Sri Lanka has just proven the take the Commonwealth Games extremely seriously. Almost eight years before the actual 2018 edition, Sri Lanka issued an official statement announcing it has hired a public relations firm to provide expert advice for their bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games in southern Hambantota.
The public relations firm of Bell Pottinger will partner with other units of the Chime Communications marketing group to determine the best approach in Sri Lanka’s bid for the games.
According to Central Bank Governor Ajith Cabraal quoted by the statement, “the appointment of this advisory team reinforces how important the 2018 bid is to Sri Lanka”. Cabraal is actually the head of a government organizing committee for the country’s 2018 bid.
The team includes Populous, (formerly HOK Sport) a sports architect and an event specialist who is currently working on the Sochi 2014 Games and is also the official architectural and overlay design services provider to the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
The amount paid for the contracted PR and Marketing counsel is not known at this moment, as news outlets covering the news have not published it.