tour of Pakistan since South Africa visited in October 2007.
In the aftermath, Insurance cost for cricket matches in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka rose.
The New Zealand team cancelled it's December 2009 tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh also put off a scheduled tour by Pakistan to Bangladesh.
The Union Home Minister of India, P. Chidambaram, said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) should consider postponing the forthcoming T20 league matches due to be held over 45 days from 10 April to 24 May 2009 in 9 Indian cities, since in the light of these attacks, security forces would be stretched too thin between the league matches and the five phases of the forthcoming general elections in India. The elections were slated to be held between 16 April and 13 May and it was impossible to reschedule them while IPL organisers appeared to be unwilling to postpone the tournament.
Former England coach, Duncan Fletcher, said that English players contracted to the IPL would now be more concerned for their safety. The 2009 Indian Premier League was hosted by South Africa between 18 April and 24 May 2009. Former Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly, said after these attacks Pakistan was not a safe venue to play cricket.
The 2011 Cricket World Cup was to be co-hosted by Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but in the wake of this attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team; the International Cricket Council (ICC) stripped Pakistan of it's hosting rights due to security concerns. The headquarters of the organising committee were originally situated in Lahore but was then shifted to Mumbai.
Pakistan was supposed to hold 14 matches, including one semi-final. Eight of Pakistan's matches were awarded to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh.
The Sri Lankan Foreign minister had said the Sri Lankan cricket team "will give highest consideration to the invitation extended to it to undertake visit again. Sri Lanka will not allow Pakistan's isolation in cricket."
In October 2017, the Sri Lankan cricket team returned to Pakistan for the first time since the attack to play a Twenty20 International match at the Gaddafi Stadium. In September 2019, the Sri Lankan team toured Pakistan, playing a 3-match One-Day International series in National Stadium, Karachi and a 3-match Twenty20 International series in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
In December 2019, Sri Lanka agreed to play two match test series in Pakistan, thus marking test cricket's return to Pakistan after a decade since the terror attack
Negative fan behaviour; weather issues; cyberattacks; rogue drones and security incidents at sporting events are impacting athletes, fans and stadium staff. It also makes headlines in the media.
Negative fan behaviour such as vandalism, alcohol abuse, fights between patrons, violence against staff members, rushing field of play and use of weapons are all areas of concern for security managers.
Since COVID, there has been a significant shortage of security staffing. Security directors cited multiple reasons for these shortages, including: a lack of qualified applicants; non-competitive wages; lack of interest; no-shows and budget constraints.
These shortages are common in other venue areas, such as concessions, ushers and ticket takers. The ripple effect of these shortages may include longer wait times for entry, concessions and merchandise, which may cause fans to become frustrated.
This behaviour can escalate without the presence of security. Venue directors must deploy an adequate level of security staff based on specific event risks. Crowd dynamics, gameday promotions, celebrity appearances, game rivalry/intensity, and even the event time may cause changes in the number of staff needed, along with their positioning at the event. These staff should be trained in crowd control, alcohol management and de-escalation techniques.
Weather-related incidents are becoming more prevalent due to extreme conditions. For example, multiple fans suffered from hypothermia and frostbite symptoms at a Kansas City Chiefs playoff game and at the Tokyo Olympic Games, more than 110 athletes suffered from heat-related illnesses.
Sports venue and event leaders are reviewing the science and making policy changes regarding new information. For instance, wet bulb temperatures (which combine dry air temperature with humidity) are used to determine unsafe heat environments. Depending on the event, some organisations provide cooling, water and heating stations to combat these extreme conditions for players and spectators. For example, in 2023, the Tennessee Titans turned their first aid stations throughout Nissan Stadium into cooling stations for fans and set up misting stations.
Moreover, lightning has posed the most dangerous threat to the general population in the United States and disrupted sporting events. Most lightning incidents occur near a safe place where individuals can shelter and prevent harm.
New threats and challenges arise as technology evolves. Due to the advancement of technology and the vast digital surface of facilities, criminals search for vulnerabilities to exploit. Cyberattacks may damage the sport organization’s reputation and brand, potentially causing damage or disruption to their operations.
In 2022, the San Francisco 49ers reported that their facility was hit by a ransomware attack a day before the Super Bowl. BlackByte, a ransomware gang, purportedly listed 2020 team financial data on the Dark Web. The 49ers reported a disruption in it's network systems and hired cybersecurity firms to assist with the breach. They also notified law enforcement.
