Dalton Myers | Corporate support and sports

Funding sports in Jamaica in no easy feat. In some cases, many corporate senior managers will tell you that they find it difficult to understand the sports industry and the financial return on investment. However, for the sporting industry into Jamaica to grow, there needs to be significant and sustained financial injection into the various programmes and activities surrounding recreational and competitive sports.

Recently, Toyota Jamaica signed a multimillion-dollar agreement with the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) to provide a 16-seater 2018 Toyota Hi-Ace Motor vehicle as part of transportation support leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It is reported that the JOA will be offering the bus service free of cost to member associations. The gesture is a good one - one that will help some associations, especially the financially strapped ones, reduce transportation costs.

The truth is that we need more deals like these, and from what I am told, the JOA is looking to partner with several companies to both offset expenses for its member associations as well as to provide other forms of funding for the various projects. This is encouraging as internationally, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are following the International Olympic Committee (IOC) model of 'The Olympic Partners' (TOP). These IOC partners help with various aspects of the life of that body. The revenue from TOPs is approximately 40% of the overall revenue generated by the IOC. Different partners operate at different levels of sponsorship, which ensures certain rights. The IOC then distributes the majority of that revenue as well as revenue from other income sources to NOCs. Approximately 90% of revenue is distributed to these NOCs while the other 10% is used for operational purposes.

So in developing a sustainable business model around sports, the JOA seems to be creating its own Olympic Partner programme, which is critical in today's business of sports. This model will be crucial in ensuring that the support being garnered so far is effective and, importantly, sustainable over a long period. Already, the JOA has been supporting its member associations, and the more funding it can garner outside of IOC subvention, the more it can do. Of course, there is still the need for many other corporate companies to get involved in a structured and mutually rewarding way. In my mind, the Olympic body will need to have, maybe, 12-14 partners who will cover various areas. So far, based on public knowledge, there is PUMA and Toyota Jamaica, so I would imagine there is need to add a rehydration, telecommunications, nutrition, financial institution, and maybe airline partner, among others, leading up to Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

SELLING THE IDEA

Now is the time to support our athletes. The JOA will have to be able to sell this idea to the wider business sector, engaging companies and illustrating how each can benefit in a significant way from this investment. From media reports so far, it seems that the JOA, through CEO Ryan Foster, is on an ambitious drive to generate more funding, and that must be supported by local and regional partners. Over time, it is expected that this will help local sporting associations better prepare for regional and international competitions, especially the summer and winter Olympics. Disciplines such as squash, cricket, and netball that are not Olympic sports but members of JOA, can be assisted with World Championships and other global tournaments.

If we look at sports across the globe, it is evident that there must be partnerships. While government support is crucial, that can only go so far due to competing government priorities such as tackling crime and violence and infrastructure development. What we have not seen yet is more collaborations between the Government through the Ministry of Sports and the JOA to implement strategies to develop sports locally. I wouldn't hold my breath either. My hope now is that as more partners sign deals with the JOA, more athletes can continue their quest of being world-class professional athletes.

- Dalton Myers is a sports consultant and administrator. Email feedback to daltonsmyers@gmail.com