8 KEY TAKE-AWAYS FROM THE OLYMPIC GAMES #PARIS24 FOR THE SPORTS INDUSTRY

By Thomas van Schaik , Peter Sprenger & Sion de Jong

From a marketing and fan perspective, what are the most eye-catching trends from the 2024 Olympics?

?? The choice of location boosts the image of the sport.

With iconic locations, Paris showed what is possible. There were many great examples like Fencing at the Grand Palais. But beachvolleyball seems to be the winner at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Remember also the iconic finish line of the marathon. All of this increases the value of the sport.

?? The majority of the stadiums were built in a non-sport environment.

Never before were there so many temporary set-ups during the Olympic Games. It makes the Games much more compact and attractive. 3x3 basketball was a great example. In this concept even smaller countries should consider applying again for organizing the Games in the future.

?? Entertainment and sports are merging stronger.

Maybe not everywhere but during many matches music & fun was part of the fan experience. Some federations have further optimized this in programmed rhythms and collective movements of the fans when certain actions take place at the court. This is for sure a trend that will spread out to more events.

?? The growing media power of individual athletes.

The Paris 2024 Games highlighted this transformation once again. With the relaxation of social media guidelines and Rule 40, digital-native athletes have evolved into influential content creators, entrepreneurs, and master storytellers. Many gained millions of followers during these Games, reshaping fan engagement and pushing the sports industry toward a brand-led, athlete-centric, and data-powered future.

?? Local merchandise is a winner.

In the past, I have never seen fans wearing so many Olympic shirts, caps, etc as during these Games. It may have been the strong ‘Paris’ brand or the creative designs. Analyzing this, it was all high quality and quite affordable. As a Dutchie I've also looked specifically at TeamNL merchandise, which did really well. It seems fans feel a stronger identity being at the Games and they love to show it. Good to know that a Dutch company was the merchandise partner of the LOC (local organizer).

?? Promoting community sports before and after matches.

Many international federations have already seen that promoting community sports and offer try-out experiences is an opportunity. Hockey and volleyball did excellent jobs and invested seriously in equipment and people. Decathlon as a French company offered really nice playing courts. Let’s hope this will continue in LA.

?? The rise of country houses.

There are not only more country houses in the surrounding of the venues, they have improved in number of visitors and their appearance. India used their house to promote culture and show their ambition to organize the Games in the future. USA house was strongly connected to their big sponsors Google and Oakley. Even without visiting a match, you can have a great time during the Olympics by visiting a number of houses. France as home country was very smart by asking only 5 euro entrance fee.

?? Ticket prices are changing.

One of the more vulnerable things that could be mentioned are the ticket prices. Compared to Athens, London, Rio and Beijing it’s developing fast to a very exclusive pricing level. It would be great if accessibility for everyone is also part of the long-term Olympic strategy.

All together it were amazing Games and we will see how these 8 trends will work out in the future.

Thomas, Peter & Sion are executives within Sports Cloud Australia and are working together on the Athlete Brand project. Recently 'The Athlete Brand Book' was launched in Paris just before the start of the Olympic Games. https://theathletebrand.com/products/the-athlete-brand-book