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Expect a spectacular, African ceremony to open the Confederations Cup. Everything is in place for a great tournament, say organisers.
Lebo M, of The Lion King fame, is one of the organisers of the opening and closing ceremonies
THE opening and closing ceremonies of the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009™ will be uniquely African productions with plenty of exciting activities.
So say the organisers of the ceremonies, Lebo M, of The Lion King fame, and Abey Mokgwatsane, the chief executive of VWV Group.
Lebo M's Till Dawn Entertainment and VWV Group have joined hands as VWV Consortium, to design and direct the ceremonies, which will be beamed around the globe on 14 and 28 June, respectively.
Jack Morton Worldwide, which served as production consultants for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games ceremonies and produced the opening and closing ceremonies for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, are the associate producers.
With exactly one month to kickoff, the opening ceremony would be "a uniquely African ceremony", according to Mokgwatsane. The two were speaking at Safa House on Thursday, 14 May.
"We are excited and very confident that VWV Consortium is going to deliver a successful opening ceremony on 14 June [at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg]. Even though the Confederations Cup is not as massive as the World Cup or the Olympics, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Confederations Cup will be world class."
Lebo M added that the ceremonies would have a distinct South African flavour but would not be drawn into naming who would be performing, "to protect the integrity" of the performers".
"We received an overwhelming amount of calls locally and internationally from people wanting to participate in the ceremonies. All we want is the creative team to focus on the job at hand to deliver successful opening and closing ceremonies."
Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC), said the committee was "delighted" to announce the VWV Consortium as the service providers for the ceremonies.
"Lebo M is a true South African and indeed global entertainment industry icon. We are delighted that he will bring his creativity and incredible talent to the tournament. Jack Morton brings global experience to the team and we are sure these ceremonies will be distinctly African and world class," he said.
Ticket sales
Turning to other matters, Jordaan said a total of 351 121 Confederations Cup tickets out of the available 640 000 had been sold by 13 May.
Abey Mokgwatsane, the chief executive of VWV Group
With the opening of ticketing centres in Johannesburg and other Confederations Cup host cities, there had been a significant increase in ticket sales.
"We approach the tournament with confidence. Our stadiums are ready, our transport and security plans have been fine-tuned and more than 4 000 volunteers have been trained in preparation for the first major FIFA tournament on African soil. We know we still have much to do, but I can assure you we will not disappoint."
Jordaan spoke of the long road to 2010, beginning with South Africa winning the bid in 2004 to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. He said the government had been 100 percent committed to the successful hosting of the event.
"The government's commitment to the 2010 World Cup will be consistent. And this commitment is manifest in the hosting of the IPL [Indian Premier League cricket tournament] in South Africa where the government responded within two weeks of the IPL's request to hold the event in the country. This shows that South Africa can provide a safe and secure environment for major events."
He also thanked all 2010 World Cup host cities. "Their support has been tremendous."
And he commended the efforts of workers on all 2010 construction sites, making particular mention of those at Soccer City who had to work at night and over weekends to meet deadlines.
"Because of the workers' dedication, Soccer City will be completed well before the October 2009 deadline."
Stadiums
The head of competitions at the OC, Derek Blanckensee, said the four stadiums - Ellis Park, Royal Bafokeng, Loftus Versfeld and Free State - were ready to host Confederations Cup matches.
"The training venues are also ready, with all pitches done to match pitches in main stadiums," he said.
Fans will be able to watch their favourite players during training sessions at the training venues. Each team participating in the Festival of Champions, as the Confederations Cup is known, will have one training session open to the public before the tournament begins.
South Africa, Iraq, Brazil, Egypt, USA, Italy, New Zealand and Spain are taking part in the tournament.
Giving an update on volunteers, Onke Mjo, the head of the OC's volunteer programme, said 4 030 people had been picked to take part.
"Training of these volunteers has already started. The youngest volunteer is 18 years of age with the oldest being a 78-year-old pensioner. Of the total number of volunteers, 40 are disabled," she said.
In Johannesburg, the city's 505 volunteers will be based at the Standard Bank Arena, not far from Ellis Park.
Transport
Transport infrastructure is also ready for the thousands of local and international fans expected to attend matches. Skhumbuzo Macozoma, in charge of transport at the OC, said all procurement was in place and all operational activities had been finalised.
"Operational activities will start as of 31 May and end on 1 July 2009."
He added that host city transport plans were also well on track. In Joburg, Rissik and Doornfontein train stations will act as major transport hubs for Ellis Park. There will be first and economy class trains, and a commuter rail service, the business express, will operate between Tshwane and Joburg for the duration of the tournament.
There would be tight security in all stadiums with 805 stewards deployed at Ellis Park during any one match, said Linda Mti, the OC's head of security. Fans would also have to adhere to a code of conduct.
"Pamphlets will be distributed at public places to make the public aware of these security requirements. The pamphlets will contain all information related to things not allowed into the stadium and how fans should behave inside the stadium."
To mark one month to kickoff, the national finals of the Schools Confederations Cup will take off on Friday, 15 May at Marks Park in Emmarentia. The tournament will feature girls and boys teams from Mafikeng, Brits, Kuils River, Vryheid, Waterberg and the OR Tambo District.
In all, 36 teams will clash, with the four winners receiving 20 Confederations Cup tickets each. The finals will take place on Saturday, 16 May.
The tournament is part of the My 2010 School Adventure, a campaign that aims to promote the World Cup in schools.
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