Major sporting events, which are experiencing exponential growth largely unaffected by crises, represent significant challenges for French foreign trade and the international presence of French companies.
Major French groups and also SMEs have demonstrated, all over the world, the excellence of their expertise and know-how in a wide range of activities, both during the bidding phase (architecture, engineering, consulting, etc.) and after the awarding of events (construction, transportation, security, hospitality, energy, environment, media, etc.).
Several French companies that played a key role in the organization of the 2012 London Olympics in terms of transport infrastructure, security management, sports equipment, and in communication, marketing, and ticketing, took this opportunity to share their experience.
Host countries seek an integrated but especially structured offer for the management of these events, highlighting the importance of rallying and promoting expertise as early as possible.
French companies have high technical quality and a strong environmental commitment that are capable of attracting foreign decision-makers. It is now essential that this French expertise aligns with the needs of organizers of major sporting events.
The sports movement, represented by the CNOSF and the Comité Français du Sport International (CFSI), has also joined this new dynamic.
Excluding volunteer work, the economic weight of sport was close to 1.9% of GDP in France in 2009, with France slightly above the European average*.
The figures projected for upcoming sporting events are colossal:
More than $100 billion of planned investments in Qatar, which will host, among others, the Handball World Championship in 2015 and the Football World Cup in 2022;
More than $15 billion in Brazil for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics;
More than $30 billion in Russia for the 2018 Football World Cup;
Nearly $4.5 billion in Japan for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics…
