The Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation delegation undertook a study trip to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London early this month. During the tour, the delegation, led by MEC Lebogang Maile met with prominent industry players and also studied international sports village models in preparation for the much anticipated Gauteng Sports village.
The delegation met with John Tibbs of John Tibbs and Associates (JTA), a leading strategic brand building and communications consultancy for clients in the international sports movement. He has been involved in bidding campaigns for the Olympics with three different cities.
This meeting was followed by a presentation by PMP Legacy, who amongst other achievement has been involved in developing sports sector strategies for Singapore and the Cayman Islands. "These meetings gave a lot of insight into the requirements of movements like the International Olympics Committee and the Commonwealth with regards to bidding for these major events, but also how as a province we can develop an evaluation framework as to the kind of events that are suited for Gauteng, based on our resources," says MEC Lebogang Maile.
There were various meetings with construction and architectural firms to discuss the province's plans of building a Gauteng Sports Village. These included architects who had been involved in the building of the Olympic Stadium to those that specialise in the construction of multi-purpose community recreation centres. The team had the opportunity to visit one such facility in Basildon, South East of London. The team also took a tour of the Olympic Village, where they were hosted by the Chef de Mission, who took them through the village and various facilities.
The study tour included a day trip to Manchester, where the group received a presentation from the Northwest region on the legacy of the London 2012 Games in the Northwest of England. This presentation looked at how the greater region can benefit from hosting a major event in one city.
The department's mission during the London Summer Olympic games played a pivotal role in ensuring knowledge and skills transfer through observing International Best Practice around sports development through meetings and visits to Sports Academies and High Performance Centres.
Enquiries
Nino Zama
Cell: 083 473 6725
E-mail: nino.zama@gauteng.gov.za
Report back on the Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation London Olympics study tour
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