Enhancing Security Coordination for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean: Experts Meet to Ensure Safety

Regional security specialists began meeting here on Tuesday to make this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup one of the safest sporting events in the Caribbean.

The experts gathered to finalise planning for next month’s tournament at a Sub-regional Technical Expert Meeting on ‘Enhancing Security Coordination for Major Sporting Events in the Caribbean’ which is being hosted at the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) headquarters.

With less than a month before its start, the tournament has faced concerns over potential security threats, according to media reports. The reports said intelligence suggests pro-Islamic State media sources, including the Afghanistan-Pakistan branch IS-Khorasan, have incited violence against the sporting event.

The technical expert meeting here brings together security personnel, government officials and organisers from across the Caribbean to coordinate plans for a safe and successful June 2-29 tournament.

Areas being addressed include venue operations, crowd management, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism measures, crisis communications and contingency planning.

Representatives from the co-host nations of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago are in attendance. During the meeting, the officials are expected to harmonise security protocols, share intelligence and ensure a consistent, robust approach is taken region-wide.

Paola Fernandez, Programme Manager for the Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE), told attendees that while such events are important for the social and economic growth of participating countries, the inherent security risks cannot be overlooked and must be taken seriously.

“Major sporting events provide a unique opportunity to promote a destination, generate significant economic and cultural opportunities, and promote development, particularly among young people,” she said. “But these benefits also come with significant security challenges, which have only become more complex through the years. The security aspects of co-hosting major sporting events, such as the T20 Cricket World Cup, also require significant collaboration and coordination among co-hosting countries to ensure the safety and success of the event.”

Fernandez acknowledged that co-hosting major events brings with it a unique set of challenges and opportunities, particularly from a security perspective.