Golden 25 - Bid Consultants #18

(ATR) As the bids for the 2020 Summer Olympics take shape, the major consultants involved with bidding will make their mark. While no bid can win without a strong home team, the international bid consultants have become important adjuncts to help draft bid documents, strategy and international communications.

Doha has enlisted MI Associates of Sydney, Mike Lee of Vero Communications in London and U.S.-based Andrew Craig.

Terrence Burns of Atlanta-based Helios is on the case for Rome along with wordsmith George Hirthler. Robert Fasulo is also part of the Rome international relations team.

Craig McLatchy and Event Knowledge Services are working with Istanbul on technical aspects of the bid. Jon Tibbs and Associates of the U.K. could be playing a role, as may be Lars Haue-Pedersen of Lausanne-based TSE.

Baku has picked Burson-Marsteller for comms and U.K. firm pmplegacy with Peter Mann along with Bob Elphinston, former president of basketball federation FIBA and sports director of the Sydney Olympics.

Marketing expert Michael Payne is expected to lend his expertise to one of the 2020 bids.

Andreas Abold, from Munich, is still unassigned.

No word from Tokyo and Madrid as to their selections.

Last year's ranking: 18

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Written by Ed Hula and Mark Bisson.

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