SPORTS ANALYSIS
John Goodbody reports on
Developing a nation through sport
he success of Rio de Janeiro in
T
being selected to host the FIFA
World Cup in 2014 and the Sum-
mer Olympics in 2016 may have
set a template for future bids for the
two biggest international sports events.
Developing countries are heartened P
I
C
by the decisions and will now consider,
: A
P
/
with new optimism, whether to try to
P
R
E
S
stage these competitions. South Africa,
S A
S
still in the throes of emerging from
S
O
C
I
the years of apartheid, will put on the
A
T
I
O
football World Cup next year, and may
N I
M
think about a bid for the 2020 Summer
A
G
E
Olympics. After all, one of Rio’s selling
S
points for 2016 was that South America
had never staged the event. Well, nor
Countries are bidding for leading competitions to
has Africa, and with the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) committed to
use those events as a way of developing a nation
extending even further its global reach,
this is a candidate which it would par- disabled in their country “were not emerging nations, citing the 2010 Com-
ticularly welcome. treated as well as they could be,” and monwealth Games in India as another
What was raised at the recent Global the Games could act as an example example. He also said that the decision
Sports Industry Congress in London, was for the Russians on accessibility and to restrict the size of the Games further
the belief that sports governing bodies – treatment and also on participation. helped the emerging countries, as the
especially the IOC, with its specific social Volunteerism was “not something that number of competitors and officials
commitment, were happy to sign up to fits naturally with the Russians” and would be well-known in advance.
the desire of countries bidding for lead- that at the Games, with the thousands The IOC is keen to see that no ‘white
ing competitions to use those events as of volunteers needed “this new attitude elephants’, particularly unused stadia,
a way of developing a nation. would spread across the nation.” are left behind after staging the Games
Jon Tibbs, whose company JTA worked Sir Craig Reedie, the British IOC mem- and also that there is a tangible legacy
with Beijing to get the 2008 Summer ber who played a key role in London which renews interest in Olympic sport
Olympics and Sochi to get the 2014 Win- getting the 2012 Games, points to the and offers an after-life of improved in-
ter Games, believes that following the increasing social role of the IOC being frastructure and quality of life.
success of Rio, more countries will want recently confirmed by it’s being award- Many cities bidding for the Games
a piece of the cake and are coming out ed observer status at the United Nations. have been prepared not to hide their
of the woodwork for 2020. He says from In its famous final presentation in political and social weaknesses, but
his experience of working with Sochi Singapore, London emphasised the instead confront them. Tibbs says that
that “the Russians viewed the Olym- importance of engaging with the youth in the run-up to the 2001 vote when
pics as part of a 10-year strategy for a of the world and Rio continued this Beijing was attempting to get the 2008
new Russia. They believed that what is theme by highlighting the large number Games, it had to confront the challenges
needed to put on an Olympics is so de- of young people in South America, of media and individual freedom. He re-
manding that it would act as an example who could be captivated by hosting calls: ”Originally it went along with the
of best practice for Russia to follow.” the Olympic Games in their region. line that sport and politics don’t mix but
Two particular tenets of the Olympic Reedie, recently elected to the IOC it was persuaded that the Games would
Movement are to encourage disabled Executive Board, its inner cabinet, ac- force the authorities to address them
sports and support volunteerism. Tibbs cepted that there was some evidence and they would improve. The Olympics
says the Russians were aware that the that more leading events were going to can and should be a force for good.”
Issue 4 2009 © cybertrek 2009 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 17
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