In the build-up to the World Cup, outside scrutiny is on South Africa. The spirit of excitement runs high, with the government aiming for 10 million foreign visitors by 2010. As evinced by President Thabo Mbeki’s speech in Berlin in July 2006: ‘We said we will host the most successful FIFA World Cup, and we will keep that promise. Africa is ready. Africa’s time has come. Africa is calling. Come to Africa in 2010!’

Football is the most widely played sport in the country and being chosen as World Cup host has given a tremendous boost to national pride. Behind the scenes and without fanfare South Africa is on track with building new stadiums, improving transport, upgrading accommodation and security to make the 2010 FIFA World Cup an uplifting experience for all. 

SA’s Tremendous Track Record

South Africa is not new to the planning and hosting of big events. The 1995 Rugby World Cup was an unqualified triumph, and not only because the Springboks came out tops. A year later South Africa also hosted (and won) the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament. In both cases everything went smoothly and all foreign visitors who attended went home with nothing but praise for our nation. Two years later, the World Cup of Athletics was held in South Africa, again without negative incident and with packed stands. In 2003 we hosted the Cricket World Cup and even though our national team was not in the final, cricket fans from around the world were thrilled by the efficient organisation of the contest and the multifarious tourist attractions of the country.

Putting Money behind Promises

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is undoubtedly the biggest event yet to be coming our way. The budget allocated is in the region of 15-billion rand. According to finance minister Trevor Manuel, 8.4-billion of this will be spent on building new venues and improving existing ones, and 6,6-billion on upgrading infrastructure. The public transport system will receive a major overhaul and with many top hotels already fully booked for 2010, accommodation workshops are underway to ensure that visitors are hosted comfortably and conveniently.

Spirit of Working Together

Danny Jordaan, CEO of the South African organising committee, saysthat all preliminary planning, such as compliance with FIFA standards, environmentalimpact assessments, contracts and legal issues, will be complete by the endof 2006 and the "operational phase" will begin in 2007. An army of professionals, including architects, engineers, construction experts and tourism consultants, is already on board. Job creation and skills transfer will form part of the massive project.

Safety First

South Africa’s deputy national police commissioner André Pruis, who was part of an observer group at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, is confident that safety will not be an issue. He points out that the security model developed by South Africa for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development is now utilised at all United Nations events.

Keeping it Clean

Environmentalists will be pleased to note the launch of the Zero Waste 2010 Coalition initiative. Driven by the non-profit group Institute for Zero Waste (IZWA), the aim is to avoid and reduce the potential negative impact of excessive waste and pollution, while maximising the positive economic and social impact through a zero waste approach.

Where We’ll Play the Game

The schedule for completion of the 10 host stadiums is as follows:

Building a Better Future

The final, to be held at Johannesburg’s Soccer City in 2010, will be a celebratory spectacle of gigantic proportions, but the ramifications of the World Cup reach beyond 2010 and beyond our borders. One of FIFA’s principles is social responsibility, stated in their mandate as, ‘Develop the game, touch the world and build a better future.’ Sustainable projects aimed at developing football and uplifting disadvantaged communities throughout the African continent will remain long after scores have been forgotten.

Ticket Sales

There is bound to be a scramble for tickets when they go on sale in 2008. Around three million tickets will be available for the 64 matches. As is FIFA custom, one third of those tickets will be reserved for fans resident in the host country, and another million will be available for sponsors, teams and organisers. The remaining million tickets are up for grabs.

Regardless of which country wins the tournament, the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is set to place victory firmly in the hands of South Africa.

Links:

• www.southafrica.info/2010 - comprehensive site with soccer news and tips for tourists
  
  

• www.2010cup.co.za – news, history and statistics

• www.fifa.com – the official site of football’s controlling body

• www.kickoff.com – updates on the build-up to 2010