October 12 - More and more major sports events will go to emerging markets like Qatar rather than established nations in years to come.
That was the prediction today of sports business expert Dan Jones who said there were a whole host of nations that were unaffected by the economic crisis.
Speaking at the International Sports Events Management (ISEM) conference here, Jones, Deloitte's Sports Business Group leading partner, said that traditional sports organisers were going to have to fight even harder to secure top events and prevent being ignored.
Seven out 19 races in the Formula One calendar now took place in emerging markets, he pointed out, compared with only three a decade ago.
The same pattern exists in other sports, Jones said, not least the 2022 World Cup in Qatar; a classic example of emerging markets - not just big ones like China and Russia - willing to spend, spend, spend.
"You read about it being the worst economic downturn since the 1930s," said Jones (pictured).
"The priority for the developed world is cost-cutting but for those in the emerging world it is expansion, acquisition and investment.
"It's easy to think we are in an economic crisis but in the emerging world people don't see it that way.
"This is a north Atlantic/European financial crisis."
Then, said Jones, there is the question of legacy.
"The legacy for an emerging market hosting a major sports event can be enormous," he said.
"These events can quite literally put a country on the map and generate profile like nothing on earth.
"They have a power that cannot be under-estimated.
"Sport events can give global exposure, a boost to tourism, deliver national pride and accelerate infrastructure - all of these come together in that word legacy."
Source: www.insidethegames.biz
By Andrew Warshaw