By David Villah Dan-Azumi, University of the West of Scotland
Sports Mega-Events (SMEs) like the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup have, over the years, become huge cultural shows accompanied by different and broad security challenges.
Given the great economic benefit of these mega-events, host countries usually face immense pressure to ensure that all goes well, leading to extensive and preventative risk assessments and unprecedented levels of security measures such as surveillance, policing, checks and safeguards in and around host communities and venues. The organising bodies of mega-events, such as the IOC and FIFA, also have strict security demands and conditions for the host nations, which results in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of security investment, as evidenced in the Russia and Qatar World Cups. The extraordinary security requirements are generally related to security threats of terrorism, violence, hooliganism, and criminality.
Whereas the debate on security in SMEs is traced back to the 1960s and 1970s, particularly since the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack, the 9/11 aftermath marked the beginning of the unprecedented demands for sophisticated security measures in SMEs due to the threat terrorism poses to civilians and the public. The need for security in SMEs became even more demanding after the Stade de France’s three suicide attacks in Paris in 2015, which further illustrated terrorist tendencies to launch large-scale attacks on sports events like the FIFA World Cup and the potential for mass casualties. While security undoubtedly remains a paramount concern and deserving of all the attention and priorities it is accorded, it, however, often threatens individuals’ rights and civil liberties. Although the IOC and FIFA have comprehensive human rights frameworks and mechanisms, these policies largely centre on the issues of transgender rights, racism, equality, inclusion, sexual abuse, exploitation, and, more recently, LGBTQI. Until recently the IOC and FIFA often appear reluctant to react to public criticism of the human rights reputation of host nations, viewing it as a strictly political issue that they rather not meddle in. A case in point is the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cups.
However, since 2016, FIFA began to make significant reforms in both its governance structure and human rights-related policies, including setting up an Independent Human Rights Advisory Board in 2018 and reforms in the bidding process to address the issues of sportwashing and diverse human rights challenges surrounding previous tournaments. Despite these efforts and commitments, there is a need to investigate the level of compliance and implementation of these policies by host nations. Nonetheless, it is imperative to state here that the responsibility for security and the protection of individuals’ rights and civil liberties largely lies with the host countries, and FIFA only outlines certain standards that must be met, which are extensively spelt out in its bidding conditions. Thus, certain security measures set up by the host nations can have far-reaching consequences for human rights, ranging from racial/religious profiling, privacy violations, illegal arrest/detention, sexual harassment/abuse, excessive use of force and police brutality.
It is in this regard that the EventsRights mobility project, provided two-months research funding to investigate the level of compliance with FIFA’s human rights policies in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in the three host countries of US, Canada, and Mexico, of which I am a beneficiary. My research mainly focuses on security, particularly counterterrorism and safety, and their potential impact on human rights. Since I was visiting the US, I specifically focused on policing practices given the country’s reputation for police violence, particularly police brutality and racial profiling. My two-month EventRights research trip in the US involved remote research work on security and human rights in the context of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the North Carolina State University, including a visit to one of the host cities of Atlanta, during which I toured the Martin Luther King National Centre for Civil and Human Rights and the famous Atlanta aquarium.
Generally, Atlanta is a well-developed modern city, culturally and racially diverse, the most populous city of the state of Georgia, the eighth most populous city in the Southeast and the 38th populous city in the US. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Atlanta has a distinctive landscape, including rolling hills, lush greenery and the eleventh-largest economy in the US and 22nd in the world, with the dominant sectors consisting of transportation, information technology, media and entertainment, aerospace, etc. During my research trip in Atlanta, I was privileged to interview the secretary of the Olympic Committee in the Mayor’s office and former FBI and Atlanta PD personnel who was part of the 1996 Olympic security team and is now serving as a senior security adviser in the Mayor’s Office. The findings from the engagements with them did not just reveal awareness of some of the common human rights issues associated with security and safety but also well-coordinated strategic plans and human rights policies and mechanisms to ensure the safety and protection of players, fans, businesses and the hosting communities.
In the area of human rights, the mayor’s office’s administrative structure is already reflective of human rights commitment with an existing office for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The office is also collaboratively working with the leaders of local community-based organisations and neighbourhood associations, especially the local counties, which, according to the secretary of the Olympics committee, control much power on human rights issues in the state. Additionally, Atlanta has robust and comprehensive policies that align with FIFA’s human rights requirements for host cities and cover issues such as housing, employment and workers’ rights, safety and security, human trafficking, child rights, LGBTQI rights, and visibility access. In terms of security, the mayor’s office is confident in the existing human rights-compliant security measures and ongoing efforts to further improve them ahead of the World Cup. In the words of the mayor’s security adviser, “Atlanta is the cradle of the civil rights movement in America. Everything that we do pertaining to security in Atlanta in Mayor Dickins’ office is based on the human rights principles of dignity, equity, diversity, and inclusion. So, we are very proud in Atlanta for doing that.” In terms of the benefits of hosting the tournament, the FBI personnel noted that the World Cup will benefit Atlanta more than the 1996 Olympics because it is a much bigger, culturally diverse tournament with wider coverage and better economic prospects.
The state of Atlanta has a remarkable sports history and is home to four major professional league teams: the Atlanta Braves in Major League Baseball, the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA, the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL, and Atlanta United FC in the MLS. The city also has vibrant and competitive university and college sports competitions, and over the years, it has hosted the Super Bowl three times, the PGA Championship twice, the golf Tour Championship, the WrestleMania, the Men’s Basketball NCAA Final Four Championship five times, and hosts the annual men’s professional tennis tournament popularly known as the Atlanta Open. With this rich and prolific sports heritage, my observations, tour of the city and research findings, Atlanta is not just infrastructurally prepared and capable as a host city but also has comprehensive and realistic human rights mechanisms and security measures, as well as demonstrable commitments to the core human rights principles to ensure the safety and security of lives and properties that are in tandem with FIFA’s requirements ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
I am grateful to the UWS Centre for Culture, Sport, and Events (CCSE) and the EU for giving me this wonderful opportunity to participate in the 2023 EventRights mobility project and contribute to the advancement of human rights in SMEs.
Leave a Reply