"When one choir sings that's great, when two choirs sing together that's better, but when you get as in these INTERKULTUR events with many choirs, then there is an energy which flows from it, which is not like anything else, except maybe a great sports event" — John Rutter, composer (Great Britain).

Choir competitions bring out a feeling that you can’t really get anywhere else, except maybe at a big sporting event like the Olympic Games. And that’s why the World Choir Games started in the first place to give singing its own huge event — bringing the excitement and unity that we feel at major sport events into the world of singing.

Since 1988 the German-based company INTERKULTUR has been organising international choir competitions and festivals; since 2000 they have been organising the world’s largest international choir competition in the world: the World Choir Games, also known as the Olympics of Choral Music. But at each of the individual INTERKULTUR events – be it a smaller-sized regional event or at a huge choir competition with more than 20.000 participants – both participants and organisers can witness the same thing: choir competitions create a special atmosphere.

And that is why in 2022, INTERKULTUR is doing something big again. Sing for Gold — The World Choral Cup will take place in Calella/Barcelona. It’s an exciting addition to the World Choir Games, and another opportunity to see a global community of choirs compete in this new competition with a clear reference to the world of sports: This new event will feature choirs from all around the world, all vying for the first ever World Cup of Choirs!

And, when you start to think about the world of sports and competitive singing, you find a lot of similarities. Maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising that they deliver such a similar feeling.

The Sport of Song

Anyone who has sung in a choir knows that it is truly a unique experience. When your voice joins with others, following music that you have practiced together for a long time, magic happens. You start to lose yourself in the activity, and for a while, the group works as one.

That feeling of community is special. It’s a big part of why choral music will always be an important part of the art and culture of humanity.

And anyone who has played team sports will know that this same feeling can appear on the field (or the court, or wherever else the game is played). Playing together with a shared goal brings teams in unison. There are moments in a game when the team is completely absorbed in the act of seeking victory, working as one. Again, it’s magic.

Part of the unity in both choral singing and team sports comes from the physicality of both. Singing at a high level is a full body workout, and in a choir, you have to match your performance to others. It really is physically demanding like any sport, pushing singers to treat their bodies well.

And there is an even bigger kind of unity that begins to form in both competitive choral singing and sports. Because there are people in the stands who become attached to the action.

You can really feel it at the World Choir Games. Spectators come to see their country’s choir succeed. It isn’t that they want anyone to lose, it’s that they feel a certain pride in their own country’s singers. And who can deny that the same is true of the world of sports?

Go Team, Go!

Feeling all of this connection to others is the essence of what it means to be human. We connect with an important part of ourselves that is often absent from much of our day-to-day life.

And when you add competition into the mix, the excitement that can erupt is pure joy.

In the World Choir Games, as with any sport, the competition drives the action. It gives people a goal and forces them to be better than they’ve ever been before. And it creates a framework to understand exactly what you need to do to succeed.

For spectators, a competition gives us a direct way to understand when something good happens for our team, and when something bad happens. And it lets us all cheer as one.

It’s like a dramatic machine — instantly producing emotional highs and lows that we all feel together. 

The Electricity in the Air

These features make it clear that competitive singing and sports have a lot in common. And events like the upcoming SING FOR GOLD — The World Choral Cup 2022 in Calella/Barcelona or the World Choir Games and its worldwide Choir Olympic Movement promise to deliver the same thrills as the next big sporting event.

Go and visit www.worldofchoirs.com to find out how you can host a huge choir event in you host city bringing it the same energy and emotional feelings as any big sports event!

[Source: AIPH] For the past 18 months, people have faced isolation challenges worldwide as they cope with the Covid-19 Pandemic. Many have sought and found harmony interacting with nature and in open green spaces. It has become evident, too, in the face of climate action, that more than ever, cities need to develop green credentials and urban areas and drive the appreciation and benefits of plants and flowers in the built environment.

