By Marco Aurelio Klein (Brazilian Ministry of Sport –High Performance Director)
Today, when you think of high performance sport you think of Australia. When planning a bid for a major event you think of Australia.
This multi-sport country – rugby, football, Australian Rules football, cricket, swimming, tennis, motorsport, athletics, rowing, kayaking, etc. – has already hosted two Olympics (Sydney 2000 and Melbourne 1956). It hosts a Formula 1 round and a Grand Slam tennis open, both in Melbourne, to name but two of its most well-known events. Considering our challenges for 2016, now is a great time to get to know the sport industry of this distant, beautiful and welcoming country. I had such an opportunity.
Our recent five and a half day government mission visited the main sporting facilities and development programs in five cities. The marathon was well organised by Austrade, the country’s trade promotion entity. We visited 15 sport installations, focusing on infrastructure and operations; we toured Institutes of Sport, government bodies dedicated to high performance development through the application of science and technology and intensive training in the search for excellence; we met with the anti-doping agency (the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority), an international reference on the subject; plus there were meetings with authorities, professionals and business groups from diverse areas.
Each encounter provided knowledge and was noteworthy as much for the organisation as for the variety of information presented. Of the 15 sporting facilities we visited there was no doubting that, new or renovated (some are very old), all are exceptionally well maintained. In Brisbane, at the 45,000 capacity Suncorp Stadium, we took in a rugby match, with 32,000 supporters; an optimal display of how a modern, straightforward stadium operates.
A special mention for the four Institutes of Sport, models of direct government action in Olympic and Paralympic high performance sport. Facilities, management, expertise, equipment, highly capable professionals. And athletes! All committed to excellence, all measured according to their performance at the highest level, such as the Olympic Games. And right there is where Australia excels.
Since 1991, with a view to Sydney 2000 and beyond, the results are impressive. In Seoul 1988 the country managed 14 medals (three gold) and 15th place. At Barcelona 1992 this rose to 27 (seven gold) and 9th place. In Atlanta in 1996, 41 medals (nine gold) and 5th place. In 2000, at home in Sydney, they reached 58 medals (16 gold) and 4th place on the medal tally. At Athens 2004 it was 49 medals (17 gold) and 4th place. For Beijing 2008, 46 (14 gold) and 5th place. Since 1991, the start date of planning and investments, considering five Olympic Games, 221 medals (63 gold). To provide some context, in the 21 Olympics since 1920, Brazil has won 76 medals (16 gold). With only 22 million inhabitants, this record is the best on a per capita basis.
Such results plus the quality of infrastructure, management and a whole range of other sporting activities give Australia the credentials to be the principle global supplier of specialised products and services. The Australian government even has an established secretariat for the development of this strategy, offering its know-how to the world. At the Beijing Games, for London 2012 preparations as well as the recent 2010 South Africa World Cup, to give but a few examples, some area features Australian expertise.
Brazil has a golden, strategic opportunity in relation to the major events that we will host between now and 2016.
Marco Aurelio Klein klein@uol.com.br
(translated by Simon Tarmo)