The final whistle blew on the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ just a few moments ago and as it did HBS staff members in South Africa began to shake hands and trade smiles. For the third time HBS successfully delivered all 64 matches of a FIFA World Cup™ to an enthusiastic worldwide audience, thereby once more fulfilling its original mandate. The company was created eleven years ago with the very specific task of producing the television and radio signals for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups™, a mission that was later extended to the 2010 and 2014 editions of the tournament.

For the interns working at the IBC and the ten FIFA World Cup™ venues the culmination of the event can be viewed as a beginning not an end. Hired by HBS, on behalf of FIFA TV, each of the students completing their internship receive a certificate of completion as well as educational credits that will give them a large advantage when applying for future employment.

As part of the FIFA Broadcast Legacy programme, 330 students have been working as interns throughout the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ for HBS (Host Broadcast Services), FIFA’s dedicated host broadcast company.

At the invitation of FIFA, some 120 journalists visited the IBC on 21 May. During a three hour long event, the attendees were given an extensive tour of facilities and listened to detailed explanations about the role of the IBC in the broadcast of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Four major stops were made during the tour, which started with a visit of the Aggreko Generator Park where both Rupert Soames, CEO of Aggreko, and Cyril Ramaphosa of the Shanduka Group, provided details of the overall power set-up and their respective companies' role in providing this.

Newsletters - 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™