Regardless of event size, organizers have a duty to provide athletes with a facility that is safe and suited for competition and to provide spectators with a safe environment to watch the event. That responsibility becomes more complex when an event attracts international teams, dignitaries, media, sponsors and traveling fans.
The biggest safety concerns around hosting international sports events include terrorism, VIP security, protests, public health, venue security, cybersecurity and weather or natural disasters.
The United States is preparing for two global sports milestones: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across Canada, Mexico and the United States, and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. FIFA identifies 2026 as the first World Cup hosted by three countries, while LA28 lists more than 55 Olympic and Paralympic sports, 800-plus events and more than 3,000 hours of live action.
While these events operate at a scale far beyond most tournaments, the same planning principles apply to smaller international competitions, youth events, amateur championships and multisport festivals. Every event needs a clear safety plan, defined authority, reliable communication and coordination with the appropriate venue, public safety and emergency management partners.
The following seven safety concerns are not an all-inclusive list. Every sport, venue, destination and audience creates different risks. However, these categories are a practical starting point for organizers hosting international athletes, spectators, delegations or media.
Special Focus: 2026 FIFA World Cup Safety Planning
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a major test case for international event safety planning in North America. The tournament will be hosted across Canada, Mexico and the United States, with 48 teams and 104 matches scheduled from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
For U.S. host cities, the tournament creates a unique planning challenge because risk is distributed across multiple markets, venues, airports, transit systems, hotels, fan zones and public gathering spaces. Safety planning cannot stop at stadium gates. It must also account for the full visitor journey, including airport arrivals, public transportation, rideshare areas, downtown entertainment districts, team hotels and unofficial viewing locations.
Several issues are especially important for World Cup planners:
- Crowd movement and transit demand: The Federal Transit Administration announced $100.3 million for public transportation supporting the 2026 FIFA World Cup to help transit agencies meet increased demand.
- Airspace and drone restrictions: The FAA has designated FIFA World Cup 2026 stadiums and surrounding event spaces as “No Drone Zones,” with temporary flight restrictions expected around match days.
- Airport and aviation pressure: FAA guidance warns that host-city skies will be exceptionally busy and that private aircraft should expect special air traffic procedures, flight-planning requirements and possible delays.
- Venue screening and access control: Stadiums and fan-facing event spaces should prepare for clear bag policies, screening procedures, credentialing, prohibited-item communication and crowd-flow management.
- Heat and weather planning: Because the tournament takes place in June and July across a wide range of climates, host cities should plan for heat, thunderstorms, poor air quality and severe-weather interruptions.
- Multilingual communication: Safety messages should be easy for international visitors to understand, especially around prohibited items, transit routes, medical help, emergency exits, weather delays and evacuation instructions.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup requires safety planning across stadiums, airports, transit networks, hotels, fan zones and public gathering spaces. Key concerns include crowd movement, drone restrictions, cyber risk, heat, weather, protests, multilingual communication and coordination among local, federal and international partners.
For smaller international events, the World Cup offers a useful planning lesson: safety is not just a venue function. It is an ecosystem. Any event that welcomes international teams, delegations or spectators should map the full participant journey, identify handoff points between agencies and vendors, and confirm who has authority to communicate or act when conditions change.
1. Terrorism and Targeted Violence
Since the September 11 attacks, organizers of large-scale sporting events have taken extraordinary measures to protect athletes, spectators, staff and the public from terrorism and targeted violence. Large sporting events can be attractive targets because they bring crowds together in predictable places and generate major media attention.
Past incidents, including the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, showed how difficult it can be to protect open, crowded environments. The challenge is not limited to the venue itself. International events often create additional gathering points, including hotels, transit hubs, training sites, fan zones, sponsor activations and public viewing areas.
For event organizers, the goal is not to create fear. The goal is to recognize that international events require early coordination with venue security, local law enforcement, emergency management, medical providers and, when appropriate, state and federal public safety partners.
The NCAA’s safety and security guidance recommends an “all-hazards” mindset for sporting events, with plans scaled to the size, scope and setting of the competition.
