Journey to the 2018 Commonwealth Games – Can We Market "Hambantota"?
The 2018 Commonwealth Games page on Wikipedia recently reported the following: “On March 31, 2010, the city of Hambantota in Sri Lanka made a surprise bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.”
It was a big surprise as Wikipedia says to the whole world that Sri Lanka; a tiny dot on the world map is fighting with Australia’s Gold Coast to host one of the world’s biggest sporting events. It will be a challenge for Sri Lanka as the Gold Coast is the sixth largest city and the fastest growing region in Australia. It is a city that remains one of the most biodiverse with bushland, marine and freshwater habitats including 70 km of golden beaches.
Hambantota, a city badly affected by the 2004 tsunami and one of the poorest districts in Sri Lanka, is now headed for a complete miracle with major development projects. The winning bidder between the two contestants will be announced in Basseterre, St Kitts, on November 11, 2011.
Can Sri Lanka make it?
It can be argued that this is too much for Sri Lanka as we have to find around Rs 200-250 billion to pull off this event. But in real life there is nothing wrong with thinking BIG. If you are sure of finding this money from investors and if you have a solid plan, then you should go for it. It is about how you fight with your own mind by accepting the challenges. Remember that NO risk will give you ZERO returns.
We can consider this whole exercise of winning Commonwealth games for “Hambantota” as one of the biggest marketing exercises for the country. In the initial stage it has nothing to do with sports administration. This is purely about Hambantota marketing. What value we could add and how we differentiate ourselves will be the key to winning this. Bringing common wealth games to Hambantota can go a long way in promoting Sri Lankan tourism.
It is encouraging to see marketers like the former President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing, Mr. Nalin Attygalle, behind this. It will be the responsibility of all marketers in our country to take a step forward and contribute to make this a reality.
If Hambantota can pass, it will be a great opportunity for the youth of Sri Lanka. There are eight more years to go in the game and whoever can start today can have a fair chance of reaching the medal table in 2018. It’s all about proper future planning and commitment to the goal.
If we could think that we are no longer smaller and if all Sri Lankans could work towards a common goal, we could make 2018 a historic year for our country. In 1996 nobody predicted that “Sri Lanka” would become world cricket champion. But we beat favorite Australia to win the title. History is possible to repeat.
Traders: Today it’s your turn to make Sri Lanka proud.