The Finnish Olympic Committee and Marketing Finland are launching a partnership in the field of sports marketing and establishing a joint sports marketing working group.
The global sports market is already estimated to be worth $417 billion, and PwC’s Global Sports Survey 2026 projects that the international sports market will grow by an average of 7.4 percent annually over the next three to five years. Commercial rights and sponsorship in sports are also growing strongly.
Sports marketing featured prominently in discussions at this year’s Cannes Lions, the world’s most prestigious marketing festival.
– The importance of sport in marketing is growing rapidly around the world, and it’s great to see the topic receiving the attention it deserves in Cannes as well. Beyond the talk, the growth figures clearly show how strong a role sport can play in corporate marketing communications, says Timo Ronkainen, CEO of the Finnish Olympic Committee Marketing Ltd.
Riikka-Maria Lemminki, CEO of Marketing Finland, says the goal of the new sports marketing working group is to strengthen Finnish expertise in sports marketing and cooperation between companies and sports organisations.
– The strength of sport in marketing lies in the emotion and dynamism associated with it; sports marketing is also a very fast track to internationalisation, which makes sport really interesting for companies. It’s wonderful to kick off our collaboration with an inspiring event where best practices and insights are shared, says Ronkainen.
The transformation of sports marketing: lessons from Cannes Lions 2026 – free webinar
The sports marketing working group will kick off its activities by bringing the lessons from this year’s Cannes Lions to Finnish companies.
On 24 September from 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm, a hybrid event will be held at the Olympic Stadium on the topic “Sports Marketing Transformation: Lessons from Cannes Lions 2026”. At the event, Marian Brannelly, Global Director of Awards at Cannes Lions, will discuss what can be learned from this year’s LIONS Sport programme and other Cannes Lions sports marketing events. You can participate in the event remotely or in person.