Planner takeaway: Do not treat security as a final-week checklist item. Include threat assessment, emergency response, communication and crowd-management planning from the earliest stages of the event.
2. Security for Dignitaries, VIPs and Delegations
International sporting events often attract politicians, celebrities, federation leaders, sponsors, national-team officials and other VIPs. Some may travel with their own protective teams. Others may require coordination with local police, private security, venue staff or event organizers.
The safety concern is not only the individual VIP. It is also the operational complexity they create. VIP arrivals can affect traffic patterns, entry gates, credentialing, seating, media access, hospitality areas and back-of-house movement.
For smaller international events, the “VIP” may simply be a visiting federation official, sponsor executive or government representative. Even then, the event should define who is responsible for greeting, moving and protecting that person, and what access they are allowed to have.
Planner takeaway: Create a credentialing and access plan that clearly separates athletes, officials, staff, media, VIPs, vendors and general spectators.
3. Protests, Demonstrations and Civil Unrest
International events often draw attention beyond sports. Political issues, human-rights concerns, labor disputes, environmental activism and international conflicts can all surface around competitions.
Protests are not automatically a safety threat. Peaceful protest is a protected and expected part of public life in many countries. The safety concern arises when crowd conditions change, counter-protests form, transportation corridors are blocked or conflict spills into entry areas, fan zones or competition spaces.
For organizers, the key is coordination and communication. Public safety teams need to know where demonstrations may occur, how they could affect athlete routes or spectator access, and who has authority to adjust gates, schedules or transportation plans.
Event organizers should prepare for protests by coordinating with local authorities, protecting lawful expression, keeping entry and emergency routes clear, and ensuring staff know how to escalate safety concerns.
Planner takeaway: Identify likely gathering areas, preserve emergency access and prepare staff to communicate calmly with spectators and participants.
4. Public Health Risks
Public health planning is now a core part of international event management. A global event can bring together athletes and spectators from different countries, climates and health environments. That can create concerns around communicable disease, food safety, heat illness, hydration, air quality, sanitation and medical surge capacity.
The World Health Organization notes that mass gathering planning can include health protection, disease prevention, enhanced event-based surveillance, and alert and response measures. WHO’s mass-gathering guidance also identifies topics such as command and control, communication, event medical services, surveillance, outbreak response, infection prevention and technology use.
For sports planners, public health planning should be practical and event-specific. Indoor events may focus more on ventilation, illness reporting and crowd density. Outdoor events may require more attention to heat, water access, air quality and shaded recovery areas.
Planner takeaway: Build a public health plan around the sport, season, audience, venue and travel pattern. Include medical coverage, sanitation, hydration, illness reporting and communication protocols.
5. Venue Security and Crowd Flow
Venue security is one of the most visible parts of event safety. International events may require entry screening, credential checks, bag policies, restricted areas, media zones, athlete-only spaces and clearly marked emergency routes.
CISA’s Public Venue Security Screening Guide provides options for developing and implementing security screening procedures for major sporting events and other public venues. CISA also provides a Sports Venue Bag Search Procedures Guide focused on public assembly venues hosting major sporting events.
For planners, the challenge is balancing safety with a positive guest experience. Long lines, unclear signage and inconsistent gate procedures can create frustration and crowd pressure. A strong plan should address how people arrive, where they queue, what items are prohibited, how exceptions are handled and how spectators move after entering.
Venue security should include clear access control, screening procedures, credentialing, signage, surveillance, emergency exits, crowd-flow planning and a communication plan for staff and spectators.
Planner takeaway: Walk the venue from the perspective of athletes, officials, spectators, media, VIPs and emergency responders before finalizing the event plan.
6. Cybersecurity and Technology Disruptions
Cybersecurity has become one of the fastest-growing safety and operational concerns for international sporting events. Modern competitions rely on digital systems for ticketing, credentials, scoring, timing, broadcast, payment processing, communications, Wi-Fi, registration and venue operations.