International Horticultural Expos are beautiful events that showcase nature, are enjoyed by millions of visitors, and leave environmentally positive legacies for the host city’s residents. The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) has a mandate agreed by the 1928 Paris Convention and subsequent protocols. Since 1960, International Horticultural Expos have been approved and regulated by AIPH. A gallery of these expos can be viewed online www.aiph.org/expos/history/

On 19 October 2021, organisers from forthcoming AIPH approved Expos will be presenting their progress reports. This free online conference is an excellent opportunity to learn more about upcoming Expos as well as hosting or being involved with an International Horticultural Expo and network with Expo organisers, city representatives interested in hosting an expo, urban developers, AIPH members, NGOs, international city and environmental organisations and suppliers to major events.

Millions are spent developing these international spectacles that can stimulate the development of entire cities and transform the international reputation of hosting regions. Each Exhibition attracts many international participants and millions of visitors and lasts up to six months, with sites ranging from the smallest of 25 hectares to the largest of 500 hectares or more. Every Expo is carefully regulated, steered, and monitored by AIPH.

From now until 2027 AIPH has approved the following Expos in China, Turkey, Qatar, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Japan.

A1 World Horticultural Expos

Expo 2022 Floriade (the Netherlands)
14 April – 9 October 2022.
Theme – Growing Green Cities

Expo 2023 Doha (Qatar).
2 October 2023 – 28 March 2024
Theme – Green Desert, Better Environment

World Horticultural Exhibition 2027 Yokohama (Japan).
March – September 2027
Theme – Scenery of the Future for Happiness

B International Horticultural Exhibitions

Expo 2021 Yangzhou (China)

Expo 2021 Hatay (Turkey)

Expo 2023 Kahramanmaraş (Turkey)

Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo 2023 (South Korea).

International Horticultural Exhibition Chengdu 2024 (China)

Expo İzmir 2026 (Turkey)

There will also be news on progress from the organisers of the International Horticultural Show, Euroflora 2022, where organisers promise a voyage of rare beauty from 23 April until 8 May in Genova, Italy.

Putting Sustainability at the heart of AIPH-approved Expos

As the world’s champion for the power of plants, AIPH is committed to a sustainable future in which humanity, technology, and nature exist in a healthy and stable equilibrium.

To cement our dedication to a sustainable future, AIPH has developed a new Sustainability Policy. Independent Sustainability Expert Mr David Stubbs, formerly Head of Sustainability for London 2012 Olympics & Paralympic Games, will present the policy and Rules for AIPH Expos at the Virtual Expo Conference. These rules will describe the standards for the planning and staging of horticultural Expos to ensure they are the world’s most sustainable major events.

New AIPH Reporting procedures

During the conference, AIPH will reveal news on the new reporting procedures for approved Expos. Ms Elena Terekhova, AIPH International Relations Manager, and Mr Peter Ward, Managing Director of WeTrack, will introduce the WeTrack online programme that Expos will be required to use for reporting and the benefits of using this as an event management tool.

We are grateful to our Gold Sponsor PERA Event, and Event Partners AGES (Association of Global Event Suppliers), the Department for International Trade, and Major Events International. Including Media Partners Host City and FloraCulture International.

Registration for the virtual conference is free. For more information on this event, visit our website www.aiph.org/event/expo-conference-oct-2021/

