| Johannesburg Wins Media Center for 2010 WC |
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| Written by admin | |
| Saturday, 28 July 2007 | |
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Well, pack your bags (and don’t forget your vuvuzela,because Johannesburg will soon be introduced as the host of the International Broadcast Center for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The IBC will be a state-of-the-art facility directing all television and print media coverage of the massive event. Johannesburg beat out – somewhat surprisingly – Cape Town and Durban to win the center. Plans to build will begin soon. Johannesburg is the country’s most populated city and the location of the event’s opening ceremonies, home to Soccer City – the impressive main stadium that will host the 2010 World Cup final. Since JBurg already has so much going on, many believed the IBC would go to Cape Town or Durban – considered sexier draws due to their beachside locations. Cape Town – South Africa’s legislative capital and home to the National Parliament – was particularly disappointed because they believed they had submitted a strong proposal. The R1-billion ($145.5 million) cash injection that will now go to Johannesburg probably doesn’t help much, either. Building the IBC in Cape Town would have presented logistical problems since the city is on the southwestern coast – far from other cities that will host matches – but Cape Town is South Africa’s most popular tourist destination and expected to play a major role in the World Cup. Now, CT will have to hold out hope for the World Cup final draw and/or the FIFA Congress – which still need hosts. “It’s not the end of the world for Cape Town,” quipped Organizing Committee CEO Danny Jordaan. In other World Cup news, FIFA is cracking down on the pesky little guys, threatening legal action against websites billing themselves as World Cup 2010 sites if they refuse to shut down. So far, no less than eight have closed after the threats. In a letter to www.2010-soccer-worldcup.com a free website maintained by a soccer fan, that has recently been shut down, listed hotel accommodations to increase tourism interest – FIFA’s senior legal counsel David Murray wrote: “We appreciate that you may not have been aware that companies such as yours, which do not have a formal license to FIFA, cannot use the infringing signs. For this reason, we are writing to explain this to you and to politely request that you immediately refrain from using the domain name and the infringing signs.” Murray also noted that hosting the event is “extremely expensive,” and that its success depends on financial investment and sponsorship generated by the event. Source |
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