When making its case for hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup™,
the tournament's Organising Committee (OC) has always
highlighted South Africa's excellent track record of staging
major events.
A man who can attest to South Africa's smooth and
successful staging of one of world sport's biggest events is
Malcolm Speed, who has been the International Cricket Council's
chief executive officer since July 2001.
Speed was in charge of world cricket when the ICC Cricket
World Cup was held in South Africa in 2003, without incident and to
much acclaim.
"The 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa was
great. I was impressed by the level of support from the government
for the event and the tremendous enthusiasm from South Africans
about hosting a major sporting event. The facilities were
excellent, at all the venues we played at in South Africa. The
major venues in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth
were all of a very high standard and all quite different. They set
the scene for an excellent event," Speed told the OC's
Communications Department in an interview in Cape Town.
Speed's been a regular visitor to South African shores
for nearly a decade now and is well-placed to comment on the
country's rapid progression in recent times.
"I've been to South Africa three times this year and
around 15 times since 1999. It's a fantastic and beautiful
country. I am intrigued by your politics and commitment to racial
integration. I've been to townships in Johannesburg and museums
in South African cities and have
a good understanding of the history of the country. In 2004 I
brought my family to Cape Town and eight of us drove from Cape Town
to
Port Elizabeth. Travelling on the Garden Route is one of the
world's
most beautiful trips," said Speed.
And allayed to the beauty of the country is the warmth and
hospitality
of its people.
"The volunteers were a major feature of the 2003 ICC
Cricket World
Cup. The event followed closely after the 2000 Sydney
Olympics, where
the volunteers were very effective. At the 2003 Cricket World
Cup the volunteers
gave visitors the opportunity to interact with South Africans
and to
see how friendly, obliging and efficient they were,"
said Speed.
South Africa's security situation is a subject that often
comes up for
discussion, but Speed said he was extremely impressed with
the
country's security arrangements in 2003.
"The resources the government and the police force made
available for
security was outstanding. In a major event like a World Cup
there are
always security crises; bomb threats and other threats,
internal and
external. But they were efficiently and professionally
handled by the
South African authorities. The level of VIP security for
teams,
umpires and administrators was as effective as I've seen
at a major
event. Clearly the police and the government were not
prepared to take
any risks with security and the country's security
officers were all
very well trained, very disciplined and unobtrusive,"
said Speed.
The interview with the ICC boss takes place on the 19th floor
of the
five-star Arabella Sheraton hotel in the Cape Town city
centre, with
breathtaking views of the construction site of the city's
2010
Greenpoint World Cup stadium, which is enveloped by the
Atlantic Ocean
and the famous Table Mountain.
As he savours the awe-inspiring sight, it's clear
Speed's smitten with the Cape.
"Cape Town is my favourite city in South Africa. The
Newlands Cricket
ground, sitting at the foot of Table Mountain, is a world
cricket icon. I understand a beautiful new stadium will be built in
Cape Town
for the 2010 World Cup. I hope it's as fondly regarded in
the football
world as Newlands is in the cricket world," said Speed.
He reckons the strong leadership of 2003 Cricket World Cup
chief
executive Ali Bacher was a feature of the event's success
and is
confident the same will be the case in 2010.
"A major event like the World Cup needs to have an
effective leader,
chief executive officer or president who has wide powers to
get things
done within a generous budget. Dr Bacher did this with great
style,
passion and energy. Dr Ali Bacher and his Organising
Committee worked
for years putting everything in place and did a great deal of
work on
the venues, which were all renovated and brought up to
standard for
the World Cup. I met the 2010 Organising Committee chief
executive
officer Danny Jordaan in 2003. I wish him and his team
similar success
in 2010. I hope that at the end of 2010 they will look back
at the
event as a major part of their lives and careers as sports
administrators. I hope they enjoy their roles and do South
Africa
proud," said Speed.
