The participants of the PILLIA/FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management had the opportunity to interact with Ms. Lyudmyla Harsymenko, Director – Europe, Central Asia & Latin America and the Caribbean – Paris World Games on 7th February, 2024 for an in-person conference on Sports Events and Nation Branding. Ms. Harsymenko also works as a consultant at FIFA in the Professional Football Relations & Development Department and is a FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management course graduate. She also teaches at The American Business School of Paris.
The conference started with examples of nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar who have recently used Sports Diplomacy to brand their nations. The political functions of sports events are nation-building and nation-branding. Grassroots and youth programs, CSR initiatives, leagues and other events can improve the sports ecosystem and contribute to nation-building. Whereas nation-branding is a strong tool to not only change the image within the country but also at the global level. To quote Ms. Lyudmyla, “Everyone has a brand.” Strong national figures for example Messi for Argentina / Inter Miami, and Mbappe for France / PSG can also have an impact on the tourism industry. Sports can also be used to improve international relations.
Mega-events like the Olympics, World Cup, and F1 Grand Prix, can have a huge economic impact and also attract local and international tourism. They help in branding a city / state or country and eventually lead to urban transformation. Ms. Lyudmyla emphasized on the huge opportunity for sports business in the Indian market. She also shared various case studies with the students where the focus was on the ideation of the event and the minute details that must be considered before hosting the event. During an in-class assignment students presented their ideas on conceptualizing an event to change the image of a city / place or country. Though planning and execution are highly important, setting KPIs and reviewing the performance are equally important to make improvements. Ms. Lyudmyla was extremely happy with the presentations and suggested the students start small and turn them into reality. It was a truly enriching session for our sports management students.
