As the kick off to the FIFA World Cup 2006 draws closer, the 12 host cities are putting the final touches to their preparations to hosting the largest sporting event in the world. Some of the cities are used to large scale events and influxes of tourists whilst others are new to such attention. But Germany has put a large scale of resource and six years of planning into hosting the event and the host cities are well prepared for the first whistle of the World Cup.
Germany is well placed to host a World Cup. With several large cities and strong regional infrastructure, Germany is well placed to show the anticipated 3-4 million visiting fans a good time. Frankfurt is typical of the attention to infrastructure and detail that has gone in to the planning and execution of the event. Germanys financial centre is one city that has long had the infrastructure capable of holding large scale events, but there are none larger than the World Cup and even a city which is established on a world scale will be tested to the fullest as the festival of football marches into town.
Frankfurt retains a cosmopolitan and international feel. With the financial centre attracting visitors and residents from all around the world, Frankfurt is perhaps most naturally placed to cope with its share of visiting fans. The addition of the new Waldstadion, a 50,000 seat arena built specifically for the World Cup furthers the facilities on offer in Frankfurt this summer. Frankfurt is used to dealing with tourists and the business community and has the facilities and attractions expected of a major German city. A modern metropolis of skyscrapers and bank HQs, Frankfurt has over 400 hotels to cope with the influx of visitors and additional camp and caravan sites are available outside the city. Despite facilities, Frankfurt will be stretched for accommodation this June and visitors will need to check major hotel resellers (http://www.superbreak.com/resorts/FK-hotels.htm ) and the official Frankfurt city website (http://www.frankfurt.de ) for up to date information and availability.
Travelling to and from Frankfurt is simple and efficient. The city is well served by an international airport offering domestic flights to the other host cities as well as continental and transcontinental flights. Frankfurt is the most central of German cities and is an ideal base to follow your countrys fortunes. A central hub on the autobahn network, Frankfurt is ideal for traversing Germany by road as all of the major car hire firms in the city (http://easycar.com/aspx/car-hire/location/Frankfurt.aspx/EN ) either at the airport or ain the city centre.
This year's most anticipated sports event, the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006, is getting sizzling as the planet's finest 16 teams compete over the knock-out round, setting all-time high records of worldwide cumulative viewership and commercial deals. Nevertheless, when it comes to soccer surprises, Germany 2006 could not be a highlight, at least not at the moment. Despite the French struggle, favorite Brazil, England and Germany have just begun their fights after easy games.
Host South Korea's victory over powerhouse Italy, black horse Senegal's defeat of continental France and favorite England's loss to novice USA in past World Cups aside, let me bring your attention to one of the Game's most phenomenal miracles, and perhaps least known, West Germany's win over then omnipotent Hungary to clinch the World Cup trophy.
Think World Cup is only fought on the fields? Think again! The battle is fierce way beyond the pitch, extending from the peripheral advertisement boards to stock prices of arch rivals Adidas and Nike. Indirectly, it was this commercial fight over World Cup sponsorship that rewarded Germany its first World Cup title in 1954.
When it comes to soccer, sports leader Nike has to give it to Adidas. The Germany's global icon prides its brand on soccer essentials, from boots to balls to apparels. In the eventful 1954 Switzerland World Cup, Adidas founder, Adi Dassler, determined to maintain his lead over the USA brand in soccer, innovated the world's first replaceable cleats after carefully studying the muddy field of Bern. The new screw-in studs helped his German countrymen triumph over giant Hungary in a seismic match. The miracle of Bern was born.
Adi Dassler's replaceable cleats have now been developed into customizable sets of boots, in-soles and studs, the new Adidas mark in the relentless competition with Nike. Professional soccer players usually have three pairs of boots for different match conditions. Now, all they need is a personal Adidas soccer set with selected replaceables.
Technology has empowered many aspects of our lives in more ways than we could imagine. This instance of World Cup technology simply represents one of the many prevailing technological trends, that of personalization. The way the boots transform the Game, not the score but the quality of course, is somewhat similar to how video morphers customize our movies, music editors morph iTune clips and voice changers mask our voices. Even faces could now be hidden through webcam morphers.
As the 2006 World Cup heats up with the final games, and the 2010 South Africa's Game in queue, let us await eagerly more Miracle-of-Bern surprises, especially those underneath which lies the technology of customization.
About the Author:
Josh Nowell is a Media Morpher correspondent. He is keen on technological trends and how technology has enriched our lives.
He could be contacted at media@audio4fun.com (attention to Josh Nowell).
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