South Africa World Cup 2010 Bits and Pieces

We have rounded up a few facts about South Africa's preperations to host the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Here are quick facts about South Africa:

It’s a fact!

We are the second country in the world to have hosted the cricket, rugby and football world cups.

STADIUMS

The new stadiums are the most spectacular in the world and they will collectively seat more than 570 000 people.

• The Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban has a steel arch 105 m above the middle of the pitch, and by using a cable car, spectators will enjoy a stunning view of the Indian Ocean.
• Soccer City in Johannesburg takes the form of a calabash, a traditional African drinking vessel. The outer skin area spans 43 000 m2 and will be constructed from wholly natural energy-efficient material. It is the biggest stadium in Africa, seating almost 95 000 people.
• The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit is situated in a region known for its wild beauty and animals, close to the Kruger National Park. Its signature feature is the 18 roof supports that resemble giraffes. Stadiums in townships are being upgraded, some as training venues. These include:
• Orlando Stadium, which has been completed ahead of schedule, and Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto
• Rand, Cecil Payne, Rabie Ridge and Ruimsig stadiums in Johannesburg • HM Pitje, Super and Giant stadiums in Tshwane/Pretoria
• Sesa Ramabodu Stadium in Rocklands, Cape Town
• Princess Magogo, King Zwelithini and Sugar Ray Xulu stadiums in Durban
• Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg.

Did you know?

Some R25-million will be invested in club development across sporting codes, especially in poorer communities, to unearth and nurture our sports talent, and improve our sports competitiveness.

Some R212-million is being invested in school and community sport over the period to 2010.

The Schools Programme will bring the FIFA World Cup™ ethos of fair play, healthy lifestyles and multiculturalism to 12 million schoolchildren through sports, arts and culture.

TRANSPORT

Some R11.7-billion is being invested in the transport infrastructure programme to ensure the smooth movement of fans, teams and media. The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ transport projects are an integrated part of government’s overall investment in transport, which is revolutionising our transport system for the long-term benefit of commuters and the economy.

Our roads, rail and bus-route upgrade will provide an integrated transport system. This includes innovations like Rapid Rail and bus rapid transit systems, which include special public transport lanes and interchange nodes for commuters to switch from one form of transport to another. The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will pioneer the use of integrated electronic ticketing, which will see commuters using one ticket to access buses, trains and taxis.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES

The satellite teleport and telecommunications infrastructure for the World Cup will support transmission capacity of 40 gigabytes per second and will be used after 2010 to provide broadband services.

The International Broadcast Centre in Johannesburg will be the media nerve centre, receiving broadcast transmissions from the stadiums and distributing them across the globe.

The media nerve-centre includes a “farm” of satellite dishes covering an area of 5 000 m². The cumulative television audience for the 2010 event will reach about 26,9 billion.

Did you know?

South Africa’s 2010 World Cup official slogan is KE NAKO. Celebrate Africa’s Humanity™. “Ke Nako” is a Sesotho, Sesotho sa Leboa and Setswana word for “it’s time”. It is a call to celebrate Africa as the origin of humanity and as a contributor to every sphere of human endeavour.

TOURISM AND ACCOMMODATION

For the first time in history, FIFA is contracting non-hotel accommodation, such as national parks, bed-and-breakfasts, lodges and guest houses.

South Africa already has 80,000 graded rooms – more than enough to cover the number of 55,000 required by FIFA.

HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES

The country will have free primary healthcare at official venues, 24-hour emergency medical services and international and local surveillance measures for disease outbreaks. The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will accelerate the improvement of South Africa’s emergency medical services:

• two well-equipped communications centres worth R37 million are being established in each province for real-time co-ordination of emergency vehicles to the nearest available emergency centre
• some R8 million is being invested to upgrade emergency centres
• medical helicopter services will be extended to all provinces
• 450 vehicle ambulances will be replaced.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Nothing will be left to chance in securing the events and our country. This investment will continue to assist the police in their crime-fighting initiatives long after the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is over:

• Some R665 million will be spent on procuring state-of-the-art equipment, including crowd-control equipment, unmanned aircraft, helicopters, 10 water cannons, 100 BMWs for highway patrol and mobile body armour.
• Four high-tech mobile command centres will receive live footage from the airplanes and other cameras.
• A dedicated force of 41,000 officers will be deployed specifically for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Did you know?

For the World Summit on Sustainable Development, South Africa pioneered a security model that has been acknowledged as a new international benchmark – and has since been adopted by the United Nations as its model for large events.

ACCESS TO SOUTH AFRICA

• Some R1.5-billion is invested in upgrading the ports of entry, and preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ are improving immigration procedures for the smooth entry and exit of people in and out of the country.
• We will have event-specific visas that will enable ticket holders to enter the country with ease.
• This includes speeding up immigration processes at ports of entry through “fast-track” lanes and advanced passenger processing in which travelers are checked before they board the airplane to their destination.

Source: sa2010.gov.za