GB Football Team to Feature in 2012?

Since the announcement of London's successful bid, debate has ensued over whether Great Britain will enter a team in the Olympic Football Tournament. The FA has expressed optimism that a deal can be struck, while FIFA President Sepp Blatter has insisted that competing in 2012 would not affect the separate status of the home nations. The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FA's have been less welcoming of any such proposal, with the SFA commenting that they were "strongly opposed" to anything that threatens their separate identity.

Despite not entering since 1971, GB actually has a good record in the event - they lie second in the overall medal table. However, rarely has an actual 'British' team participated- in 1900 the Gold Medal was won by GB's representatives 'Upton Park FC', in 1908 it was the England team who triumphed and the last attempt at qualification in 1971 was made by a team consisting of English amateurs.

Now that professionals may participate it is likely that GB would be among the favourites for gold, and the attraction of the team from a purely sporting perspective seduces many. One suspects, however, that it will take more to persuade the associations to participate. Undoubtedly the question of financial benefits will arise, and the smaller associations may find it difficult to resist the lure of hosting a high-profile Olympic match. Just imagine the hype that would surround a GB v Brazil Olympic semi-final at Hampden, or a quarter final at the Millennium Stadium...

27 September 2005

London 2012 Games: A welcome return to traditional sports or a backwards step?

The decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reduce the number of sports at the 2012 London Olympics from 28 to 26 has received a mixed reaction.  The ruling has not only upset the federations of the two excluded sports (baseball and softball), but also those of the sports who failed to replace them (golf, rugby union, squash, karate and roller sports).  However, many traditionalists have welcomed the move.

The IOC met in July to vote on which sports to include in the London Olympics.  All 28 sports confirmed for Beijing 2008 faced the vote. Baseball and softball were voted out yet none of the five sports nominated by the IOC executive board as replacements were approved.

Supporters of the excluded sports were angered by the decision.  The move will have a profound effect on the sports' development. The five candidate sports' federations have also been vocal in their criticism but have already begun lobbying for inclusion in the 2016 Games.

Traditionalists on the other hand have welcomed the outcome. Some even feel that the IOC has not gone far enough in curbing the rise of contemporary pursuits.  

Wherever the 2016 Olympic Games are held, it is assured that its sporting composition will be as controversial. With a greater diversity of sporting pursuits clamouring to be endowed with Olympic status the two current vacant slots are being eyed keenly from varied quarters.

27 September 2005

London 2012 Faces Finance Hurdle

The celebrations may only just be winding down after the victory of London's bid to host the 2012 Olympics, but already the funding of the Games is coming under intense media scrutiny.

A major Sunday newspaper claimed recently that the government has secretly pledged £1 billion of taxpayers' money to the capital for projects related to the Olympics.  Originally the Games were supposed to be funded by a combination of Lottery funding and a levy on the capital city's council taxpayers.

Analysts have been quick to speculate that the London bid team greatly underestimated the costs involved and that the current funding framework is not in shape to cope with the rising costs.  Some are already drawing parallels with Greece, whose original Olympics budget of £2.5 billion ultimately rose to £9 billion of spending last year.

On a more positive note, the Lottery funding has been quick out of the blocks.  The 'Go for Gold' scratchcard game was launched at the end of July this year and has already raised £2 million for London's massive Olympic construction project.  It will take a long jump, however, to achieve the final target of £750 million of funding from this source over the next seven years.

27 September 2005

"London 2012" or "the four-yearly international sporting event in our capital city"

"London 2012" or "the four-yearly international sporting event in our capital city". Which do you prefer? The snappy title we have all become familiar with? Or the cumbersome description of our already beloved games? No contest. However, if Parliament passes the Olympics Bill in its current form, businesses will have to tread carefully when making references to London 2012.

The IOC takes sponsorship and marketing very seriously. As everyone knows, sports sponsorship is big business, especially when it comes to the Olympics. Multi-national companies pay huge sums to secure association with the Olympics in their promotional campaigns. An estimated £580 million of London 2012's operating budget will come from sponsorship. With such figures at stake, the IOC and London 2012 are aiming to protect their lucrative sponsors from tactics such as ambush marketing, whereby non-official sponsors take advantage of the goodwill associated with an event.

Non-official sponsors are already prevented from using certain Olympic Marks, but the Bill goes further to prevent ambush marketing. Combinations of the following on any form of advertising are also caught – "London", "2012", "games", "gold", "silver", "bronze", "medals" and "summer". There are also provisions to control marketing and trading activities within the vicinity of the London games. The Bill has already been criticised by some within the industry as going too far.  While the IOC and London 2012 must protect their sponsors, the vision of the Olympics as the 'people's games' may be somewhat dented if the organisers come down too heavily on local businesses and traders who simply cannot afford to become official sponsors.

27 September 2005

London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 - home Games for Scotland

With the exciting announcements that London has been awarded the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and that Glasgow will bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Scotland is celebrating, relishing the chance to make the most of these once in a lifetime opportunities.

