The Kenyans dominated the world cross country championships once again, but the organisers were the real winners
ATHLETICS: Julian Drew
SOUTH AFRICA’S aspirations to host the world’s top sporting events received a significant boost after last Saturday’s world cross country championships in Stellenbosch which many experienced observers considered the best they had ever attended.
The local organising committee (LOC), which put together the event on behalf of Athletics South Africa (ASA), encountered unprecedented difficulties in its task of signing up sponsors and making the championships financially viable, but that did not prevent it from putting on an extremely slick and professional show.
Most of the credit for this belongs to a small number of dedicated people on the executive committee who rolled up their sleeves and decided the championships would be a success, irrespective of the financial problems. These problems were brought about by the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s own difficulties in signing new sponsors for its four-year package known as the World Athletic Series, the most recent of which came to an end last year.
The world cross country championships form part of this series and the LOC was only given the go-ahead to source sponsors locally less than a month before they were due to take place.
The Cape Town city council, which at the beginning rather hesitantly provided a R1- million guarantee, eventually converted part of this guarantee into a substantial sponsorship and it was joined by 11 other companies and organisations as official product/service companies.
Old Mutual also became the first South African company to obtain title sponsor rights to an IAAF event and because of the world governing body’s current problems it can be safely assumed it got them at a very favourable price. While most of the advertising that was produced early for the event contained only two IAAF official sponsors, the LOC was told four days before the championships to include Carlsberg as a third.
So desperate is the IAAF to sort out its sponsorship crisis that it can be reliably reported that Carlsberg had still not signed its deal with the IAAF and was holding out with an offer that was $500 000 less than the IAAF expected.
Television coverage of the championships was also provided free of charge internationally by the IAAF, using its own in-house production team, after it failed to complete television contracts for the new period.
The European Broadcasting Union, which handles the negotiations for all European national networks, offered just half the R346-million it paid for the last four years.
Perhaps the biggest winner out of the sponsorship wheeling and dealing was the Cape Town 2004 Olympic Bid Company. “There was a tremendous benefit to the bid from these championships although they at times seemed reluctant to come on board,” said LOC financial manager Gareth Griffiths.
But while the superb organisation of the championships certainly did the bid no harm, an equally important spin-off for the bid was the IAAF council meeting held last Sunday and Monday which brought five International Olympic Committee members to Cape Town.
The council meeting was never part of the LOC’s budget for the championships. and considering its other financial problems, it is not surprising there was resentment from the LOC when it was told it would have to foot the bill for it as well.
The cost of holding the meeting was thrust upon the LOC in January after ASA president Leonard Chuene offered to host it at a meeting in Gothenburg last year.
Fortunately, when the Bid Company signed an official service company contract it agreed to contribute to some of the costs of the council meeting.
On race day the people of the Western Cape came out in their thousands to support the championships which rarely attract big crowds. The estimated throng of around 15 000 gave vociferous support to all the runners and especially the South Africans. The atmosphere was as memorable as the glorious setting of the University of Stellenbosch playing fields in the shadow of the Helderberg and Simonsig mountains.
The real success of the championships, however, belongs to people like Griffiths, Joel Ramatlhape and Roy Cheesman, the project managers appointed from the executive committee to oversee the organisation of the event. They more than anyone put in the long hours and came up with solutions to the many teething problems, ensuring there were no hitches come zero hour.
Former mayor of Cape Town, Sol Kreiner, did most of the lobbying for sponsors while the well-designed and testing course was the work of environmental consultant, Stephen Grainger, who combined his technical knowledge with a genuine love and understanding of the sport.
So happy were the IAAF with the arrangements for the championships that its event director, Eric Savard, said the LOC was the best he’d ever worked with.
Following on the successful Rugby World Cup and African Cup of Nations, the world cross country championships will have sent another clear message to the world that South Africa is ready and able to stage the two biggest prizes of all, the 2004 Olympic Games and the 2006 soccer World Cup.