“Madrid is today the world home of sport”. With this sentence Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, announced the celebration of the Laureaus World Sports Awards 2024 in the Spanish capital, which also wants to be the epicenter of the sports industry. If the Spanish F1 GP presented a few weeks ago was a coup – for ten years, taking away the name from Barcelona -, the awarding of an NFL football match starting in 2025 reinforces the bet on a race that Its final goal is the Olympic Games.
“We’re on that”said the president when questioned about a future Olympian in the tribute to Carlos Sainz for his Dakar. The goal is 2036, after the events that will be held in Paris, Los Angeles and Brisbane. Madrid has healed the three failed attempts in the last 15 years with the strength that events of two types will give you, as Carlos Canto, CEO of SPSG Consulting, explains to this newspaper. On the one hand, the ‘one off’ events, that is, events that are held once, such as the 2030 soccer world cup of which it will be headquarters. Or the fight at the Bernabéu between Ilia Topuria y Connor McGregoraccording to the Spanish UFC fighter.
On the other hand, the ‘on tour’ events that are held every year, such as the Formula 1he Mutua Madrid Open or the Acciona Open Spain Golf, “that generate a more consistent and recurring impact in the Community than other more specific ones.” Or formulas such as NFL games, which will arrive in Madrid in 2025, “reinforcing its image throughout the world as a dynamic and open capital, focused on progress.”
The Libertadores, starting point of the revolution
The growth of sports as an industry is demonstrated with data, such as its contribution of 3.3% to the Gross Domestic Product in Spain, while on a global scale it is between 1.4% and 2%. Therefore, the concentration of sporting events in the region is not coincidental, there is a whole “strategy” behind it, the regional government recognizes. “Because of its economic impact, because of the brand image and because of the tourism it attracts,” they confess.
On page 35 of the electoral program of the PP of Madrid they already spoke of their intentions to exploit sport as a means of income. The objective, it was said in that document that over the years has gone – in almost all parties – from a propositional document to an enumeration of future wishes, was turn Madrid into a “cultural power”. And specifically, there was talk of the intention of the president of the PP, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, to “propose that the Formula 1 Grand Prix be held in Madrid.”
Atmosphere in the final of the Copa Libertadores that was played in 2018 at the Santiago Bernabéu. / EFE
But the latter is from the May 2023 electoral program, by then Madrid had already been working for some time to achieve that objective. Since Madrid hosted the Copa Libertadores final between River and Boca in December 2018 After the altercations that occurred in the first round in El Monumental in Buenos Aires, the ‘bug’ of major sporting events began to bite the offices of the Community.
In the previous years Everything had been tried to attract the Olympic Games, without success. But momentum was gained again when seeing the results of the Libertadores final, “in terms of the organizational capacity demonstrated by Madrid” and by the economic return that the event had for the city, They explain from the Puerta del Sol premises.
Madrid is established in a multipolar sports industry
The capital is established in a multipolar map that has been evolving. As Carlos Canto, CEO of SPSG Consulting, tells it, years ago everything happened in Europe and North America, but the map began to crack with the emergence of Asia. Both in the Far East, with countries like China, Japan, Singapore and Indonesia; as in states of the Persian Gulf such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates.
In Spain there are also different nuclei. Barcelona changed its history in 1992 and is now seeking to regain its strength, fighting to keep the Formula 1 grand prix on the calendar, while waiting for the new FC Barcelona stadium. Málaga and Seville, boosted by investment from the Junta de Andalucía, have increased their attractiveness. In Valencia the same thing happened with the editions of the America Cuphe MotoGP Grand Prix in Cheste and even through the ill-fated F1 European GP. This summer it will host the Basketball Pre-Olympic.
