Dual Securitization of Public Space in Relation to Sport Mega Events

The objective of this study is to examine security measures in cities hosting sports mega events. Using International political sociology as a theoretical background, I argue that city spaces undergo what I refer to as dual securitization. I identify four principal characteristics of security measures which have become globally standardized and which I consider illiberal: exceptionalism, surveillance, militarization and urban restrictions. In the case studies, I explore how these measures were justified and employed during the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup in Beijing, South Africa, London and Rio de Janeiro. Despite some differences which are due to local realities, I argue that the approaches of the principal stakeholders in the four cities are very much alike. Regardless of the type of political regime or the degree of socio-economic development, exceptionality of mega events serves as an impetus for wide-scale and profound surveillance and militarization of contemporary cities. In the process, securing public spaces and urbanites comes at the expense of individual liberties