Terror and Sport

Following the recent attack on the Togo national football team in Angola there has been debate over whether to cancel the African Cup of Nations, just 5 months before the World Cup is due to start in South Africa. The Togolese government have pulled their team out (reports today say contrary to the team's wishes) and are encouraging others to follow suit. But would cancelling the tournament put off future attacks of this kind, or just encourage them?

Firstly, obviously it is a tragic loss of life, with 3 people killed and several others fighting for their lives. News reports credit the security escort for preventing further loss of life in a half-hour gun battle. While the knee-jerk reaction is to pull the team out, the team itself is reported to now want to honour the dead by playing in the tournament.

This dilemma is not new - sport naturally creates high-profile targets for terrorists. I would not claim my knowledge to be in any way conclusive on these events but there have been a few parallels in history. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, 11 Israelis were kidnapped and subsequently killed by a Palestine militant group Black September. While the Olympics were initially suspended, and a memorial service held, the overwhelming view of the organising committee was to continue: "The games must go on, and we must... and we must continue our efforts to keep them clean, pure and honest." (Avery Brundage, IOC President) This announcement has however been tarnished by a couple of controversies - several Arab countries refused to fly their flags at the Olympic Stadium at half mast, and a banner remembering the victims was unfurled at a game in the stadium, only to see the perpetrators ejected and the banner torn down. The IOC also refused to create a permanent memorial to the 11 Israelis in order to not offend several members.

In principal I think the Olympic Committee were right to continue, but they tarnished their stance through some of their subsequent actions. However the issue of increasing security to a sufficient level was then tantamount. The Israeli team withdrew after the memorial service, several prominent Jewish athletes (Mark Spitz being the most high-profile) flew home early and the Egyptian team withdrew because they feared reprisal attacks. Clearly the organisers could not guarantee the safety of these people.

This is a major issue today - in March 2009 the Sri Lankan cricket team came under fire from twelve Pakistani militants while playing a Test series in Pakistan. Again the sacrifice of the security team helped to protect the lives of the team. However the final test was immediately cancelled and all future international cricket in Pakistan has been suspended/rearranged for neutral venues (Pakistan will play Australia in England this year). The 2011 World Cup is also unlikely to use Pakistan now, with India picking up extra fixtures. The mindless act of some individuals has doubtlessly cost the country in both monetary and reputation terms.

On the other hand there is the prospect of not competing in tournaments at all - the England badminton team pulled out of their World Championships in Delhi last year after a specific terrorist threat. While the championships passed without incident, this was a worrying precedent for the Commonwealth games to be held in Delhi this year.

But to return to the situation in Angola, it would appear to me that if the security around all the teams can be heightened sufficiently then it is only right for the games to go on. After all is this analogous to the safest time to fly being directly after a terror attack? To allow the act of a small minority to ruin the first part of Africa's 2010 football showcase would be a betrayal to the lives lost. If anything this should be taken as an opportunity to fine-tune security arrangements for the World Cup. Security in South Africa has always been one of the questions raised about them hosting the World Cup. This event will only reinforce those doubts, but my impression that the situation in South Africa is not dissident based more due to the generally high crime rate?

I fully support the defiance against such violence and hope that both the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup can both now flourish and showcase the African continent to the world in a much more positive light than this initial setback.

Togo Team Decide To Play On - bbc sport