Bonus Bar - Avoid triathlon-type blunder

Imagine you’re hosting one of the most historic international events of the decade with your country in a weeks-long spotlight. You put plans to paper and present them, then assemble teams to work feverishly for four years to get ready. You plan for anything, you know, just in case. Your backups to the backups are set and … whoa …

TriathOrNot

Swallowing sewage doesn’t sound advisable during a bad beach day let alone the Olympic Games, but that’s what triathletes face if they swim in the River Seine. Millions of dollars were spent to clean the river, and water tests are conducted early each morning. So far, however, training sessions have been canceled, and there are rumors that triathlons could be shortened to biathlons. There’s no backup body of water to host those and some other events.

To be sure, the river provided a fun twist to the opening ceremony parade of nations despite soaking rains. But the rains are said to be the blame today. Some triathletes reportedly don’t care if they swim in sewage, but a bacterial outbreak like E. coli and other intestinal issues? They could become a stain on an otherwise glorious 2024 Games.

The perfect time to engage public relations is before you reallllly need it.

Public relations agents aren’t always consulted when venues are chosen, but a deeply polluted River Seine without a backup location proves it’s highly advisable. Water that hasn’t been deemed safe for competitive swimming since the 1920s screams for one.

In addition to fostering and managing reputations, PR specialists are masters at what-ifs. We help prepare for anything dynamically positive or disappointingly negative, no matter the event. That includes crisis communications plans for the main attraction and surrounding conditions.

Sports or business-focused, we function best in the background so you can do your thing. Even if it’s swimming, biking and running for gold.

Heads-up! I want to help you prepare for the what-ifs for your next project. Let’s talk about how at [email protected].

©Gail Sideman, gpublicity 2024 

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