The Indian Political League and the Indian Premier League had a unique clash. And security surfaced as the bone of contention for the ?IPLs?. With the recent attack on the Sri Lankan team in Pakistan, and the coinciding elections at home, security concerns caused the Indian Premier League to seek a new land to host it. Amidst all the drama, the role of security and higher risk perception due to terror came to the fore. With terror insurance scaling new heights, a Rs 400-crore cover against terror attacks for BCCI was being separately worked out by Oriental Insurance for the IPL matches.
Post 9/11, terror insurance assumed a new form. As Samir Bali, Partner, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young confirms, ?Terror insurance was available as an add- on cover but its awareness and need got highlighted only after 9/11. However, today?s sports events are highly specialised and thus require coverage which have not been available traditionally. Innovative coverages are being devised, like a separate terror insurance cover.?
Sports Security and Safety Report 2007 published by SportBusiness Group, London, points out that before 9/11, sports organisations earmarked a limited budget for both security and insurance measures, but post the attack, premiums increased steeply, up by around 50% for major events. ?In the two years following 9/11, major event organisers saw premium rates leap up to 7.5% of total coverage for an ?any cause? policy form, which would include extensions for war, terrorism, biological, nuclear or chemical risks and disease outbreak,? it states. The report adds that the market capacity of terror insurance has grown because major events like the Portugal 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Torino 2006 Winter Olympics and Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup have all passed without terrorist incidents.
Needless to say, sports insurance has emerged as an important aspect for all major events since the financial stakes in sports have become huge. In India though, sports insurance gained ground from the past decade itself and is limited to cricket. As Rahul Aggarwal, CEO, Optima Insurance Brokers avers, ?In India the scope for sports insurance is still limited because big money rides only on cricket. Other sports have not yet assumed financial importance for broadcasters, advertisers and sponsors.?
Aggarwal explains how the terror insurance cover provides for a refund of tickets if the match is not held because of a terror threat or a terrorist attack; refunds to sponsors and advertisers if the match is not held because of terror threat or a terrorist attack; compensation to victims of the terrorist attack while watching the game in the stadium and damage to property due to the terrorist attack. Players also carry their personal insurance in addition to the blanket insurance provided to all the players in the tournament.
Experts opine that terrorism insurance will emerge as a growing segment in the subcontinent in the backdrop of increased risk potential and sport event organisers will have to factor it as a key component for insurance covers.
As CS Tandon, DGM, Oriental Insurance confirms, ?Terrorism was a major risk till IPL was being held in India. Now with the event been moved to South Africa, this risk has reduced considerably, but again the threat factor remains. So there will be a policy which we are reworking on with revised rates in consultation with reinsurance companies.? And that will for sure add new dynamics to the moolah matrix of the organisers, advertisers, sponsers and insurers.
The Lost Game
Lenin Stadium Disaster – October 20, 1982
A last-minute goal in the UEFA Cup match between Spartak Moscow and the Dutch team Haarlem resulted in one of the worst disasters in the history of sport. 340 fans are believed to have died, although the official death toll was 61, at the Lenin Stadium (now Luzhniki Stadium) in Moscow. Hundreds of spectators were crushed when fans who had already departed from the venue decided to return on hearing the crowd celebrating the late goal, only to collide with those who were leaving after the goal had been scored.
The Bradford Fire – May 11, 1985
While Bradford City?s Football League home match against Lincoln City was approaching half-time, a small fire was spotted at one end of the antiquated stand of the Valley Parade stadium. In less than two minutes, the ensuing ?flashover? had engulfed the entire pitchlength structure, resulting in 56 fatalities and 265 casualties. Many fans were trapped because the exits to the stand were locked to prevent unauthorised entry by fans into the stadium ? or because they were unable to scale the perimetre fencing. In the 1983 publication of ‘The Football Grounds of England and Wales’, author Simon Inglis observed at Valley Parade that “underneath the seats are flaps which open to reveal piles of litter.”The fire is believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette or match.
The Heysel Disaster – May 29, 1985
The 1985 UEFA European Cup Final will never be remembered for the 1-0 victory for Juventus against Liverpool, but for the 39 fans who were killed and over 350 injured following rioting in Sector Z of the Heysel Stadium (now King Baudouin Stadium) in Brussels. The events marked a low point for English football, but the memory of the tragedy is still evident for many witnesses.
Nepalese Hailstorm – March 12, 1988
A violent hailstorm resulted in 93 fatalities and over 100 casualties during a football match at the National Stadium in Kathmandu,Nepal.The crowd was watching Nepalese team Janakpur playing Muktijadha of Bangladesh and hundreds of spectators attempted to flee the open stands when the storm broke.Unfortunately, the gates were locked and many fans were trampled to death in the ensuing panic.