[Source: European Athletics] European Athletics, Glasgow Life, and EventScotland are pleased to announce that Dynamic New Athletics Indoor (DNA), a new mixed-gender, fast-paced, short and compact team athletics event, will be coming to the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday 5 February 2022.
This event will be a showcase for a new format of men and women competing together in athletics with Home Nations - England, Scotland and Wales - taking part along with Ireland, Spain and Turkey.
The six teams will be competing across 10 disciplines vying to be crowned the Dynamic New Athletics Indoor Champions 2022.
This will be the first-ever international indoor version of the previously launched outdoor Dynamic New Athletics event. More information under can be found at www.dna.run
Billy Garrett, Glasgow Life’s Director of Sport and Events, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting the first stand-alone edition of Dynamic New Athletics at the Emirates Arena in February next year.
“Glasgow and its people are fiercely proud of our global reputation for hosting inspiring and innovative events, and this has been built-up over years of experience hosting new and exciting events such as the Dynamic New Athletics. 
“As with other major events hosted in the city, we’re also looking forward to supporting a programme for young people which will run alongside DNA, giving the next generation the chance to get involved and try out new athletics activities.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland Director of Events, said: “Scotland is a world-leader in delivering innovative new events and we are delighted to be working with European Athletics to develop Dynamic New Athletics for the next generation of young athletes.
“Glasgow and Scotland have a proud history in hosting athletics events, including the highly successful European Athletics Indoor Championships in 2019, and we cannot wait to welcome athletics back to the Emirates Arena in 2022 where the Home Nations will kick off a year of sporting rivalry ahead of Birmingham Commonwealth Games.”
Cherry Alexander OBE, Vice President of European Athletics said: “I am absolutely delighted to be working again with Glasgow Life and EventScotland delivering European Athletics’ Dynamic New Athletics next February at the Emirates Arena.
“Scotland has proved itself time and time again to be an amazing friend to athletics and we're excited to bring this innovative competition here to engage with younger audiences and inspire them to be active.
“Our aim is to create an environment for athletes to showcase their energy and talent and provide a valuable opportunity for athletes in the UK to earn world ranking points. The Emirates is the place to be on 5 February.
What is Dynamic New Athletics Indoor?
6 Teams: Mixed men & women, up to 16 athletes in each team, focus on team tactics and strategy.
2 Hours: Fast-paced sequence of events, only one event at a time.
10 events: Focus on run, jump & throw, traditional & new formats presented in a new way.
Easy scoring: Everything counts, 2 to 12 points for each event - 12 points for 1st place to 2 points for 6th place.
Winner:  The last event (the Hunt) will decide the winning team.

Coldplay aims at reducing emissions related to their next world tour by 50 per cent, and to remove the remaining unavoidable emissions with a portfolio of carbon removal solutions.  
“Playing live and finding connection with people is ultimately why we exist as a band,” said Coldplay. 
“We’ve been planning this tour for years, and we’re super excited to play songs from across our whole time together. At the same time, we’re very conscious that the planet is facing a climate crisis. 
“So we’ve spent the last two years consulting with environmental experts to make this tour as sustainable as possible, and, just as importantly, to harness the tour’s potential to push things forward. We won’t get everything right, but we’re committed to doing everything we can and sharing what we learn. It’s a work in progress and we’re really grateful for the help we’ve had so far.” 
Nature-based carbon removal solutions to be used include reforestation, soil restoration, rewilding, and blue carbon projects, such as seagrass meadow restoration. Other solutions include sustainable aviation fuels, and a direct air capture and storage solution from Climeworks – the only technological approach included. 
Christoph Gebald, co-CEO and co-founder of Climeworks said: “It is already proven that carbon removal at scale is a must on the current emissions pathway and technological solutions will be needed. 
“We are very inspired to see public figures like Coldplay seizing the magnitude of the challenge and acting boldly by working towards ambitious emissions reduction and removing the unavoidable part. Supporting them with our carbon dioxide removal service takes us one step closer to our vision of inspiring 1 billion people to remove CO2 from the air.” 
To limit global warming to 1.5°C, humanity needs to drastically reduce emissions (also called mitigation), which prevents new CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Historic and unavoidable emissions must also be removed from the air to achieve net-zero and net-negative emissions globally. 
According to Climeworks, some scientific studies indicate that by mid-century 10 billion tons of CO2 will need to be removed from the air every year to keep global warming in the line of the limits of the Paris Agreement.

[Source: IOC] An IOC member since 2020, Mrs Grabar-Kitarović is a former President of the Republic of Croatia. She will lead the Commission with immediate effect. The previous Chair, Kristin Kloster Aasen, stood down following her election to the Executive Board (EB), because no EB member can serve on the Future Host Commissions (for the Games of the Olympiad and the Olympic Winter Games), to ensure the broader participation of the IOC Session in the selection procedure. 

The new approach to electing Olympic hosts is more flexible and collaborative, with the IOC working with potential hosts to optimise their Olympic projects and align them with long-term social and economic development plans for the benefit of their communities. As a result, there is unprecedented interest from numerous parties on different continents in hosting future Olympic and Paralympic Games.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “The Future Host Commissions have an important role in shaping the future of the Olympic Movement.

“Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović will bring rich and diverse skills and experience, including at the very highest levels of government and international relations. As a member of the same Commission, she has already contributed to the successful delivery of the first election under the new approach to choosing Olympic and Paralympic hosts, with the selection of Brisbane 2032,” he added.

Mrs Grabar-Kitarović said: “I am grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with potential hosts on Olympic projects, which will help them to achieve their long-term goals for development, public health, sports participation and inclusion.

“I would like to continue to build on the great work begun under Kristin’s leadership. It is an exciting chance to develop innovative ways to steer the Olympic Games into the future and explore the challenges facing upcoming hosts, such as climate change.”

The vacant position on the Future Host Commission for the Games of the Olympiad has been filled by the IOC member and President of World Triathlon, Marisol Casado.

[Source: ASOIF] The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) have released a new report which, for the first time, establishes a standard set of data points for event stakeholders to cost-effectively assess the value of sporting events.

Overseen by ASOIF’s Commercial Advisory Group (CAG), the report consolidates relevant and easily available data in a clear way to ensure consistency of data gathering and reporting between events, with the intent of helping the industry deliver, and demonstrate, true value to investors and policy makers. It provides event professionals with a practical tool throughout the lifecycle of events, including a defined set of 30 “input”, 50 “output” and 10 “outcome” Key Performance Indicators from which rights owners and partners can gather data relevant to their own event objectives.

Click here to read the full report.

ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said about the report: “Through previous projects in this field we knew about the lack of systematic approach to IFs’ sporting event data collection and analysis. However, consistent data reporting is essential to build trust amongst all stakeholders seeking to benefit from the staging of sporting events, whether that be for tangible economic gain or less tangible benefits to society. At a time when communities start to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been more important for events to show their value.”

The indicators and guidance align with international best practice and intergovernmental work linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They support other global initiatives such as the OECD Recommendation on Global Events and Local Development, that calls for “rigorous criteria that enables comparison across different types of events in different geographic areas which should be set to monitor public expenditure and impact at all levels”.

As more organisations use these common indicators, it will become easier to learn from past experience, become more cost effective to gather data and improve how events deliver, and report on, a return on investment for their investing partners.

The report is authored by Iain Edmondson, Founder and Managing Director at Legacy Delivery, commissioned by ASOIF to aggregate the perspectives of key players in the sporting event evaluation industry. For this purpose, three workshops were conducted between July and October 2020, with more than 40 participants from IFs, host cities, commercial entities and academic experts.

In May 2021, in a joint commitment to implementing the common indicators amongst both event host organisations and international rights owners, ASOIF signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH) to endorse the content of this report and support their members in implementing it.

The Chair of IAEH, Susan Sawbridge, said about the new report: A common view of event impact measurement standards is something event hosts have been eager to have in place for a long time. The partnership between the IAEH and ASOIF to build this shared language has reached a significant milestone this week, with the publication of the report. We expect this work will help hosts and rights holders to better understand the social and economic benefits events generate for many years to come.

As a next step, ASOIF and IAEH will collaborate to obtain additional support from third-party organisations to enhance the tools available for sporting event impact evaluation.

[Source: EventScotland] Dumfries & Galloway will further etch its place in cycling history by welcoming the world’s best Para-cyclists after it was named as the host region for the historic Para-cycling Road at 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.

The region, which lays claim to introducing the first pedal-driven bicycle to the world in 1839, will see athletes competing on single bikes, tandems, tricycles and hand-cycles for the World Championship titles across the varied Para-cycling disciplines and the right to wear the coveted rainbow jersey – an honour bestowed to every UCI World Champion.

Building on Dumfries & Galloway’s long association with hosting world-class cycling events, including the Tour of Britain on 10 separate occasions, the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds will cement the region’s reputation as a renowned cycling tourism destination on a global stage supporting innovation, equality, diversity and inclusion.

The Championships will also take advantage of Dumfries & Galloway’s stunning cycling terrain with the course routes for the multitude of races across the variety of classifications being designed in conjunction with local partners to showcase the region and present a fitting challenge to the competitors.

Para-cycling Road will create history as part of the inaugural 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships which will see 13 UCI World Championships brought together for the first time as one mega-event.

