Drones tech; a potential threat to sports

Security experts widely believe that unmanned aerial systems pose a legitimate threat to sporting events. That is the reason  when a drone was spotted hovering in the air above the pitch in Bradford City's home match against Sky Bet League One rivals Bristol Rovers, the referee Andy Haines brought the game to a halt in the 65th minute with the scoreline goalless and subsequently decided to take both sets of players off due to safety concerns.  Play, however, resumed three minutes after the incident, with Haines satisfied that the safety of the players and supporters were not at risk, but it left concerns for safety and security of games.

Drones and aerial cameras are increasingly popular technology in almost all sports and game events, being used for media coverage, live telecast and impactful cinematography, but there is no denying they could be be a potential threat.These devices are not only becoming cheaper and easier to own, but technology has advanced to such a point that virtually anyone — hobbyist or terrorist — can fly one.

In a similar incident a drone flew over the pitch during the Serbia vs. Albania UEFA 2016 qualifier bearing an offensive flag, which resulted in the teams and spectators brawling with each other and the match being stopped.

The potential impact drone attacks can have on sporting event safety has rapidly progressed. While security professionals are focusing on drones as they relate to security and privacy concerns, drones' impact on the future of event security remains unclear.

By M. Wasim

mwasim.370@gmail.com

Sports Security in context of 9/11.

 The USA is perhaps the most vigilant country to counter sports terrorism. The Home department in America has developed special units, squads and carried out case studies to do away with the threats and insecurity that plague game events.  Their authorities don’t waste time to collaborate with other nations in sharing information in case of any untoward incident related either to sports or not scoured anywhere. Travel warnings to their citizens and sportsmen on foreign tours and their surveillance abroad are considerate measures of the USA to put a check on terror threats during games. And, the super power doesn’t hesitate to even postponed or cancel sports event abruptly if it feels any security threat is present. The rest of the world is not ready to respond like, the United States.

Despite these measures, it the US is the most self-perceived insecure country in the world when it comes to sports terrorism. This is because in the US, sports has a 52-week sport activities calendar and is the richest in the world with major cash-rich leagues like Super Bowl, NFL and many more, that provide both fun and finances to locals. An attack on these sport events would mean less attendance, lesser recreation and even lesser business. Second the Americans are the most sought-after people in the world to be targeted for political reasons, as an attack on them leave greater impacts and global exposure. So the USA has more apprehensions about sports security, compared to other. 

A terror-free environment for sports seems a fictional goal, as the truth is the clouds of threats and insecurity hovering over the world and international sports events are getting darker by the day. Nearly 10 years after 9/11, it is a fantasy to believe that the globe is safer than it was on September 10, 2001. The United States has thwarted at least 40 terror plots since 9/11 and that shows terrorists continue to plan to harm the Americans in America. Similarly Britain has experienced or foiled a genuine terrorist attack plot about once a year since the September 11 attacks, a worrying pattern which is extending to the rest of Europe. Terrorist acts and warnings are present everywhere for sporting events and adequate counterterrorism mechanisms, intelligence data sharing and a tried-out system to deal with these threats and warnings haven’t been devised yet that are universally acceptable for all.

(Excerpts from "Dreams & Nightmares -- Perils of Sports Terrorism")

By M. Wasim

mwasim.370@gmail.com