Atlanta Olympic Games Bomb – July 27, 1996
The Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games were marred by an explosion in the Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. One person was killed and 111 others sustained injuries when an explosive device was detonated in the early hours of July 27, 1996. A suspect device had been discovered just before midnight. The emergency services were notified and an evacuation had commenced within ten minutes of the discovery, only for the explosion to occur as the area was being cleared.
Accra Sports Stadium Riot – May 9, 2001
In 2001, 126 football fans lost their lives and hundreds more were injured during a riot at the Accra Sports Stadium in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. Some of the fans watching the game between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko had been throwing bottles and seats, and the fatalities and casualties occurred when fans panicked after police fired tear gas into the crowd in an attempt to quell the disturbance.
Zambian Stampede – June 2, 2007
Twelve football fans were killed and 46 injured at the end of a Ghana 2008 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between home team Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo at the Konkola stadium in Chililabombwe. There have been conflicting reports as to the exact course of events but most indicate that the crowd exceeded the capacity of the venue.The kick-off to the match had already been delayed because fans were still attempting to enter the stadium.Other reports suggest that, at the end of the match, some fans decided to run to get onboard the buses that had transported fans to the venue, as Antoneil Mutenthwa, chief of police for the Copper Belt region of the country, explained, ?A stampede ensued as too many fans tried to squeeze through the few exits available.?
SOURCE: Sports Security and Safety Report by SportBusiness Group
Across the Boundary
IPL finds new hosting venues in Durban, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth
Bloemfontein
Goodyear Park
The ground has been used for limited-overs internationals since the fifth one-day international between South Africa and India in December 1992. The pitch is recognised as a good one-day wicket and is conducive to high scoring.
Cape Town
Newlands
It is reckoned as one of the most picturesque ground. It hosted its first one-day international in 1992 when Hansie Cronje captured 5 for 32 to help South Africa to a six-wicket win over India. It was a Test ground over a century before that in 1889, for the second Test between England and SA.
Johannesburg
The Wanderers The New Wanderers, first hosted Test cricket in 1956, and its first one-day international, between South Africa and India, in December 1992. The stadium also hosted 2003 Cricket World final. It is known as ?the Bullring? for its electric, sometimes intimidating atmosphere.
Port Elizabeth
St George?s Park
The first ground to host a Test in South Africa in March 1889. One of the most remarkable results achieved at St George?s Park occurred in October 2001 when lightly regarded Kenya handed India a 70-run thrashing, prompting anti-corruption investigators to look into the match. It was ultimately declared a fair contest.
Durban
Kingsmead
Is a 25 000-seater stadium located within walking distance of Durban?s famed Indian Ocean shoreline. It hosted its first one-day international in December 1992, but its first Test was hosted in January 1923. Kingsmead was also home to the famous ‘Timeless Test’.
In a league of its own: Twenty20
Australia The KFC Twenty20 Big Bash is the domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. Australia was slower to pick up the format of Twenty20 cricket than other countries such as England and South Africa, but eventually established a league amongst the domestic Australian sides in 2005. The format has proved highly popular with crowds in excess of 10,000 for games even during the working week.
Canada Scotiabank National T20 Championship is the first ever Twenty 20 domestic competition in Canada held by Cricket Canada. First season started in 2008 and is held on a rotational basis.
England Twenty20 cup is a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs started with an intention to deliver fast paced, exciting cricket accessible to thousands of fans who were put off by the longer versions of the game. The first Twenty20 Cup was held in 2003.
Kenya National Elite League Twenty20 is a Twenty 20 domestic Cricket competition in Kenya held by Cricket Kenya. It is a part of the Sahara Elite League programme. The Sahara Elite League (also known as Zonal League) is a four team cricket competition created by Cricket Kenya featuring a Twenty20 tournament, a one day cricket tournament and finally a first class cricket tournament. The inaugural T20 tournament was played in 2008.
New Zealand State Twenty20 is the domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament in New Zealand. The tournament was first held in 2006.
Pakistan The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a Twenty20 cricket competition created by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The first season of the PSL will be held in September 2009 and will replace Pakistan?s current Twenty20 competition. The structure of the league will be modelled on the Indian Premier League, making use of the franchise model.
South Africa The Standard Bank Pro20 Series is the premier Twenty20 cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in the 2003/04 season. It has been contested since its inception by the six franchise teams but for the 2007/8 season, Zimbabwe took part as a seventh side.
Sri Lanka Inter-Provincial Twenty20 is a Twenty 20 domestic Cricket competition in Sri Lanka. The country used to have a Twenty20 Tournament which was conducted from 2004-2008 and was held between the clubs in Sri Lanka. From 2008 Inter-Provincial twenty20 became the main stream domestic twenty20 competition in Sri Lanka.
Zimbabwe Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 is the domestic twenty 20 cricket competition in Zimbabwe. It was formed in 2007 and maintained by Zimbabwe Cricket Union. It features all the national and domestic players from Zimbabwe.