Heba Press / Rabat
The director of operational support and analysis at the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), Cyril Gaut, confirmed on Wednesday in Marrakech that Morocco is “a country with strong dynamism” in the organization of international sporting events and works in close cooperation with its Interpol partners to secure them.
Mr. Gaut said in a statement to the press, on the sidelines of the work of an international workshop on the security and safety of major sporting events, organized by the General Directorate of National Security, under the coordination of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO). Interpol) through its “Stadia” project, that “Morocco is a very dynamic country, we will host major sporting events, and we will work together to secure them through Interpol and the “Stadia” project, through collective action dynamics in which the different countries participate. commit to strengthening security and applying best practices in the management of these events.
Mr. Gut added: “Today, we are in Morocco, in Marrakech, to attend an event of national, regional and global importance, since the “Stadia” project works to ensure the security and safety of major sporting events, as well as international events. noting that the World Cup in Qatar 2022 and the last Olympic Games in Paris have demonstrated the effectiveness of this system.
He explained that in this two-day workshop, experts from various countries and organizations, including the United Nations and FIFA, will work to exchange experiences and prepare more effective strategies for the future, stressing that the “Stadia” project establishes systems, standards, rules and procedures for managing fans in the territory of the host country, and carrying out integrated security exploration operations with the aim of integrating the rest of the partners (local authorities, means of transport, hospitals …), in managing the flow of participants in these events in a smooth and secure manner.
Mr. Gut stressed that this approach is implemented in full respect of human rights, citizens’ rights and the protection of data and personal data, while making the capacities of Interpol and Morocco available to the various stakeholders, stressing the importance of conducting a real-time analysis of the threat of new forms of crime, supported by cybercrime, in order to be able to carry out better monitoring of these threats and work better collectively.
This international workshop aims to support Morocco’s organization of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, which will be organized jointly with Spain and Portugal, by contributing to strengthening the capacities of national security personnel in the areas of organizing major events in accordance with international rules and practices, particularly in the areas of crowd management and control of the use of sports facilities, monitoring and anticipation of threats and risks, developing regular and emergency action plans, and managing operations centers and international cooperation centers in the field of security.
In addition to Moroccan security executives specialized in the fields of sports security and the organization of major events, the workshop includes the participation of international officials and security experts representing Interpol, the Confederation of African Football and FIFA, as well as experts in the field of sports security from a group of Arab, African and European countries.
