Domodedovo Attack Raises Questions

Monday's suicide attack at Moscow's Domodedovo has raised questions regarding the country's ability to host two of the world's biggest sporting events over the next eight years. In 2014, Sochi, Russia's famed resort city on the Black Sea, will host the Winter Olympics -- the first time the country has hosted the games since it was still the Soviet Union and hosted the heavily boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Four years later, in 2018, the Russian Federation will host the world's biggest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup.

The issues surrounding Russia's preparation for these events bring to mind the criticism directed at South Africa in the lead-up to their hosting of the 2010 World Cup, particularly one key question: "Will the safety of Russian and foreign fans be an issue?" There is no question that separatist terrorist groups in North Caucasus areas such as Chechnya and Dagestan are aware of these upcoming events. The issue is whether or not these groups will want to target foreign nationals indiscriminately alongside Russian nationals as a means of sending a message to the Kremlin, and, if so, will Russian authorities be prepared to sniff out these threats before they come to fruition.

As Russia prepares for the 2014 Sochi Games and the 2018 FIFA World Cup by building state-of-the-art new facilities, it will be interesting to see how President Dmitry Medvedev goes about fulfilling his promise to the Russian people to increase security and tighten regulations. Furthermore, will these higher standards carry over through the course of the next eight years as Russia puts on the two biggest sporting events in the world? The horrific attack at Domodedovo Monday might stir up the idea in one's mind the notion that these sporting events could be Russia's version of Munich 1972 -- the hope, however, is that it will instead be their own rendition of South Africa 2010.

By: Eurasia Brief

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