With more than 2,600 athletes competing from around 120 countries, an expected one million spectators and more than one billion viewers worldwide, the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds will be the biggest cycling event ever and one of the top 10 sporting events on the planet.

The Championships will take place in August 2023 in Glasgow and across Scotland and last month Glasgow was announced as the venue for eight of the 13 UCI Cycling World Championships. Now, Dumfries & Galloway becomes the first venue outside of Glasgow to be unveiled as a host, for an event that promises to bring the power of the bike to the whole of Scotland.

To mark the launch, Scottish Paralympic cycling medallists Fin Graham and Jenny Holl and world-record hand-cyclist Ken Talbot joined representatives from the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds, Dumfries & Galloway Council and South of Scotland Enterprise in the heart of Dumfries.

Graham, 21, who won two silver medals in Tokyo during  his first appearance in the Paralympics earlier this month, said: “Ever since I heard about the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships coming to Glasgow and Scotland I’ve been excited about it and it is great that Dumfries & Galloway will host the Para-cycling Road events. The landscape and scenery in the region is stunning and will be a great host to the Championships. To have the Para-cycling Road World Championships involved alongside the other Championships is huge for our sport and it is a huge ambition of mine to take part in front of a home crowd as well.”

Holl, 21, joined the British Para Cycling Team earlier this year following a successful junior track cycling career and secured a Paralympic silver medal alongside tandem partner Sophie Unwin in Tokyo, added: “I’ve raced in Dumfries & Galloway before and I know it will be a great host of the Para-cycling Road events as part of the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds. It will be such a special occasion for the whole cycling family to come together and compete in one Championships and I’m especially proud that it will happen for the first time in my home country.”

American born Talbot, who now lives in Edinburgh holds the current speed world record for a hand cyclist at 51.86mph, said: “I’m incredibly excited that the Para-cycling Road World Championships are being held in Dumfries & Galloway as part of the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds. It will be such a special experience to see hand-cyclists from all over the world competing alongside other world-class athletes from across multiple cycling disciplines. I think people will be hugely inspired when they see what can be achieved by these Para athletes and I would love it if it can attract more people into cycling either for sport, leisure or travel regardless of their physical abilities.”

The UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships will see upwards of 300 athletes from more than 30 countries compete with the Road Race and Time Trial events featuring in Dumfries & Galloway. The Mixed Team Relay will be held in Glasgow.

Trudy Lindblade, Chief Executive of the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds, said: “I’m pleased that Dumfries & Galloway has been announced as our first venue outside Glasgow for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and I know the region will do a terrific job of hosting the Para-cycling Road World Championships. The 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds will be like nothing Scotland and the world has ever seen before so I’m excited that we can engage communities across the whole of the country in this event. Our colleagues at Dumfries & Galloway Council and South of Scotland Enterprise have been hugely positive about being a host region for the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds and we look forward to working with them over the next two years to maximise the benefits of bringing this global event here and showcasing the transformative power of the bike.”

Councillor Andrew Ferguson, Chair of Dumfries & Galloway Council’s Communities Committee, said: “Here in South West Scotland, we are serious about supporting cycling. It will be a privilege to host the UCI Para–cycling Road World Championships in August 2023 and play a part in showcasing Scotland’s cycling heritage to the World. Athletes, officials and spectators will receive the warmest of welcomes and I’m sure local people will turn out in their thousands to cheer on the para-cyclists and take in the races.”

Professor Russel Griggs OBE, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE), said: “With Dumfries and Galloway credited with being the region which introduced the pedal bicycle to the world, it feels fitting that it will now play a major role in the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.

“As the economic and community development agency for the South of Scotland, our support for the Para-cycling Road event ties into our core values which centre around being bold, striving, inclusive and responsible, and will help bring a global focus to Dumfries and Galloway.

“Working with partners, we are committed to helping the South of Scotland build on its already impressive cycling reputation, highlighted by our involvement in the Borderlands Growth Deal project to create a mountain bike innovation centre, bike park and trail lab at Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders.”

Dumfries & Galloway is a fitting host of the Para-cycling Road as part of the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds, not only because of its world-class cycling routes but because it also lays claim to being the region that gave the first pedal bicycle to the world in 1839 thanks to a design by local blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan.

