Surveillance, Security and Sporting Mega Events: Toward a Research Agenda on the Organisation of Security Networks

Surveillance and security at sports mega events have been the subject of considerable scholarly attention. Events such as the Olympic Games and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cups have become occasions of almost unparalleled economic, political and social significance. In the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, scholars have examined issues such as the ‘security legacies’ of sports mega events, the infrastructures and technologies used in an attempt to secure these events, and the planning mentalities underpinning the staggering ‘security spectacle’ of these globally televised events. This paper deals with the subject of how surveillance and security practices at sports mega events are organised. It uses the emerging paradigm of ‘security networks’ to call attention to some important issues involving the entire ‘security assemblage’ that accompanies these mega events. The paper presents five levels of analysis—structural, cultural, policy, technological and relational—to examine these practices and documents several key areas for further research on sports mega events.