The 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 2008 Sri Lanka Marathon, and most recently, the 2013 Boston Marathon. What once might have been isolated incidents has now become a trend, as major sporting events become go-to targets for terrorist organizations.
While most commonly associated with the aviation world, the checkpoint is now a major component of almost every security strategy. Whether it’s a major sporting event like the Olympics or the Super Bowl or a high-security facility like a government building or nuclear power facility, checkpoints have spread far-and-wide beyond the confines of the airport.
Major sporting events, like the World Series or the Super Bowl, are no longer just athletic contests – they are the new “destination vacations” and, for global events like the Olympics or the World Cup, sources of national prestige and economic drivers.