A dastardly act
Last week’s horrendous bomb attack at the Boston Marathon again
highlighted the brutality of terrorism. While there is still no clear
idea as to who did it and why, one thing is crystal clear - it is a
dastardly act of terrorism. There are those who classify acts of
terrorism as domestic and international, but it is the same regardless
of where it happens.
Civilian lives do not matter to terrorists. This is not first time
that sporting events and personalities have been targeted by terrorists.
The first such act was the killing of 11 Israeli sportsmen at the 1972
Munich Olympics by the Black September group. Since then, there have
been many attempts (some of which were successful) to kill sports people
and civilians at sporting events and venues.
Even for Sri Lankans, who had been used to the cruelty of terrorism
over the years, two such events were particularly horrific. One of them
also involved a marathon. On April 9, 2008 a suspected LTTE suicide
bomber detonated a device at the start of a marathon. Highways Minister
Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, former Olympic marathon runner K.A. Karunaratne
and national athletics coach, Lakshman de Alwis, were among those
killed.
The second incident occurred just one year later. Gunmen attacked the
bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan on March 9,
2009.
Although no fatalities were reported from the Sri Lankan camp,
several Pakistani policemen guarding the bus were killed.
In an eerily similar event one year later, assistant coach Abalo
Amelete and communications director Stanislas Ocloo of the Togo soccer
team were killed when gunmen fired on the team's bus in Angola, site of
the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament. The Angolan driver was
also killed and nine members of Togo's party were wounded including
Togo's reserve goalkeeper. These three events (and now the Boston
bombing) stand out as the most brutal recent attacks aimed at sports
people.
Sporting events are not the only events targeted by terror groups.
Theatres, schools and many other places where people gather have been
targeted over the years. However, today’s high-profile sports events
have become a magnet for terror groups seeking death and destruction.
High security
This has turned sporting events into high-security affairs, with most
countries now providing Head of State level security to visiting sports
personalities and teams. The four biggest sporting events on the plant -
Olympics, Soccer World Cup, Cricket World Cup and Rugby World Cup have
become security nightmares for the organising countries.
The estimated security bill for the London Olympics 2012 was a
staggering one billion Sterling Pounds (more than Rs.200 billion). The
upcoming Soccer World Cup (2014) and Olympics (2016), both to be held in
Brazil, are likely to see similarly huge security bills.
Spectators are likely to be inconvenienced by the stringent security
measures and regulations that include frisking, but we can hardly find a
less painful alternative. Security comes at a price - some of which can
include civil liberties that we usually take for granted. We do not
expect to be frisked at a sporting event, but sometimes it could be
necessary.
Organisers are also not leaving out extreme forms of terrorism a la
9/11, where an airliner or missile could be used to crash into a densely
packed stadium. In fact, the FIFA had taken up this scenario long before
the 9/11 attacks.
How can Governments and sports events organisers react to this
situation? First, eternal vigilance is essential. We tend to lower our
guard when the initial pain of a terror attack wanes. Most terrorist
groups use this breather to stage even more daring attacks. Thus, there
really is no alternative to keeping an eye on any terror cells and the
physical location of the sporting event itself.
Second, high security is a must. It may not always be 100 percent
perfect, (an imposter managed to walk with the Indian team during the
London Olympics), but a visible level of security with passive and
active components can always deter would-be attackers.
Local organisers must always work closely with security experts from
the global body (ex ICC, FIFA) and local law enforcement authorities
when selecting grounds, itineraries, transport and accommodation options
and security options.
All sportsmen and women must be given a full security briefing as
demanded by the venue and the sporting event(s).
Third, the public must be made aware of the security factors and
costs involved in organising sports events here and abroad.
If they realise the enormous difficulties faced by sports events
organisers in the face of global terrorism, they will be more amenable
to extra security measures. They will also be encouraged to look for any
suspicious objects or persons once they reach the stadium or venue and
inform the Police at once. Early action has prevented many tragedies at
many places around the world.
Memories
Sport is generally a way to have a good time at the ground, catch up
with your friends and relax for a while. They say that there’s no sport
without players and now, there is no sport without spectators too.
What if everyone watched games on TV without going there in person?
Sports events would be very dull indeed. Terrorists want governments to
bow down in submission and cancel sporting and other events. That would
be a big victory for these groups.
On the other hand, if these events are held as planned, with due
security measures in place and people gather in their thousands to cheer
on their favourites, a strong signal is sent to the terrorists that
sheer terror cannot win in the end.
We have left the dark memories of terrorism behind. However, as the
Boston bombings show, terrorism thrives elsewhere in the world. An act
of terror anywhere in the world is an affront to all civilised
countries.
As Sri Lanka and other nations stand in solidarity with the American
leaders and people at this hour of grief, the international community
should resolve to end the menace of terrorism without delay. |