World Cup, 2010 South Africa!
In just one year, what has been the one of the goals of the government of South Africa for months, was landing the 2010 World Cup. Just outside of the city of Soweto in the African state of Johannesburg, the stadiums have been under construction and are almost ready. The luxury hotels South Africa supports have been taking reservations, and tickets for the events have already been sold. People around the world are concerned about various issues such as the crime rate and what some consider an infrastructure that is not adequate to support the amount of international travelers that will descend upon the city. Of the ten total world class stadiums, five are newly constructed.
The stadiums are located in Durban, Nelspruit, Polkwane and Cape Town. The older stadiums are currently going through upgrades. The cities that have been home to the World Cup in the past have all benefited from the tourism and the media, and the infrastructure of the country of South Africa stands to benefit in a similar way. And the country is making sure that this will be a memorable event as the architecture of the new stadiums is stunning and innovative. The only stadium with a glass ceiling, will be Green Point, and the designs are directly linked to the artistic heritage of the country. Some are concerned that once the Cup is over, the stadiums will situn -used, but the Government has already bid again, for the return of the Cup in 2015. And many of the soccer and football teams throughout the country will use the stadiums in the interim.
As far as the crime rate, it has come down by almost fifty percent in the last five years, however it is still much higher than many other cities around the world. The country is being compared to Wales and to England, countries known for extremely low rates of crime. The government has taken steps, not just in the hopes of hosting the World Cup, but in protecting the citizens of their country. They have appointed a new Chief of Police and have added more members to the police force in the past few years. Many other international events have been hosted in South Africa since the end of Apartheid, and they have occurred without incidence. In all, this a major accomplishment for a country so new to the concept of and the ideas of freedom, and to the living of life as many of the world live it, in celebration and in joy.