The same year, personal data belonging to Major League Baseball (MLB) players and their family members was stolen in a cyberattack against a third-party vendor called Horizon Actuarial Services, LLC. More than 38 000 individuals were affected by this Incident.
An attack on the Houston Rockets in 2021 claimed 500GB of data, including contracts and financial data, had been stolen. The Babuk group was allegedly responsible for the attack and listed a ransom message on the Dark Web for payment.
Terrorism remains a significant threat to sports venues, even though methods of attack have evolved since 9/11. Common types of attack methods used by terrorists include: active shooters; suicide bombings; vehicular bombings; vehicular ramming; cyberattacks; drone attacks and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) attacks.
Although these malicious activities are not always terrorist-related, venue directors must ensure that measures are in place to prevent such actions.
Venues must maintain a robust cybersecurity defense system and provide basic cyber hygiene training to staff members with access to their network infrastructure. Sporting venues should include periodic monitoring and auditing of personal and organizational social media accounts and ensure the latest updates are installed on all software.
During the Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City in February 2024, 22 people were shot and one person was killed when a personal dispute escalated into gunfire.
Sports organisations should consider hardening their facilities with appropriate technology solutions. Gun detection technology and video surveillance cameras are helpful for the facility’s perimeter, including parking lots and tailgating areas, as this technology can identify exposed weapons and be used to track their location while security personnel respond.
Other solutions for mitigating terrorist threats include adequate security presence, walk-through metal detectors, bag searches, facial recognition systems, explosive particle detectors, explosive detection canines, barricade and bollards systems and surveillance cameras.
Drones or uncrewed aviation systems (UAVs) have the potential to carry explosive devices and weapons to be used for malicious purposes. Criminals can use UAVs to monitor areas from the sky for nefarious purposes, perform cybercrimes involving theft of trade secrets, technologies, or sensitive information and disrupt or invade the privacy of others.
In 2022, a college and professional football game was delayed for more than 10 minutes due to unauthorised drones flying over the stadiums. In 2020, rogue drones interrupted at least five MLB games. Illegal drones have also crashed into stadium seating at major sporting events, such as the U.S. Tennis Open in New York and an MLB game in San Diego.
The high profile and large crowds of larger stadiums not only draw the attention of potential fans, but also that of violent extremists. Explosions cause chaos, fear and widespread destruction, which puts them high on the list of security concerns facing these venues. Visible long lines outside of the entrance are more attractive to terrorists than shorter ones, according to some industry experts. Since conventional screening processes are able to detect most explosive devices, they are usually detonated outside of the building at either the entrance or exit. Limiting the number of people who are at either location at one time can make the site less appealing to terrorists.
Despite rigorous screening processes, it’s still possible for members of the audience to become dangerously violent with their fists or a weapon. That’s why a force of security guards equipped with non-deadly weapons can be invaluable for maintaining the safety of fans. Private security forces are not always required to receive formal training, so stadium managers are encouraged to vet their personnel carefully before hiring them. Well-trained, professional security guards can also help guests evacuate the structure if needed and assist with other emergency scenarios as they arise.
Earthquakes are among the most devastating natural disasters that can strike a stadium, and they can do so with little to no warning at all. Structures in areas with high seismic activity, like many parts of California, should be built to accommodate sizable tremors. These stadiums should also have a detailed and tested process for evacuating guests from the structure if dangerous tremors do occur. On-site management must be able to recognize when it is no longer safe for the audience to remain and how to get them out quickly and safely.
Explosives and attacks with a physical weapon are the most obvious types of security threats facing stadiums, but the presence of a pathogen or poison can be just as devastating. Quality control and monitoring of products is advised for any stadium that serves food or drink to customers. The threat of biological or chemical weapons is very real, but it’s also possible for contagions or toxic substances to contaminate the facility on accident. A single case of food poisoning could lead to a costly law suit and public relations nightmare.
It may not be possible to make a stadium 100 percent safebut there are many ways to increase overall safety for everyone inside. Stadium operators should talk to security and safety experts and considering hiring a team to test the safeguards that are currently in place. Critical and creative thinking are both essential for addressing the main security concerns faced by stadiums and other popular attractions.
As it has been seen, there are a maltitude of security concerns. However, there are also measures to make sure that everyone will be safe - even athletes. As long as these measures are kept and kept up to date; there will be nothing to worry about.