In 2023, in addition to the aforementioned events, the capital held the Madrid Marathonhe International Athletics Meetingtests of the World Beach Volleyball Circuit, the Equestrian Obstacle Jumping Championship, the European Walking Championship, the World Motocross Championship, the Women’s Under-19 Basketball World Cup or the Great Community of Madrid Triathlon, among others. Throughout the 2022/2023 season, the regional Executive allocated more than 7.3 million euros in aid to federations, associations and clubs. In addition, he invested more than 1.3 million in scholarships for athletes based on their performance.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, at the reception for the Madrid canoeists who participated in the Marathon World Cup. / EUROPA PRESS
“Not only do we have to take into account the large professional events, but also the amateur or grassroots sports events. For example, Madrid has hosted the MAD Cup for three yearsa training football competition that in June of last year brought together 779 teams and 14,000 participants, generating 29.3 million euros of economic impact in just six days,” exemplifies Canto, about the 360º strategy that Madrid is assuming.
Madrid 2036 Olympics? What has been done and what remains to be done
Ayuso landed at the regional government headquarters in 2019 and The idea of Formula 1 began to move because “it is the event with the greatest global impact on sport and technology,” their team explains. The data they repeat, in fact, is that Madrid will attract the eyes of the 400,000 spectators on average per day who will watch each of the races around the world. And that must be used for other objectives, such as 2036 Olympic Games.
“We must take advantage of the momentum and potential that Madrid has as a region now” because that “will result in the economic activity” of the Community, say sources from the regional government. But, in addition, they point out, we must try to take advantage of the fact that infrastructure, sports and others, “They are already built and you don’t have to do much”. Facilities that, in addition, have a transformative character in what is called “legacy”, as explained by Carlos Canto, CEO of SPSG Consulting.
“The 1992 Barcelona Olympic and Paralympic Games made Barcelona Stop living with your back to the sea. This event, then led by Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, caused the city to be equipped with its roads and road infrastructure,” says the expert in the sports industry, who contradicts the criticism from certain sectors about the losses it generates. an event of this dimension.
For Canto, the analysis of what the Olympics entail cannot remain in the operational balance of the event itself.. We must understand what happens before, during and after the Olympic period. Once again, the closest and clearest transformative example is that of Barcelona 1992. For this to happen, Canto considers collaboration between the different institutions and, of course, coordinated work with private initiative essential.
Alessando Del Piero, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, José Luis Martínez Almeida and Raúl González, at the announcement of the 2024 Laureus Awards. / EUROPA PRESS
For this reason, the expert in the sports industry assures that “the great challenge is to plan the legacy well. There are many solutions to hold championships. But everything depends on two keys: sustainability, from the social, environmental and economic point of view; and professionalism“In this way, the negative impact would be reduced to a maximum, which involves, for example, underuse of the facilities or integrating citizens in the 18 days that the Olympics last.
Madrid’s objective: to be in the ‘top 5’ of the sports industry
“Organizing sporting events not only generates economic impact, but also tourism, understood from the perspective of leisure and business (for example, conferences). Barcelona 1992 put an end to seasonality,” explains Canto, for whom the Olympics convey a positive image of dynamism and the will to progress. “And they even have influence among youth by strengthening healthy lifestyle habits”adds the CEO of SPSG Consulting.
Madrid must work on all of these situations to be the World Sports Capital, a consideration that it held in 2022 after being granted by ACES Europe and endorsed by the European Commission. The media significance of this recognition was not great. Beyond formalism, what will really turn Madrid into the center of the sports industry is the organization of top-level events such as those that are attracting.
“Madrid wants to be in the ‘top 5’ in the world. But it will only achieve it with a long-term strategy and with the joint commitment of public and private institutions. If you think in the short term it is not going to work. Furthermore, it needs support entities based in the city such as Real Madrid, Atlético, LaLiga or the ACB“says Canto, who assures that Madrid’s next big stop will be to host a World Cup – or similar event – as its sole venue. Another piece in a castle crowned by the Olympic Games, but where each floor, with its large or small events, matters. .
2024-02-12 07:19:26
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