A replica of Macmillan’s creation still exists in Dumfries Museum, as well as a plaque on the wall of his old Smithy. To commemorate the invention and Dumfries & Galloway’s hosting of the Para-cycling Road World Championships, a special video has also been released by the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds and can be seen on the Championships’ Youtube channel.

[Source: UCI] The 190th Congress of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – an electoral Congress - was held on 24^th September in Leuven (Belgium) during the 2021 UCI Road World Championships that are taking place in Flanders and mark the centenary of the event. The UCI Congress brought together representatives of 95 of the UCI’s member National Federations.

President of the International Federation since the UCI Congress held in Bergen (Norway) in September 2017, David Lappartient was re-elected in Leuven for a second term of four years at the head of the institution. As the only candidate, he was re-elected by acclamation.

The UCI Congress also had the responsibility of holding the election for members of the new UCI Management Committee, who will serve on the Federation’s executive for the next four years. The elected members are (by Confederation then in alphabetical order where relevant):

For the Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme (CAC)

Mr Mohammed BEN EL MAHI (MAR)

For the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC)

Mr Amarjit Singh Gill DARSHAN SINGH (MAS)

For the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC)

Mr Michel CALLOT (FRA)

Mr Rocco CATTANEO (SUI)

Ms Daniela ISETTI (ITA)

Mr Henrik Jess JENSEN (DEN)

Ms Agata LANG (POL)

Mr José Luis LÓPEZ CERRÓN (ESP)

Mr Igor Viktorovich MAKAROV (RUS)

For the Confederación Panamericana de Ciclismo (COPACI)

Ms Sonia Gregoria RAMOS ACUÑA (BOL)

For the Oceania Cycling Confederation (OCC)

Ms Anne GRIPPER (AUS)

These 11 new members join the Management Committee alongside the Presidents of the five Continental Confederations – elected at the beginning of this year – as well as the President of the UCI Athletes’ Commission, who all automatically serve on the UCI’s Management Committee. They are listed below (in alphabetical order):

Mr Osama Ahmed Abdullah AL SHAFAR (UAE), ACC President

Dr Mohamed Wagih AZZAM (EGY), CAC President

Mr Enrico DELLA CASA (ITA), UEC President

Mr Tony MITCHELL (NZL), OCC President

Ms Katerina NASH (CZE), President of the UCI Athletes’ Commission*

Mr José Manuel PELAEZ (CUB), COPACI President.

* until the election of the new President of the Commission by its members between November and December 2021.

Championship hosts revealed

At a ceremony organised during Congress, participants discovered the different UCI World Championships for the 2022-2027 period attributed earlier in the week by the UCI Management Committee. In total, the names of host cities for nine UCI World Championships – for a total of seven countries and five disciplines – were revealed:

2022 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships: Ghent (Belgium)

2022 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships: Barcelona (Spain)

2022 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Masters World Championships: Madonna di Campiglio (Italy)

2024 and 2025 UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships: Roubaix (France)

2025 UCI Road World Championships: Kigali (Rwanda)

2026 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships: Hulst (the Netherlands)

2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships: Victoriaville (Canada)

2027 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships: Ostend (Belgium).

The announcement that the 2025 UCI Road World Championships are awarded to the capital of Rwanda means this will be a first appearance in Africa of the UCI’s annual flagship event. It is a decisive step in the organisation of this historic event which featured among the major objectives of the UCI’s Agenda 2022.

Four new members joined the UCI at its 2021 Congress, which approved the affiliation of the National Federations of South Sudan, the Solomon Islands, Equatorial Guinea and the Vatican (the UCI is the only International Federation to have the Vatican among its members). The objective of reaching 200 affiliated National Federations by the end of David Lappartient’s first term as President of the UCI, in line with the Federation’s Agenda 2022, has been reached and exceeded. There are now 201 affiliated National Federations.

