I just watched a YouTube video recorded by young a Brazilian woman boycotting the upcoming 2014 FIFA games http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZApBgNQgKPU. Throughout the video the author berates the decision makers for bringing and promoting the games in Brazil, claiming that the information being released to the public is not the actual story. She implies that the primary benefactors of the games are not the people of Brazil, and that the games will do nothing but further emphasize the drug and crime issues that have plagued Brazil for years.
While I can understand her frustration having come from Brazil and having witnessed first hand the issues brought out in the video, I also feel that it is important to take in the WHOLE picture rather than focusing on the negative aspects. While I respect her opinion I feel it is extremely shortsighted.
The upcoming FIFA and Olympic games are just a catalyst in Brazil’s growth efforts. The games are not the enemy here. They are a business, just like any other business. They rely on partnerships working toward a common goal…a successful, profitable event for all involved. It is in their best interest to ensure that corruption, drugs or crimes do not tarnish the games. To say that the games would be an open environment for such is insulting. These are games that have a long history of drawing the world together on common ground. For that reason alone, the organizers of these games are committed to delivering a platform where the world’s greatest athletes can compete and the world can enjoy.
Brazil is a country where the majority of the population has lived in poverty for their entire lives. Until the announcement of the games and the long-term economic growth program (PAC), opportunities were not available for them to turn their lives around. Now with the ongoing infrastructure development and intense international awareness, there are a myriad of opportunities to learn new trades, earn a better wage and enjoy a more sustainable lifestyle.
I have been working in Brazil as an International Partnering Consultant for more than three years. Yes, there are many issues (crime, drugs and the Pacification efforts) that have taken center stage in the news since the award announcements in 2009. However, there has also been a great deal of positive movement as well. Since working in Brazil I have witnessed first hand the aggressive efforts being undertaken to mitigate corruption at the municipal, state and federal levels. I have seen Brazilian partnering companies that have performed below industry standards for years, reach out and welcome the introduction of new technologies and methodologies through partnering efforts with North American counterparts. All designed to help Brazilian firms work smarter and open doors for new careers and investment opportunities.
Granted there are those that will continue to take the easy route by continuing to deal in the drugs, rob, steel and even kill in the name of money. But in all honesty, we have this right here in the United States. It is just not as blatant.
Previous games held around the world over the years have brought “lessons learned” to the Brazilian games. Lessons that bring enhanced technologies and methodologies geared to streamline the growth and development that Brazil desperately seeks. These lessons are being introduced through international partnerships with Brazilian companies who believe that the upcoming games will be the catalyst needed to bring Brazil out of a third-world environment, ushering in a strong, stable economy for years to come.
It has been my experience that the Brazilian population as a whole is strong, proud and driven. Not unlike their northern counterparts in the US. What Brazil is experiencing right now (recent protests, etc.) is all part of the growing process. I believe that in end Brazil will surprise the world with what it is capable of pulling off for these games and will only come out stronger on the back end.
DAVNA Enterprises, LLC is a Marketing and International Partnership Brokerage firm dedicated to the Architectural, Engineering and Construction, Transportation and Technology industries to improve their marketing initiatives and the effectiveness of their international positioning efforts through market partnering and positioning.
