I for one was pleased to see the recent news that FIBA has given the British Basketball Team the chance to represent Team GB at the Games in 2012 – a result that sees Team GB represented in all sports at  London 2012. This also means that  Britain will field a basketball team at London 2012 for the first time since last hosting the Games in 1948.

By allowing Team GB to compete, FIBA has given British Basketball another platform from which to shout about their brilliant sport. A sport that has the potential to be huge in this country.

GB's NBA star - Luol Deng

Basketball in Britain has struggled to grab the attention of young men and women on a mass scale like Football does, but in recent years, the tables seem to be turning and there is an ever increasing interest in the sport as a whole. Andy Hunt, chief executive of the British Olympic Association rightly pointed out that ‘FIBA’s decision is recognition for years of hard work British Basketball have put in on and off the court’.

Interest in the sport has undoubtedly been fuelled by images of David Beckham and his boys courtside at the LA Lakers. For others, it might be down to hit US TV shows like One Tree Hill. But one of the biggest factors has to be the introduction of the NBA Europe Live at the O2.

David Beckham attends Lakers game with sons

For those unfamiliar with the NBA’s foray to British shores, they made basketball history when the first-ever regular-season games were held in Europe, between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors at The O2 in London this year.

It was quite a spectacle and a great advert for the game in the UK and now, with the news that FIBA have allowed Team GB a place in 2012, British Basketball has another reason to shout about its beloved game.

NBA at the O2

I will certainly be looking to get some tickets in the Olympic ticket ballot and why don’t you?

(If you’re not into Basketball, maybe this will change your mind! Check out the Toronto Raptors mascot in action, below…)

By Jonathan Gale on March 15th, 2011

Tags: Athletics, BBC, Blogging, BOA, David Beckham, Default, London 2012 sponsorship, Sport, Team GB, YouTube

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With approximately 500 days remaining before the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, this is a question many are asking.  Since the Olympics were awarded to London, the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) has been moving full tilt, drawing on everything ‘London’, from the one-of-a-kind buildings to leveraging the city’s international flavour.

However, with all of this movement taking place, a certain degree of negativity and skepticism still colours public and media opinion.  Will the country who is expected to host one of the greatest Games in modern times be able to right itself in time?

This is not the first time that the International Olympic Committee has seen a country divided in its support of the Games, as negative public opinion also reigned in the lead-up to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. This was not simply a price tag issue, but an acute lack of confidence in the country’s overall ability to deliver on a global scale. Emerging from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, coupled with the belief that Canada was bound to be outshone by the spectacle put on for the world two years prior in Beijing, the lead up to the Games was anything but a celebration.

Unlike Canada however, the UK is acutely aware, if so desired, that they can deliver a world-class event. Less than a decade ago, in 2002, this country played host to two of the greatest and most widely publicised events in recent UK history: the Queen’s Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. These two globally scrutinized events were both marked by tremendous skepticism by British citizens in the months and years preceding them. There were even predictions in the media that the Queen’s Jubilee would be a ‘non-event’, and that the Commonwealth Games were nothing but a poor financial investment that would indubitably burden the local citizens.

Nonetheless, the 2002 Commonwealth Games turned out to be the largest in history at the time, and has commonly been referred to as the most successful multi-sport event to be held in the UK since the 1948 Olympics. Furthermore, the success of hosting the Commonwealth Games demonstrated to the world that the UK was more than capable of hosting events of such magnitude, and this played a significant part in securing the 2012 Olympic Games for London.

While the success of LOCOG and sponsor planning will only be truly realised when the Opening Ceremony begins on July 27th, 2012, like past Games, the present skepticism will continue to be eroded as the Games become more tangible and imminent to the public.  One key tool in rallying the nation’s support will be the Olympic Torch Relay (OTR), set to commence 70 days before the Opening Ceremonies. The OTR, which will be so far-reaching and all-encompassing that 95% of the UK will be within one hour’s drive from it, is the greatest asset of the Olympic Games to bolster support and ignite fervour and enthusiasm.

The OTR, which acts as the prelude to the Games, has the unique ability to touch people in their hometown, on their doorstep.  Local heroes will pass the Olympic Flame across the country, and overall the OTR will serve as a 70-day celebration of what and who this country is comprised of.  It will allow everyone to experience a little part of the Olympics on their own home turf, and to incite that enthusiasm and patriotism.  Just as in Canada, it was not until the flame began its journey across the country that the wave of excitement was generated and intensified, and Canadians realised the power of what they were hosting.

It may take a while yet before all the UK’s citizens come around and celebrate hosting the Games, but hopefully prior to when the Olympic Torch Relay commences.  However, if the 2010 Torch Relay throughout Canada was able to rally its 33.7 million citizens to support the 2010 Games given an even greater hurdle of public opinion, then I can only assume that the 2012 OTR will have an even greater ability to appeal to its 60+ million UK residents.

I predict that national pride will take hold and that the hearts and minds of the nation will be captured in a frenzy of patriotism. The Olympic flame will ignite a fever that will spread from coast-to-coast with the Torch Relay and we will all be smitten by the Opening Ceremony, at which point the responsibility is passed on to the athletes to show the world what they’re made of.

The eyes of the world will be upon us, as the UK prepares for perhaps the only event that can eclipse a Royal Wedding: the greatest and most successful Olympic Games in history.