The Congress approved the 2020 UCI Annual Report, which contains the audited consolidated financial statements for the UCI and the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC). At more than 40 million Swiss francs, the reserves of the two entities at the end of 2020 remained almost unchanged compared to 2019, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The Congress also approved the UCI’s 2022 budget as well as an updated forecast for 2021. The UCI’s projected reserves over the new Olympic cycle were also presented to Congress. They show prudent growth in reserves through to 2024 and at the same time increasing funds available for the development of cycling worldwide.

The Congress also approved a modification to the UCI Constitution to increase the number of Vice-Presidents from three to four, and to ensure they include at least one representative of each gender.

Participants at Congress were informed of the delivery status of all objectives in the UCI’s Agenda 2022. Much progress has been made: as of the end of September 2021, close to 80% of the 300 objectives communicated have been totally or almost entirely achieved.

Congress participants welcomed the award of the UCI Bike City label to the city of Sakarya (Turkey) by the Federation’s Management Committee earlier in the week. This label is in recognition of the quality of each recipient’s strategy for developing and promoting everyday use of the bike, and of their commitment to organising events on the UCI International Calendar. Sakarya joins the 14 cities and regions that already hold the UCI Bike City label.

Sakarya hosted the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships, a round of the 2021 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon series, as well as a round of the 2020 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup. The Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality has developed a 10-year action plan and is investing heavily to become a city that not only hosts championships, but also ensures bikes are used more actively in transportation, encourages people to lead healthier lives, and promotes a cycling culture. Dedicating approximately 15% of the total annual budget to cycling, it has developed multiple cycling infrastructures and programmes, including the multi-disciplinary Cycling Valley, protected bicycle paths, traffic parks, road safety programmes, children’s cycling programmes and various events for the public.

Finally, the Congress awarded the UCI Merit, a distinction rewarding those who have made a remarkable contribution to cycling, to:

Mr Fazli Ahmad Fazli (AFG), President of the Afghanistan Cycling Federation, for his courageous commitment to the development of cycling, notably women’s cycling, in a country where fighting for this cause is a risk.

Mr Greg LeMond (USA), double road UCI World Champion and triple winner of the Tour de France, for his exceptional contribution to the legend of international cycling.

Mr Philippe Leuba (SUI), Head of the Department of Economy, Innovation and Sport in the canton of Vaud - which houses the UCI headquarters and UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) - for his efforts alongside the UCI to welcome to the UCI WCC, people threatened in Afghanistan due to their passion for cycling with no barriers.

Mr Tom Van Damme (BEL), member of the UCI Management Committee and President of the Royal Belgian Cycling League (RLVB) for his constant commitment to the development of cycling at international level.

In addition, Mr Renato Di Rocco (ITA), Vice-President of the UCI, and Mr Artur Lopes (POR), member of its Management Committee, who both leave their positions, become respectively UCI Honorary Vice-President and Honorary Member of the UCI Management Committee. Moreover, at its extraordinary session after the Congress, the Management Committee decided to renew Mr Tom Van Damme’s mandate as President of the Professional Cycling Council.

The UCI President David Lappartient declared: “I would like to whole-heartedly thank the National Federations affiliated to the UCI for renewing their confidence in me by electing me for a second term of four years. I look forward to continuing my work at the head of world cycling. After achieving a large majority of the objectives in the Agenda 2022, I now mean to work with our members to establish an Agenda 2030 whose goals will shape the future of cycling in the medium and long term.

I would also like to extend a welcome to the new members of our Management Committee that now includes considerably more women, with Ms Daniela Isetti, Ms Agata Lang, Ms Sonia Gregoria Ramos Acuña and Ms Anne Gripper. I am convinced that we will work together effectively for the development and promotion of cycling.

“I welcome the attribution of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships to Kigali, in Rwanda. Staging our biggest annual event in Africa was one of our dreams. Today, this is nearer to becoming a reality. I sincerely thank Tangier and Morocco for their bid of very high quality. The UCI encourages the country to submit new bids for future events. Given its love of cycling and its commitment for the development of our sport, it deserves to welcome major UCI events.”

