Emergency preparedness for unfortunate football fans
SOS International estimates that approx. 3,000 Danish football fans will travel to South Africa to watch the world cup final. We know from experience that some of the fans will need their travel insurance during their stay, and in South Africa special measures must be taken. That is why SOS’ emergency centre has established a special World Cup Task Force.
The world cup football fever is taking hold. The World Cup which will take place between 11 June and 11 July is the first ever on the African continent. Together with FIFA, the African authorities pull out all the stops to ensure that the World Cup will proceed in a calm, orderly and successful manner – and to ensure that all visiting football fans from all over the world will have a comfortable and safe stay. But what if an accident actually happens after all?
Probably a limited number of claims
SOS expects that no more than 3-4,000 of the visitors will come from Denmark and the other Nordic countries, and according to our experience, it will result in 50 assistance cases at the most.
- "We are probably talking a limited number of cases", says Jan Sander, director of SOS Travel. "On the other hand, South Africa is a country very different to what we are familiar with. South Africa, for instance, has more violent crime than we do in Scandinavia, so in other words we must be prepared. And we are", promises Jan Sander.
Special task force ready for assistance
To answer telephone calls and handle claims cases for unfortunate football fans, SOS International’s 24/7 emergency centre has established a special World Cup Task Force, which is carefully briefed on the conditions in South Africa – such as safety, infrastructure, ambulance transport and the quality of hospitals and clinics. SOS’ local service office in Johannesburg is ready to help and, if necessary, call in extra resources.
Good idea to take certain measures
Jan Sander points out that even if the preparedness is in place, it might be a good idea if the traveller becomes familiar with the conditions and takes some simple measures before and during the stay.
- "First of all, it is important to make sure before leaving your home country that you have valid travel insurance. Then make copies of all the most important documents and keep them in different places. Finally, you have to ensure you get all relevant vaccinations in due time, just as it is recommended to become a little familiar with the security and health conditions in the destination", says Jan Sander.
