It’s absolutely amazing. On 2nd November 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic in front of a capacity crowd of Olympic movement whos who. The Trinidad and Tobago mens 4x400m Iaaf World relay team were called on stage to receive the Association of National Olympic Committees Award for best male athlete from the Americas region.
Five Trinidad and Tobago athletes and a packed auditorium relived that pore raising moment when Lalonde Gordon running the anchor ran past his American challenger to cross the finish line.
Trinidad and Tobago World 4x400 m men’s relay champion. What a moment in time for our young nation. What dollar value can you place on the country branding and awareness opportunity.
There before the Olympic movement and Olympic dignitaries and powerbrokers ....Trinidad and Tobago....
The accolades . The recognition. The acclaim. Not for the First time have I had cause to wonder.....what would be the cost of placement in any of the world’s popular publications..magazines...newspapers.
At this level sport is high profile. The redrawing of the sporting map. Trinidad and Tobago making a statement on the world stage.
Having put the red,white and black stamp on the global mindshare and with the Trinidad and Tobago brand becoming familiar to a new market and demographic. Where do we go from here? How do we build on this exposure? How do we leverage on it ? We have to protect what’s most valuable.
A new generation has dawned in world sport, with sport properties around the world reimaging in a range of innovative ways.
Sport inspires and shares values. Sport organizations are expected to do their part by engaging in diverse communications to tell the story about and promote a positive image for their teams. Trinidad and Tobago have success stories that enhance in a positive way Trinidad and Tobago as a country.
What a celebration -Trinidad and Tobago playing in the big league. How do we leverage it? There are operational and business aspects of the sports industry and an in-depth knowledge of the workings of the industry that must be mastered.
Leadership and management; digital marketing and PR and media are all areas of massive opportunities.
Local sport stakeholders can push to new heights and raise standards in sport by doing so Trinidad and Tobago sport will achieve more than they could before.
Trinidad and Tobago sport’s industry could change for the better. So post Prague, what’s next? And are we ready to tackle whatever we face next?