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What future for sport and sponsors after the coronavirus lockdown?
Global sport is facing the “mother of all wake-up calls” as it emerges from the coronavirus lockdown, with uncertainty over what the landscape for participants and sponsors will look like.
Former head of Olympic marketing Michael Payne believes that although “it will be very painful pulling through it”, sport will nevertheless emerge “healthier and stronger”.
While a leading advertising industry figure warns it will be “nip and tuck” for the organisers of the rearranged Euro 2021 football championships and the Tokyo Olympics, former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has told AFP the ordinary fan will just be glad to have the diversion of live sport again.
Apart from a few exceptions — the sideshows of football in Belarus or racing in Hong Kong and Australia — sport has been at a standstill since mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, claiming more than 370,000 lives. Only now is it edging back to action.
Payne, who was widely credited with transforming the finances of the International Olympic Comittee through sponsorship, said such an unexpected crisis had caught sport woefully unprepared.
“Whether it’s international sports federations, football clubs or F1 teams, many were living way beyond their financial means,” he said in an interview with AFP.
“Very few bodies or organisations had funds set aside for a rainy day.
“This has been the mother of all wake-up calls.”
The 62-year-old Irishman says to learn lessons he always draws on the biggest crisis he experienced — the Olympic Salt Lake City scandal in 1999.
For three months he went to work wondering whether the IOC would see the day out.
“Top business leaders at the time told me a measure of leadership is how you take advantage of a crisis so ultimately you will come through stronger,” he said.
“It was very painful at the time but eventually I look back and say a lot of good came out of that.”
Payne says similar leadership — and tough and unpopular decisions — are required now.
“Major changes can and will need to be driven through that perhaps would not otherwise have been able to be pushed through if everyone was sitting in their comfort zone.
“What might have been previously politically unacceptable could now be possible. Sport will be leaner and stronger for it.”
Football clubs will need to rein in their spending as money from ticket sales “will take quite a while to come back”.
“In the interim, clubs, event organisers and federations are going to require some serious financial engineering to manage the business,” he said.
Distancing
Should spectators be allowed to attend events, one consequence of coronavirus is likely to be strict social-distancing measures being imposed if the Olympics and Euro 2020 take place next year.
Martin Sorrell, the British founder of advertising giant WPP, who sits on the IOC Communications Commission, says the Tokyo organisers are in a race against the clock.
“I think it will be nip and tuck because you have to plan it so far ahead, from now really, and make adjustments which is for something very complex.”
“Same thing for Euro 2021,” he added. “Will the organisers be right to play it behind closed doors or reduce audience participation?”
Terrence Burns, a former IOC marketing executive who since leaving his role has been pivotal in five successful Olympic bid city campaigns, says imposing restrictions on spectators would rob major events of “part of their mystique and appeal”.
Burns is upbeat about the future for sponsors but expects them to choose projects more carefully.
“Sports will always be a major component of marketing and promotional strategy for brands because of its emotive efficacy,” he said.
“Having said that, I expect the ‘sponsor universe’ not necessarily to shrink, but certainly to become more prudent and more exacting as it looks ahead where to spend its money.
“This means sports will have to work harder, in some cases re-invent themselves, to attract sponsorship dollars that in the past were more of a sure thing.”
Fans desperate
Ecclestone, who ran F1 for decades, says the ordinary fan’s wish is rather simpler.
“At the moment what has the family to talk about but coronavirus?” he told AFP.
“It is hardly very uplifting and something you want to discuss, but people do discuss how it is affecting them or the best way to avoid getting it.”
While “none of us have a clue” about the science of the virus “people do have knowledgeable opinions on sport, who their favourite competitors are or who will win.
“As soon as it returns in that respect, the better for people’s morale.”
Reporting and photos: AFP
Atmosphere Foundation, in collaboration with Moodhu Bulhaa Dive Centre, has opened applications for the first batch of a new programme that will sponsor 10 Maldivians per year to pursue professional dive training.
The initiative is aimed at supporting the career development of young Maldivians and increasing the number of qualified local professionals in the tourism industry. As tourism remains the Maldives’ main economic sector, the programme is designed to help Maldivians enter the field, build their skills from the ground up, and progress in their careers.
Under the programme, selected candidates will receive fully funded training and support to complete a range of internationally recognised dive certifications. The programme will cover full professional training, all certification fees, accommodation, meals and insurance.