A cyber incident may not look like a traditional safety issue at first. However, a system failure can affect access control, public information, emergency communication, financial transactions and competition operations.
CISA has released guidance for stadium and arena owners focused on strengthening venue operations, mitigating vulnerabilities and improving emergency preparedness. CISA and the FBI also warned of potential cyber activity around the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics, urging athletes to reduce personal-device risk when attending major events.
For smaller international events, cybersecurity may be as simple as protecting registration data, using secure payment systems, limiting admin access and having backup procedures if Wi-Fi, scoring or ticket scanning fails.
Planner takeaway: Treat technology as part of the safety plan. Identify mission-critical systems, assign technical support, back up key data and prepare manual procedures for essential operations.
7. Natural Phenomena, Severe Weather and Disasters
No event organizer can plan for every possible occurrence, but severe weather and natural disasters must be part of the planning process. Outdoor events may face heat, lightning, storms, wildfire smoke, flooding, high winds or poor air quality. Indoor events may still be affected by power outages, transportation disruptions or severe weather around the venue.
The National Weather Service states that heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States and can lead to heat-related illness or worsen existing conditions. For outdoor sports events, NWS event-ready guidance encourages weather planning and coordination as part of safety planning for outdoor events.
For international events, weather planning is also a communication challenge. Visiting teams and fans may not understand local heat, storm, wildfire, tornado or hurricane risks. Event organizers should make safety information clear, multilingual when appropriate and easy to find.
Direct Answer: Outdoor event safety plans should include weather monitoring, lightning policies, heat protocols, evacuation routes, shelter locations, medical coverage and a clear chain of command for delays or cancellations.
Planner takeaway: Weather decisions should be made through a defined process, not through last-minute debate. Identify who can pause play, evacuate areas or cancel competition.
Conclusion: Safety Planning Is an Event-Wide Responsibility
Hosting international events presents unique safety and security concerns, but the underlying responsibility is the same for events of all sizes. Organizers must provide a safe, suitable facility for athletes and a reasonably safe environment for spectators, staff, volunteers and guests.
To meet that responsibility, event organizers should work with venue management, local authorities, emergency medical providers, public health officials, transportation partners and security professionals to identify foreseeable risks. Once those risks are identified, the organizing team can develop plans to reduce, manage or respond to them.
No plan can foresee every possible event or occurrence. That is why every event should have:
- A clear chain of command
- Written emergency procedures
- Reliable internal communication
- Defined roles for staff and volunteers
- Coordination with venue and public safety partners
- A plan for documenting incidents
- A post-event review process
The safest events are not the ones that assume nothing will go wrong. They are the ones that plan carefully, communicate clearly and give the right people authority to act when conditions change.
By John Wolohan,
Attorney John Wolohan is a professor of Sports Law in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and Adjunct Professor in the College of Law at Syracuse University. Professor Wolohan has published extensively in the areas of athlete’s rights, antitrust and doping in sport.
FAQ
What are the biggest safety concerns for international sports events?
The biggest concerns include terrorism, VIP security, protests, public health, venue security, cybersecurity and severe weather. The exact risk profile depends on the sport, location, event size, audience and political or environmental conditions.
Do smaller international tournaments need formal safety plans?
Yes. Even smaller events should have written safety procedures, medical coverage, emergency contacts, venue maps, incident reporting and a clear chain of command. The plan should be scaled to the size and complexity of the event.
Why is cybersecurity part of sports event safety?
Cybersecurity matters because events rely on digital systems for ticketing, credentials, scoring, timing, communications, registration and payment. If those systems fail or are compromised, the disruption can affect both operations and safety.
How should event organizers plan for protests?
Organizers should coordinate with local authorities, protect lawful expression and keep entrances, exits and emergency routes clear. Staff should know how to report concerns and avoid escalating tension.
What should be included in a venue safety plan?
A venue safety plan should include access control, screening, credentialing, crowd flow, emergency exits, medical response, weather procedures, communication protocols and a documented chain of command.
