There has been endless discussion around the logistics and planning of the 2010 soccer World Cup.  I do not want to regurgitate what has been said already; however I think that the insights from Kuseni Dlamimi’s Business Report article titled “Winning in Olympics is not just a matter of medals for China” are worth sharing with you.

Dlamini describes the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony as “the blending of national pride, excellence and single-mindedness in pursuit of greatness”.  He goes on to say that Beijing has important lessons for London, the host city for 2012, and for South Africa for the 2010 soccer World Cup.

The theme for the Beijing Olympics is “tong yi ge meng ‘xiang” which means “One world, one dream”, advocating equality and fair play regardless of race, colour, gender, religion or class.  According to a US survey conducted in March 2008, 90% of Beijing-based respondents viewed the Olympics as personally important for them and 96% believed it would improve China’s image.  This demonstrates the immense sense of national pride and unity in China, which has been fundamental to the success of the Olympics thus far.  For example 1 million young Chinese people were mobilised to provide their services free of charge during the Olympics.

While this is impressive, what has really had the greatest impact is the fact that everyone, from taxi drivers to police officers to hoteliers, is doing their bit by being welcoming and courteous. Dlamini describes this as “national mobilisation around a clear and tangible sense of common purpose at all levels of society”. This is exactly what we need to do to make 2010 a success: we need to instil a sense of belonging and national pride in every South African and get everyone involved and excited about 2010.

Photo Source:  Malta Olympic Committee