Firm carrying torch for Ukraine at the Olympics

A SPORTS event and travel firm has won a contract, worth up to £2m, to look after Ukrainian officials at next year’s Olympic Games, in Britain.

Destination Sport will arrange accommodation, transport and logistics for 500 non-athletic staff, including Olympic committee members, their families, and support teams such as physiotherapists.

The contract, which equates to 4,000 bed nights, will be worth between £1m and £2m for Destination Sport, said founder Darren Boston.

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The Leeds-based destination management company arranges transport, accommodation, training facilities for competitors and corporate sponsors.

It won the Ukrainian contract through its work with OT Events – a German company with an office in the Eastern European nation – with whom it has been working for nearly a year.

Destination Sport is also working with the Serbian National Olympic Committee and the Dutch Swimming Federation in preparation for the Games, and Mr Boston said this could lead to more work further afield in the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

“All the work we will do around 2012 will put us in a good position with Brazilian destination management companies. The focus is on Europe but when you are looking at the sports calendar, there are other opportunities.”

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The firm was established in September 2009 by Mr Boston, a former events manager at Leeds United FC Travel, and Alan Davis, who played for Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Lincoln City.

It has 20 partner offices around Europe and hopes to be working soon in every country on the Continent. In May last year, it took VIP guests and sponsors to the football Champions’ League final, at Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium, through its German and Madrid agents, and hopes to do this on a larger scale when this year’s event is held at Wembley Stadium.

Mr Boston said it aims to work within the whole range of sports, “from archery to windsurfing”, including less mainstream ones like chess. It hopes to reach turnover of £3m next year.

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