This book examines contemporary issues of security at sports mega-events (SMEs). It focuses on the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2020) - subsequently postponed to 2021 - the third biggest SME in the global sporting calendar and a unique multi-city, multi-country event that took place in the eye of the COVID-19 storm. Drawing on stakeholder interviews, policy documents, media sources and existing research, the book explores the constructions, meanings, and perceptions of security in the efforts to secure this football mega-event. It argues that Euro 2020 is a powerful case through which to better understand wider security governance and security-related processes in present-day societies, which are increasingly preoccupied with notions of ‘security’, ‘safety’ and ‘risk’. It assesses the precautionary logic and transnational knowledge transfer processes that guide security constructions surrounding SMEs in an uncertain and threat-conscious world, and captures the dramatic moments in which COVID-19 transitioned into a security threat with severe impacts on the world of football and well beyond. Sport Mega-Events, Security and COVID-19 advances existing debates in the sociology of football and sport, offering a critical understanding of security and safety in the modern world, and giving an insight into the changing ‘new normalities’ of security between 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of global sport. This is a fascinating reading for anybody with a professional or academic interest in sport management, event management, football, security studies, policing, risk and crisis management, the sociology of sport, the sociology of surveillance, or political science.

Security Games: Surveillance and Control at Mega-Events addresses the impact of mega-events – such as the Olympic Games and the World Cup – on wider practices of security and surveillance. "Mega-Events" pose peculiar and extensive security challenges. The overwhelming imperative is that "nothing should go wrong." There are, however, an almost infinite number of things that can "go wrong"; producing the perceived need for pre-emptive risk assessments, and an expanding range of security measures, including extensive forms and levels of surveillance. These measures are delivered by a "security/industrial complex" consisting of powerful transnational corporate, governmental and military actors, eager to showcase the latest technologies and prove that they can deliver "spectacular levels of security". Mega-events have thus become occasions for experiments in monitoring people and places. And, as such, they have become important moments in the development and dispersal of surveillance, as the infrastructure established for mega-events are often marketed as security solutions for the more routine monitoring of people and place. Mega-events, then, now serve as focal points for the proliferation of security and surveillance. They are microcosms of larger trends and processes, through which – as the contributors to this volume demonstrate – we can observe the complex ways that security and surveillance are now implicated in unique confluences of technology, institutional motivations, and public-private security arrangements. As the exceptional conditions of the mega-event become the norm, Security Games: Surveillance and Control at Mega-Events therefore provides the glimpse of a possible future that is more intensively and extensively monitored.

This edition stresses some critical reflectons regarding security policies before and during Sport Events in our contemporary era of generalized insecurity. Sport competitions at the national, European and global levels have evolved in terms of economic investment, social importance and media coverage. However, this evolution has brought with it major political concerns. At the same time, the dominant question regarding the organization of competitions in our post-modern, neoliberal risk societies is the creation of a safe and secure milieu; the need of construction of an environment of life where sport events and the multiple activities and interests related to them can be kept safe from any risk and potentially harmful occurrence. In the name of security, anticipatory dispositifs and risk management practices, rationalities and technologies of government do not exclusively attempt to prevent disastrous incidents or to maintain order in situ. Involving a set of heteronymous public and private organizations and bureaucraties, state "experts" and not state "security managers", proactive security strategies seek to imagine the future, to pre-empt, to act in advance, to anticipate possible catastrophic incidents by managing populations and spaces in order to set, to assure, with any cost, the ideal conditions. The aim of this volume is to highlight the complex set of legal provisions, surveillance and policing practices, discourses, bureaucratic procedures and spatial and architectural forms underpin the security governance of sport events and their effects in the contemporary era of widespread uncertainty. This book was published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

