The appointment of the Atlanta-based company is a coup for Baku organisers as they have previously worked on four winning Olympic bids - Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018 - as well as on Russia's successful campaign to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

They will assist the Baku 2020 team in developing presentations to the Olympic Family – with the first to the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly in Moscow next week – as well as with messaging and strategic bid consulting.

"I am absolutely delighted that Helios has joined the Baku 2020 team," said Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijan Minister for Youth and Sport. 

"Helios has a fantastic track record helping cities with their Olympic bids.

"I very much look forward to working with Terrence Burns and his team as we present our bid to the Olympic Family over the coming months.

"Our Bid slogan, 'Together We Can', is all about creating great partnerships – within the Bid team in Azerbaijan, between the bid team and our advisors, and between the Baku 2020 Bid and the Olympic Movement."

Helios were originally contracted to work for Rome but became available after the Italian Government refused to back a bid and they were forced to withdraw from a race that also involves Doha, Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo.

"In many ways Baku represents one of the most intriguing opportunities for the Olympic Movement in years," said Terrence Burns (pictured), the President of Helios Partners.

"It is a unique blend of taking the Games to a nation, region and culture for the first time, but an illustration that if properly planned for, the Games are a tremendous investment - not a cost - for future potential Host Cities. 

"Baku will adapt the Games to its existing long-term development plans for the city; it will not change the city's plans to fit the Games.  

"This is a subtle, but profound difference in the Baku 2020 plan and could provide a prudent, responsible model going forward."

Helios will work alongside the London-based company, pmplegacy, which has developed the Baku 2020 Applicant File and the Bid branding.

"It is great to be teaming up with Helios," said Peter Mann, the chairman of pmplegacy.

"The Olympic bidding world is a very small one, so we all know each other very well – and we work together extremely well, epitomising the Baku bid slogan: 'Together We Can'. 

"The Applicant File that Baku has submitted has an inspirational vision, a robust venue concept and, most importantly, a sustainable Games plan with a strong legacy.

"I very much look forward to working together with Terrence to take Baku through to the next stage of this bid campaign."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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