Lausanne, Switzerland – July 16, 2024 – Burson, the global communications leader purpose-built to create value for clients through reputation, today published its highly anticipated 2024 Ranking of Sports Cities, revealing Paris as the world’s top sports city for the second consecutive year. Los Angeles takes second place with New York City securing third. London, for the first time, is out of the top three, with Madrid joining the top five club.
The annual ranking identifies the top 100 cities from around the world with the strongest association with sport. It is based on both perception and in-depth quantitative analysis, including feedback from international sports leaders, sports media representatives and industry experts, as well as social media analytics.
The 2024 ranking highlights several interesting trends:
- Attention is high but fades away rapidly: While hosting mega-events like the Olympic Games provides a significant boost to a city's sports reputation, the impact tends to fade rapidly in subsequent years. This is evident in Tokyo's drop from first in 2022, one year after having hosted the Games, to today’s 13th place.
- The American approach to sport is powerful: American cities are utilising the strength of franchises with a strong entertainment focus to create a significant sports presence. New York (ranked 3), Miami (ranked 9), and Las Vegas (ranked 15) exemplify this trend. This also demonstrates the power of high-profile stars and their impact on a city's global marketing.
- Vocal ambitions can attract attention: Cities that have loudly declared their sporting aspirations have quickly moved up the rankings, even if their activities haven't been extensive. Salt Lake City (ranked 33), Riyadh (ranked 42) and New Delhi (ranked 75) have seen substantial improvements in their rankings. Salt Lake City's impressive 30-place jump following its selection as the preferred host for the 2034 Winter Games illustrates this phenomenon.
"Over the years at Burson, we've consistently been amazed by the impact of communication on a city's reputation as a strong sports city. It's not solely about tangible activities, but largely about communicating a city’s current and future plans," said Lars Haue-Pedersen, Managing Director of Sports Practice at Burson. "For those cities wishing to enhance their reputation in sport, investing in effective communications can bring significant benefits, perhaps sometimes more than infrastructure development."
The complete 2024 Burson Ranking of Sports Cities, including the full methodology and in-depth analysis, is available here.
About the Burson Ranking of Sports Cities
Each year, Burson’s sports practice publishes its Ranking of Sports Cities, evaluating the top 100 sports cities from around the world. This evaluation is based on a quantitative digital footprint analysis of the association between sport and a city (weighting 50 percent), combined with the perception-based views of leaders of International Sports Federations (25 percent) and major international sports media (25 percent). Operating at the heart of international sports as a valuable partner of the International Federations, host cities, and leading brands, Burson’s sports practice harnesses the power of sport for impactful communications and to elevate brand reputation.
Contact:
Stefany Chatelain-Cardenas, Burson Sports Practice, email: [email protected], phone: +41 21 313 23 00