By Melissa Oberman on January 27th, 2011

Tags: Beijing 2008, BOA, Commonwealth Games, London 2012, Olympic Torch Relay, Olympics, Winter Olympics

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Don’t worry, Boris Johnson hasn’t called a snap Olympics!  The Games in question are the inaugural Youth Olympic Games which are currently taking place in Singapore, and which represent a long-awaited dream of Jaques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, who has always wanted to create a global sporting event for young people.

The Games kicked off on 14 August with an elaborate Opening Ceremony, after which around 3,600 athletes between 14-18 years of age will be participating in 12 days of competition across the 26 summer Olympic sports.

Team GB has sent a team of 40 athletes to Singapore, including some individuals who are already hugely experienced at global sporting events, such as Tom Daley, the World and European Champion diver, who is a strong GB medal hope for London 2012.  For other team members, the experience of Singapore will be crucial to their development, especially for those with longer term goals such as Rio 2016.

With no precedent for this event, the organisation and build-up was always going to attract varying levels of interest and, as is often the case with the Olympic Games, the cost of hosting the event is one of the major elements that has been scrutinised. The original budget submitted to the IOC of $90m has already been exceeded three-fold, with the current figure standing at around $270m.

Sponsorship is another area where difficulties have been experienced.  Again, because this is a new event there is no precedent for sponsors to work from – no history of viewers or interest (although it is anticipated that there will be around 370,000 spectators) – therefore, the Games were seen as a risk for all involved and the Organising Committee has had to work hard to secure the required investment.  As it stands today, the Games have attracted 68 Marketing Partners – 11 Worldwide Olympic Partners (including Coca-Cola, Visa and P&G), 9 Official Partners (including Deloitte and Singapore Airlines), 16 Official Sponsors (including Volvo and SingPost) and 32 Official Supporters.

Total revenue generated from the sponsors has been estimated at 60m Singapore Dollars, however, many of the brands became involved on a 100% value in kind basis, seeing them offer their goods and services to the Organising Committee to help deliver of the Games, in return for marketing rights.

The final verdict on whether these Games have been a success won’t be known until all the marketing intelligence and data is collated. Regardless of this, China has already recognised the potential of the newest addition to the IOC events calendar, with Nanjing winning the bid to host the event in 2014 – a decision that was made by the IOC in February this year.

If you want to catch some of the action you can view live it live on the IOC website or highlights on BBC iPlayer.

By Sara Wilson on August 18th, 2010

Tags: Athletics, BBC, BOA, Default, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, Sponsorship, Team GB

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It’s a very exciting time when the mascots are announced for any Games.  Admittedly, this excitement is normally reserved for those aged under ten, and rightly so.  However, I feel very fortunate that I’m blessed with an inner child and can appreciate similar feelings of anticipation that I did back when I was six or seven years old. The more exciting thing this time though, is the fact I might actually get to meet the London 2012 editions.  If you’ve yet to see them, take a look at the Telegraph’s comprehensive explanation of their design.

As you’ve probably guessed I like them.  I think they offer something that will inspire and engage young people across the UK.  They have a thrilling adventure ahead of them and they’ll be able to interact with their audience like never before in the history of Olympic Mascots.  The speed in which both technology and young people have developed in recent years is astonishing.  The digital children right across all corners of the UK will have the opportunity to follow, like and play with Wenlock and Mandeville however they choose, whenever they choose and wherever they choose.  Surely this is amazing? They will take them on holiday, take them to school and probably in the bath too, and more often than not this will be through the digital channel.

I think for brands involved as Official Partners of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games this offers a unique opportunity.  The mascots will play an important role in connecting with the young people, not only in terms of promoting the Games, but also as an educational inspiration.  I remember how engaged I was when taught about the Olympic movement, having something so real and tangible on the door step will have an enormous impact, particularly for young boys who commonly have learning challenges in certain subjects of the curriculum in this age group.  Tapping into to this market to help develop and extend the Olympic experience and involve our young nation in the Games is a fantastic opportunity and we’ll be looking to develop programmes for our clients to maximise this exciting development.

So, I hope you to get some excitement from seeing the new mascots unveiled.  If they’re not for you don’t worry, but I urge you to just ask a small person their opinion in two years time, as this will be the true judge of the success of Wenlock and Mandeville.  Get involved yourselves and follow them on Twitter @iamwenlock and @iammandeville and see how the story unfolds in the build up to the ever nearing London 2012. And keep your eye on this blog, as if I do get the chance to meet them the pictures will be here first!

By Ben Wilkinson on May 20th, 2010

Tags: BOA, Brand marketing, Branded content, Digital marketing, Experiential marketing, Facebook, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, London 2012 sponsorship consultants, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympics, Online communities, Social Media, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sponsorship consultants, Synergy, Team GB

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Refreshing to see BOA Commercial Director Hugh Chambers, quoted in the Telegraph this morning, playing down expectations around the revenue-generating potential of Team 2012.

A smart move – much in contrast to Andy Burnham’s announcement of the Medal Hopes scheme which Team 2012 has replaced – as is Chambers’ advocacy of alternative, non-sponsorship based, funding models I’ve suggested previously, in particular a London 2012 version of Vancouver 2010′s Own The Podium programme which I wrote about back in February.

By Tim Crow on April 1st, 2009

Tags: BOA, Default, London 2012, Team GB, Vancouver 2010

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