These major events will also complement the decade in which schools will increase their sports education on the back of the Government's desire to introduce at least five hours' sporting activity a week per child.  Here are some of the major events planned:

2010

Women's Rugby World Cup, London

Goalball World Championships, Sheffield

European Water Ski Championships, Thorpe

European Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Birmingham

World Wheelchair Basketball Championships, Birmingham

European Individual Badminton Championships, Manchester

Ryder Cup, Celtic Manor

2011

Badminton World Championships, London

2012

London hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games

2013

Rugby League World Cup (bidding for)*

2014

Commonwealth Games, Glasgow

Ryder Cup, Gleneagles

2015

Rugby Union World Cup (bidding for)*

2018

Football World Cup (bidding for)*

2019

Cricket World Cup

This will be a very important focus for the promotional merchandise and clothing industry as brands will want to capture the sporting fever.

Major brands and sponsors will require their distributors to have SEDEX approved suppliers.  In fact, in some instances, without this assurance, these major companies will not accept suppliers. 

Having been involved personally with LOCOG, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, I know this only too well. 

Some of the tenders I have seen, are incredibly detailed, requiring an inordinate amount of information which I know will put some off. 

A major distributor told me that they recently had to complete a tender with more than 185 questions. 

Those companies that do have all the right accreditations will win through and the pickings could be massive. 

The pin badge license alone has already been granted for 2012 and there were more than 8 million ordered. 

The reason why brands are becoming increasingly demanding about this is simply that they cannot afford the bad publicity surrounding child labour, poor quality goods, dangerous substances etc.

A recent bpma member took out an audit on a UK supplier for a major billion pound food and drink giant, and it failed spectacularly on a range of areas. 

The supplier had explained that there had been no problems before. 

The effect was that the promotion was halted and fortunately the distributor did not lose the client but could have.  

We suggest our members put in place the proper codes of conduct with the factories and provide open disclosure of working practices and become SEDEX members.

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