This edition stresses some critical reflectons regarding security policies before and during Sport Events in our contemporary era of generalized insecurity. Sport competitions at the national, European and global levels have evolved in terms of economic investment, social importance and media coverage. However, this evolution has brought with it major political concerns. At the same time, the dominant question regarding the organization of competitions in our post-modern, neoliberal risk societies is the creation of a safe and secure milieu; the need of construction of an environment of life where sport events and the multiple activities and interests related to them can be kept safe from any risk and potentially harmful occurrence. In the name of security, anticipatory dispositifs and risk management practices, rationalities and technologies of government do not exclusively attempt to prevent disastrous incidents or to maintain order in situ. Involving a set of heteronymous public and private organizations and bureaucraties, state "experts" and not state "security managers", proactive security strategies seek to imagine the future, to pre-empt, to act in advance, to anticipate possible catastrophic incidents by managing populations and spaces in order to set, to assure, with any cost, the ideal conditions. The aim of this volume is to highlight the complex set of legal provisions, surveillance and policing practices, discourses, bureaucratic procedures and spatial and architectural forms underpin the security governance of sport events and their effects in the contemporary era of widespread uncertainty. This book was published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

The book aims to outline the progress, problems and challenges of delivering a safe and secure Olympics in the context of the contemporary serious and enduring terrorist threat. The enormous media profile and symbolic significance of the Olympic Games, the history of terrorists aiming to use such high-profile events to advance their cause, and Al Qaeda's aim to cause mass casualties, all have major implications for the security of London 2012. Drawing on contributions from leading academics and practitioners in the field the book will assess the current terrorist threat, particularly focusing on terrorist targeting and how the Olympics might feature in this, before addressing particular response themes such as transport security, the role of surveillance, resilient designing of Olympic sites, the role of private security, and the challenge of inter-agency coordination. The book will conclude by providing an assessment of the legacy of Olympic security to date and will discuss the anticipated issues and dilemmas of the future. This book will be of interest to students of terrorism studies, security studies, counter-terrorism and sports studies.

Though spectator and player security has always been a priority for sport and facility managers at all levels, large-scale threats such as terrorism or natural disasters have become even more critical management concerns. Proactive sport and facility managers understand the role they must take in working with local law enforcement, contracted security personnel, and their own employees to adequately plan for and respond to threats—both manmade and natural. Security Management for Sports and Special Events: An Interagency Approach to Creating Safe Facilities presents a systematic approach to stadium and venue security. Unlike traditional risk management books that present guidelines to promote safety and discourage litigation in sport and recreation settings, Security Management for Sports and SpecialEvents deals specifically with natural disasters, terrorism, crowd control problems, and other large-scale threats. As sport and facility managers seek to broaden their building management capabilities, this text offers detailed guidance in improving the quality, coordination, and responsiveness of security protocols within their facilities. With this text, sport and facility managers examine the concerns and challenges to security and emergency planning for both sport and non-sport events held at their facilities. Security Management for Sports and Special Events offers an organized explanation of event security to support the planning, implementation, and communication of security and emergency plans to staff and game-day hires as well as the assessment of emergency preparation. Drawing on numerous examples from both in and out of sport, readers will consider the challenges, solutions, best practices, and prescriptions for coordinating the efforts of staff, law enforcement, and security personnel. Readers will find an array of tools that assist in understanding and implementing the material presented: •Case studies at the end of each chapter and “Lessons Learned” sections that summarize and apply the information to a real-world scenario •Chapter goals and application questions that provide a clear map for the chapter and promote critical thinking of the issues •Sidebars throughout the text that provide examples of important current issues in sport and event security management •Reproducible checklists, forms, and additional resources that help in designing and implementing plans •More than 20 appendix items, including key guidelines, checklists, and needs assessments Emphasizing interagency development and a team approach to sport event security management, Security Managementfor Sports and Special Events allows sport and facility managers to lessen risk, control insurance costs, and uphold the integrity of their facilities through security management procedures. The text is developed according to the requirements of the Department of Homeland Security’s National Incident Management System (NIMS) and serves as the manual for managers seeking to achieve the SESA Seal of Approval offered by the University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4). Developed by the authors and the only dedicated research facility for sport security management, NCS4 is on the cutting edge of researching and assessing game-day operations for security and crisis management. Security Management for Sports and Special Events is a practical resource for identifying and managing potential threats to fans’ and players’ safety. With proper protocols in place and a coordinated response, sport and facility professionals can ensure the safety of participants and spectators from terrorism, natural disasters, and other potential encounters.