London may be the official host of the 2012 Games, but the entire United Kingdom stands to benefit. Scotland will have the opportunity not only to see our athletes compete on British soil, but to contribute volunteers and host events and pre-games training camps.   

When it comes to inspiring a nation to get active, there is no better opportunity than the showcase for sport an Olympic Games provides. It couldn’t come at a better time with sportscotland moving the nation toward Sport 21, the national strategy for sport, with their mission of  ‘more people, more active, more often’ by 2020.

The existing passion for sport in Scotland, combined with the unbeatable atmosphere of a home Games, can encourage the country to get active.

London 2012, and Glasgow 2014, have the potential to challenge our existing sports culture, leaving a legacy of facilities, coaches, athletes and structures to support generations to come.

It has been announced that Glasgow’s Hampden Park Stadium is to host one of the group stages of the football competition. There is an opportunity for us to host pre-games training camps at a number of our top class sporting facilities. Family, friends and fans of athletes will find it more accessible to support them as they compete on our doorstep.  For Scottish athletes, for Scottish supporters - London 2012 is a home Games.

It is expected that in the lead up to and during London 2012, some 70,000 volunteers will be needed to successfully run the Games – requiring the biggest recruitment drive ever seen in UK peacetime. This means thousands of Scots will have the opportunity to participate, bringing home with them the skills and experience of supporting a world-class event.

"By population ratio at least 10% of the potential volunteers for London 2012 could be Scottish," says Christine Mullen, Partnership Manager of volunteering at sportscotland.

As the media coverage of the Games highlights in excess of 30 different sports, many young people will be inspired to try something a bit different.

"A major Games on home soil will certainly put some of the minority sports in the media spotlight," says Katriona Bush, Head of Media at sportscotland.

"With more British journalists able to attend there will be a significant increase in coverage, and evidence shows that this can lead to a massive upsurge in interest and participation."

Everyone wanted to try curling following the success of  Rhona Martin and her team at the last winter Olympics. Our sports governing bodies need to be ready to capitalise on these opportunities.

"The majority of Scottish athletes that will be competing in London 2012 will already be in the system," says Steve Paulding, Acting Director for Achieving Excellence at sportscotland.

"We have the infrastructure and coaching practices in place to assist our athletes to the world stage. As long as we continue to support our athletes through a progressive player pathway, we have a strong chance of medal success."

"Ultimately our aim is to get more Scots active. 2012 and 2014 can leave in their wake an inspired generation of youth and a healthier nation feeling the physical and social benefits of sports participation," says Julia Bracewell, Chair of sportscotland.

"Its just a matter of Scotland as a whole making the most of these opportunities."

27 September 2005

It's Gold, Silver and Bronze for Scottish Business

The year 2012 may seem like a long way off, but for Scottish business the opportunities arising from the London Olympics are just a javelin's throw away. Companies all over Britain are set to benefit from the IOC's decision in July, but it is Scotland that may be the surprise victor. Businesses north of the border, if they grasp the opportunities springing from London 2012, can gain just as much as any English based company. What is vital, however, is that they enter the race now to avoid missing out on the chances that this event creates.

The obvious winner in Scotland (sport aside) is undoubtedly tourism. Yes, the main Olympic stage will be in London, but at least one event will be part hosted in Scotland. Football supporters will descend upon Hampden to watch teams from around the world going for gold. It is also likely that tourists travelling to London for the Games will extend their stay and travel further a field. The tourism opportunities are vast and need to be explored, in order to take full advantage.

Construction, advertising and retail in Scotland are just three further examples of business areas that can benefit from London 2012. Scottish business has already succeeded in entering the Olympic market.  Navyblue Design Group, an Edinburgh based business, played a key role in the successful London bid. The Group won the £500,000 tender to design the bid document including the candidature file and promotional literature. Another successful Scottish company was Kirriemuir-based Hi-Fli Banners and Flags who were involved in the production of the promotional and branding material for the bid. Pagoda PR, also Edinburgh based, led by example when they pro-actively approached the bid team and suggested that it may be beneficial to promote the rewards that a successful London bid could have in Scotland, Ireland and North-East England. If such businesses can profit before the bid was even won, consider the opportunities available to Scottish businesses in the years leading up to and after 2012.

With the publication of the Government's London Olympics Bill, the playing field has opened up in the commercial arena. The Bill creates an Olympic Delivery Authority whose role it is to deliver public sector obligations for the Games. Venue construction, transport and advertising are some examples of areas covered by the Bill and areas that Scottish businesses should seek to explore as soon as possible to benefit both nationally and internationally. The exposure created by such work would be invaluable for any business involved. The Bill is currently before the House of Commons.

Of course sport will benefit greatly from the Olympics, including sporting bodies in Scotland. The inspiration a home Games creates is unparalleled. It is likely that children and adults alike will be drawn towards new and different sports and activities in the build up to London 2012. Sports clubs, sports societies, and sports businesses will all benefit. If, as it is hoped, more Olympic venues are allocated to Scotland, new stadiums and arenas may be built. This will provide Scotland with opportunities well beyond 2012.

27 September 2005