Applicants must be aged 18 and above. Successful candidates will be required to work in the Maldives for a specified period after completing their course, helping ensure that the country’s tourism and marine sectors benefit directly from the skills developed through the initiative.
Abdul Azeez Abdul Hakeem, Vice President of Atmosphere Foundation, said the programme reflects the foundation’s commitment to creating practical opportunities for Maldivians to grow and succeed.
“This programme is about opening a pathway for young Maldivians who are passionate about the ocean and want to build a profession in diving. By investing in training and development, we are helping create more opportunities for Maldivians to take up skilled roles in an industry that is central to the country’s economy. We hope this initiative will support participants not only in gaining qualifications, but also in building long-term careers in the Maldives,” he added.
Atmosphere Foundation has continued to support community development through a range of initiatives focused on education, skills development, youth empowerment and social wellbeing. Through its programmes and partnerships, the foundation works to create opportunities that strengthen communities and contribute to long-term national development.
The dive training initiative adds to the foundation’s broader efforts to support Maldivians through programmes that deliver direct benefits, expand access to opportunity and encourage personal and professional growth.
Applications for the first batch are now open, with the submission deadline set for 15 April 2026. For applications and further information, interested individuals may contact info@moodhubulhaa.com or call +960 7788141.
The Indian Ocean provides consistent surf conditions throughout the year, but each September, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa hosts the Surfing Champions Trophy at the Sultans break. The event is scheduled to return from 4 to 11 September 2026, bringing together professional surfers, guests and spectators.
Now in its 14th edition, the Surfing Champions Trophy is an invitation-only event featuring professional surfers competing across three board disciplines: single fin, twin fin and thruster. The competition takes place at Sultans, a reef break in North Malé Atoll, with Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa serving as the base for participants, officials and attending guests.
The line-up for the 2026 edition will be announced in stages in the coming months.
The event was first held in 2011, with Mark Occhilupo winning all three divisions and the Grand Champions Final. Since then, previous winners have included Damien Hardman (2012), Taylor Knox (2013), Dave Rastovich (2014), Shane Dorian (2015), Taj Burrow (2016, 2017 and 2024), Josh Kerr (2018 and 2019), Kelly Slater (2022), and Joel Parkinson (2023).
Over the years, the competition has also featured a range of international surfers, including Carissa Moore, Maya Gabeira, Tom Curren, Rob Machado, Layne Beachley, Bethany Hamilton, Mikey February, Jeremy Flores and Jadson Andre.
The 2025 edition saw Tahitian surfer Michel Bourez secure victory despite sustaining a hamstring injury during the event. He won both the thruster division and the Grand Champions Final, achieving the only perfect score of the competition in the closing moments of the final. Other participants included Owen Wright, Jesse Mendes, Craig Anderson and Maldivian wildcard Ismail Rasheed.
In parallel with the event, the resort offers the “Surf’s Up” package, which includes coaching sessions with Tropicsurf professionals, guided surf trips, daily yoga sessions, spa treatments, and accommodation with transfers. The package is available to guests seeking to participate in surf-related activities during the event period.
Updates on the 2026 competition, including participant announcements, will be released through official channels of the Surfing Champions Trophy and Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa.
JOALI has announced a partnership with retired footballer Fara Williams, who will visit JOALI Maldives and JOALI BEING this April to lead a series of football-related activities for guests and the local community.
Fara Williams is among the most capped players in English football history, with 172 international appearances for the England women’s national team. Over the course of her career, she represented clubs including Chelsea and Charlton Athletic, and captained Everton to victory in the Premier League Cup in 2008 and the FA Women’s Cup in 2010.
As part of the initiative, Williams will host a football workshop for girls from Dhuvaafaru Island on 11 April 2026. The session is intended to support the development of women’s football in the Maldives and reflects JOALI’s engagement with communities in Raa Atoll.
In addition, family-focused football sessions will be held for resort guests on 13 April at JOALI Maldives and on 17 April at JOALI BEING. These sessions will provide children and families with the opportunity to participate in football activities guided by Williams.
JOALI Maldives offers villas starting from USD 3,256 per night for two guests sharing a Water Villa with Pool on a bed and breakfast basis. At JOALI BEING, villas start from USD 3,162 per night for two guests sharing an Ocean Pool Villa on a bed and breakfast basis.
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