2010 WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA

2010 World Cup in South Africa



2010 World Cup in South Africa

Introduction

From it's humble beginnings in 1930 the Soccer World Cup has grown to be one of the most spectacular sporting events in the world. The countdown has begun to the World's biggest the sporting event, the 2010 FIFA World Cup. While every World Cup is a special occasion, the 2010 edition is set to be something different as it will mark the first occasion that Africa hosts the tournament. It may be another 30 years before an African country hosts another World Cup. With the pride of Africa at stake it's worth looking at what South Africa has to offer to World Cup fans and spectators in 2010.

Discussion

In 2004, when South Africa was awarded the bid to host the 2010 Federations Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World CupTM, there were celebrations throughout South Africa and the African continent. The decision to award the bid to Africa for the first time is celebrated not only because of the continent's love of the game - but also because it is part of Africa's journey into a century of growth and development. The words “Ke Nako” in the 2010 World Cup official slogan means “its time” in the South African languages Sesotho and Setswana. The slogan is a call to celebrate Africa as the origin of humanity and as a contributor to every sphere of human endeavour. The South African Government is committed to making the event “the best World Cup ever”, and will deliver on all the commitments to FIFA(Jones 2010). Government is also using the hosting of the World Cup to contribute to the growth and development of the country. More than 160 national teams take part in the regional (Continental Zone) qualifying rounds to qualify as one of the 32 teams that will take part in finals. The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup or Soccer World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not contested because of World War II. In 2010 this world cup was held in South Africa.

Infrastructure upgrades

Government investment and programmes for the World Cup are planned in such a way that they will accelerate delivery in existing priority areas and leave a lasting legacy. By 2010, South Africa will have, among other things, better sports facilities, a better public transport system and better telecommunications infrastructure. National government's R25,4-billion direct investment in infrastructure in the World Cup is part of a much larger spending programme between 2006 and 2010. During that time, government will be investing more than R600 billion in the country's infrastructure - from rail freight services and energy production, to communications, airports and ports of entry. However, hosting the World Cup is also about building the country in ways that go beyond improving infrastructure: it's ...