A few Latin lessons will put us at head of the class
Craig Foster
August 22, 2010
We often hear that sport is big business, and with billions of dollars in broadcast rights for major European leagues, clubs traded across international boundaries from the USA to the Middle East, and players such as Lionel Messi valued in nine figures, none is bigger than the world game.
The domestic business of football has grown tenfold this century already, but it is when we broaden our field of vision to include Australia's international interests that we see the true contribution that football makes.
Looking north, every Aussie is well aware of the importance of football as the only major sport in which we are an official member of an Asian confederation, and play regularly in Asian club and international competitions at all levels and across both genders. The federal and most state governments have been quick to recognise this new reality.
But the power of football is its omnipresence, and there are other regions of the world where football has a comparable power to build stronger relations and lead to economic outcomes that place Australia in a stronger position in the first half of this century.
One of these is primed for one of the highest economic growth rates in the next decade, has a combined population close to 600 million, and a universal love of football through which Australia can build strategic links. It is called Latin America.
A collective of 20 countries, the elephant in the room in every respect is Brazil, the spiritual home of football, with a population of 192 million, the world's eighth largest GDP, and a stable political environment.
And soon to become the centre of the sporting world, with the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the 2015 Copa America and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Where there are major sporting events, there is major commercial opportunity.The World Cup alone will see US$52 billion ($58b) in public works projects across the 12 host cities, and Rio an extra US$11 billion in stadium construction, roads and highways, airports, power and telecommunications, water and waste.
Like most of Latin America, we are separated from Brazil by geography, history and language, and doing business across these barriers presents unique challenges, so how do we create a common interest on which to build trust, and allow the wheels of commerce to turn?
With football, that's how.
Barriers fall, mutual respect is established, and friendships flourish.
Happily then, while Latin America is fast becoming recognised as an exciting and valuable part of Australia's economic future, we have also recognised that we must begin the process of learning from the region in the field of football, and these two imperatives coincide at a time when Australia is becoming increasingly active in international football diplomacy.
With such extraordinary opportunity in the near term, it is time that we broadened our football vision to the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking worlds and, while doing so, enable our diplomats and captains of industry to utilise the links created to benefit us all.
And if, along the way, we build new friendships, increase understanding, and inherit a little of the fabulous Latin culture, passion and love of life, then we'll be infinitely better off.
And that's the real business of sport.
Craig Foster is accompanying the ABCC at a Trade Mission to Brazil in November 2010 to visit Soccerex in Rio, the largest Football Trade Show in the world. For more information on how to join us at the Trade Mission.
email: abcc@australiabrazil.com.au
Brazil hopes Youth Olympics will be big stepping stone towards Rio 2016
August 10 - Brazil are planning to use the inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore as an opportunity to groom the country's potential stars for Rio 2016, the head of the 81-strong team has admitted.
The team they have sent to Singapore includes 15 track and field athletes and boys and girls handball teams.
Adriana Behar, a two-time Olympic beach volleyball silver medallist, who was an ambassador for Rio's successful bid, is the Chef de Mission of the team and admits that Singapore offers an invaluable opportunity to give Brazil's youngsters the experience of competing in a multi-sport Games.
She said: "For us, this is a really good test as we're going to host the Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio.
"It's important because the Youth Olympic Games will allow us to know where our athletes need to improve on.
"This is an opportunity for our new generation of athletes to show they can be not only at the 2016 Olympics, but even [as early as] the 2012 Olympics in London.
"This is preparation for our country to have the best athletes for 2016."
Among Brazil's brightest hopes in Singapore are 17-year-old sprinters Jean Roberto Franchini da Silva and Leandro Pitarelli de Araujo, who were both were part of the boys' medley relay quartet that won a silver at last year's World Youth Athletics Championship, and 18-year-old boxer David Lourenco da Silva, a gold medallist at last year's World Youth Boxing Championship welterweight.
Behar said: "All of the athletes want to win and reach their goals [in Singapore].
"The Brazilian Olympic Committee is giving all the support for them to compete as well as they can and to also to give Brazil a good image as everyone will be looking at Brazil as we're hosting the 2016 Olympics.
"There is not one thing that is more important than the other.
"We're still aiming for good results and medals."
Source: insidethegames.biz
