So, after a long day of presentations and voting, Rio has won the right to host the first ever Olympic Games in South America. It’s fourth time lucky for the continent in bidding to host the Games, but what a party Rio 2016 promises to be.

With the theme of  ‘Live your passion’, Rio will introduce a very different type of dialogue between the Games and youth (integrating music, entertainment and ambience), an important factor for the IOC who are acutely conscious that the global Olympic audience is ageing.

With due respect to Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo, Rio clearly offered the most spectacular backdrop for the Olympic Games of the four competing cities, as well as the unique emotion, passion and creativity of the Brazilian nation.

In addition, Rio offers world-class facilities, an early legacy use for the venues of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and a model where only 26% of the venues need to be new builds.

Looking at the four bids, it’s also interesting to see that at $313m, Rio’s forecast sponsorship revenue is a only quarter of the target planned by Chicago. An unfair comparison? Over-optimism by Chicago? Or a case of ‘under promise, over deliver’ on Rio’s part? Only time will tell, but we shouldn’t underestimate the economic power - and lure - of one of the world’s biggest economies.

All in all, one can only applaud the IOC’s decision: it’s the right time for Rio, for Brazil, and for South America.

By Philip Patterson on October 2nd, 2009

Tags: Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, Sponsorship

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The newly-appointed head of Olympic legacy, Margaret Ford, interviewed in yesterday’s Evening Standard, signalled a potential u-turn in the proposed use of some of the London 2012 facilities post-Games.

This may not be a bad thing…

At the 117th International Olympic Committee Session in Singapore in 2005, as part of our winning bid to host the Games, Lord Coe stated that it was London’s intention ‘To stage an inspirational Games that capture the imagination of young people around the world and leave a lasting legacy’ and indeed this has been carried through to become one of the 10 strategic pillars of London 2012.

The question is, will we as a host nation succeed where so many before us have struggled?

One only has to visit former Olympic sites to see how hard it is to leave something that really makes a difference to the live of those around us. But it is not impossible…

We have the best opportunity we have ever had to permanently regenerate an area of London, place sport at its heart and inspire people for generations to come.

It’s an opportunity that we should wholeheartedly embrace and not shy away from, and as one of the masterminds behind the regeneration of the former Millennium Dome through its sale to the entertainment empire AEG, Lady Ford is the ideal person to lead the charge.

She has already stated that the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium may now not be reduced in size to 25,000 seats, but left as an iconic structure that could be used to host games, given a successful World Cup 2018 bid. And isn’t it good to be so positive about the future for a change?

When it comes to regeneration and legacy, visionary confidence is what we need – in abundance.

By Philip Patterson on June 26th, 2009

Tags: London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, grass roots sport

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