Following a rigorous scientific methodology, all significant, objective and subjective assessments with regard to the specific risk situation of particular individuals, organizations or events are compiled and assessed. Typically, we take into account the particular target attractiveness of major events, the attack attraction value and the symbolic effect of sporting organizations, associations and teams, as well as individual threat factors which can for example result from the perception of individual athletes as exponents of a particular life style or their signal effect to potential stalkers.

The reconciliation of risk profile and protection measures that may already be in place provides valuable indicators with regard to the creation and adaptation of security concepts.

Having analyzed and outlined relevant risks with regard to quality and quantity, a strategic operational framework needs to be implemented for management purposes. Purely from a professional point of view this is rather simple, but what can’t be delegated to the security consultant is the representative perception and awareness of different stakeholder interests. In the end, the expert’s view is rarely dominant. Deriving security arrangements – not only in name – which allow sufficient space for a sport and its stakeholders, all the while taking profitability factors into consideration, is the desired structure.

The threats to large-scale sporting events are global, complex and predominantly asymmetrical. Recent events unfortunately remind us that not only attacks on IT infrastructure, moral values and legal norms are to be expected, but also acts of violence against individuals, possibly resulting in the loss of life. Nevertheless, security concepts for major events are often “enacted” without a thorough and holistic risk assessment. In the interest of limiting and preventing considerable damage followed by inevitable legal consequences, we are pleading for caution and the implementation of timely and strategic security planning measures.

Sporting security concepts cannot and should not leave worst-case scenarios aside. In the course of security planning, emergency management needs to be addressed bluntly and relevant precautions need to be put in place. Past cases have shown that security budgets are cut, even at large-scale events, with disastrous consequences. We develop and implement suitable emergency and crisis management structures – strongly adjusted to specific risks. Where measures are already in place, our audits provide indicators with regard to deficiencies and potentials for optimization.

The ultimate responsibility for security at large international events lies in the hands of the host country and the respective appointed organizational committee, but a mandatory orientation framework is constituted through written codified and in part complex provisions of superordinate sports organizations. The need for coordination is further increased when participating national organizations, their teams and athletes bring their specific security perspective and expectations “into play”. Based on official mandates, we support organizational bodies, host nations/cities and participants with regard to the coordination and enforcement of security interests and objectives.

Global sports associations increasingly need to deal with doping, corruption and other forms of competition manipulation. The dilemma seems to be rooted in the difficulty of bringing economic interests and “clean sports” in line with each other. The option of sitting back and waiting for the necessary structural reform cannot be allowed. An effective control concept must include measures for prevention, detection and adequate reactions to malicious acts.

PROTEUS.one operates according to a modular consulting approach. This is not designed to implement isolated subsystems, but to offer solutions that can be integrated into an existing governance structure.

In recent times, anti-doping agencies and sporting associations have increasingly been the targets of professionally executed and to some degree, state-directed cyber-attacks. Subsequently, login details of association officials have been obtained and used through “Phishing” attacks and personal data and medical exemption certificates of athletes have been illegally uploaded onto the internet. It is obvious that rudimentary security precautions are not sufficient for the defense of such threats. Cyber security needs to be defined more comprehensively than conventional IT security allows and needs to relate to the protection of data and information systems in the broadest sense.