Milltown Partners have been appointed to work for Rome's 2024 Olympic and Paralympic bid ©Milltown Partners

Milltown Partners, new kids on the Olympic bid consultancy block, are to advise Rome in the race for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.

The London-based consultancy was set up two years ago by Patrick Harverson, former Financial Times journalist turned communications/PR specialist, and D-J Collins, once of Google.

David Bond, former BBC and Daily Telegraph sports editor, is a director of the firm and will be working closely with Bid President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and Simone Perillo, head of international relations.

insidethegames understands that Milltown will take on the international communications brief, with a particular focus on English-language media.

Bond is one of two journalists who helped Vero chairman Mike Lee produce his account of the 2012 Olympic Games hosting contest, The Race for the 2012 Olympics.

Lee, PR supremo for London 2012, the victors in that race, is to work for one of the British capital’s vanquished rivals, Paris, in the new race currently taking shape in advance of the September 15 deadline for tabling bids.

Harverson, who covered the Sydney Olympics for the Financial Times, is best-known for his work on behalf of members of the British royal family, including the Prince of Wales, brother of International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Princess Anne.

He is also a former communications director of the Premier League football club Manchester United.

Milltown partners will face the challenge of convincing the world, and the IOC members, that Rome's bid, pictured being launched in December, is viable ©AFP/Getty Images
Milltown partners will face the challenge of convincing the world, and the IOC members, that Rome's bid, pictured being launched in December, is viable ©AFP/Getty Images

Milltown’s homepage states that it “advises companies, individuals and families on managing communications, reputation and privacy”.

Rome’s immediate task will be to convince IOC members that, having withdrawn dramatically from the 2020 race on Valentine’s Day 2012, this time it is ready to stay the course.

Boston and Hamburg have declared their intention to join Paris and Rome in the race, with the Hungarian capital Budapest expected to follow.

The winner is due to be chosen by IOC members at the 2017 IOC Session in the Peruvian capital of Lima.



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