More equal gender representation

Meeting for an extraordinary session after the Congress of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) organised during the 2021 UCI Road World Championships in Flanders (Belgium), the newly elected Management Committee carried out the election of the Federation’s Vice-Presidents for the next four years. In line with a modification to the UCI Constitution approved earlier in the day by its Congress, the UCI now counts at least one Vice-President of each gender, for a total of four Vice-Presidents (compared with three previously). The Vice-Presidents elected are:

Dr Mohamed Wagih AZZAM (EGY), President of the Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme (CAC)

Ms Katerina NASH (CZE), President of the UCI Athletes’ Commission

Mr Enrico DELLA CASA (ITA), President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC)

Mr Osama Ahmed Abdullah AL SHAFAR (UAE), President of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC).

Their term begins immediately and will finish after the 2025 UCI Congress.

The extraordinary meeting of the Management Committee also decided to bring in a co-opted member to the UCI Management Committee: Ms Yuan YUAN (CHN), Vice-President of the Asian Cycling Confederation and Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese Cycling Association.

It also confirmed Ms Amina Lanaya in the position of Director General of the UCI.

The President of the UCI David Lappartient, re-elected during the Congress, declared: “I would like to congratulate my four Vice-Presidents for their election, and I look forward to working with them over the next four years.

“With the election of Ms Yuan Yuan to the UCI Management Committee, it now has six women members out of 18, as opposed to just one after the previous elections. This is a major step towards more equal gender representation in the governance of cycling, which is one of the UCI’s priorities.

“I would also like to thank Mr Renato Di Rocco, who has been one of my Vice-Presidents since 2017 until this week, after occupying this role for the first time between 2009 and 2013. His support, his experience and his extensive knowledge of cycling have been precious throughout the many years he has served our sport.”

[Source: Interkultur] This year, the biggest singing event in the world is coming to Flanders. Starting on October 30, more than 300 choirs from all corners of the world will take part in the 11th edition of the World Choir Games for a week. On September 15, the President of INTERKULTUR Günter Titsch and the Director of the World Choir Games 2021 Flanders Koenraad De Meulder officially kicked off both the campaign and ticket sale for the singing festival at the Handelsbeurs in Antwerp. Flemish Minister of Culture Jan Jambon, Flemish Minister of Tourism Zuhal Demir and the Mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever were also present.

Every two years since 2000, INTERKULTUR has organized the World Choir Games, the so-called "Olympic Games for choirs". This 11th edition, Antwerp and Ghent are the host cities. From 30 October to 7 November they will be the scene of the world's largest singing festival. In doing so, they are following in the footsteps of cities such as Bremen, Cincinnati and Sochi. The organization expects more than 300 choirs to participate both live and digitally.

During this musical week there will be many events in and around the two Flemish host cities. Not only competitions, but also ceremonies, gala concerts and workshops. Ticket sales start today. The Friendship Concerts are free of charge. Given the current pandemic, which has already postponed the Choir Games by a year, unfortunately not all choirs can physically attend. The organization of the singing festival therefore developed a unique digital platform. This gives choirs the opportunity to contribute to the unique, cohesive atmosphere of the World Choir Games from their home countries.

Digital, social and fun

For the first time, the World Choir Games will be a hybrid event. "We are proud to present our innovative digital platform 'The Virtual Village' today. The unique concept offers the choirs, who in the current context cannot travel to Flanders, the chance to compete for eternal glory in the Virtual Games," says Sophie Detremmerie, COO of the World Choir Games 2021 Flanders. "But also the visitors will be able to enjoy the unique atmosphere of this event via the daily live streams in the digital Music Hall at home." The versatility of the Virtual Village is enormous.

"There is something for everyone," Sophie Detremmerie continues. "The host cities have worked out tourist content in 2D and 3D for the international singers in the digital Tourist Office, unique blogs and vlogs will appear, choirs can meet colleagues from all over the world in a virtual café, ..." Moreover, through a unique collaboration, the choirs will also be seen in more than 30 Flemish residential care centers. This way, the residents can attend the concerts in a safe way.

The Choral Flame brings light through Flanders

By analogy with the Olympic flame, the World Choir Games have a Choral Flame. It was handed over to Flanders in Tshwane (South Africa), the previous host city. On September 15, it was re-lit and began a five-week relay trip to numerous Flemish cities. The Choral Flame is a symbol of the warmth that singing together spreads in society. You can also follow the Koorvlam in the Virtual Village. The effect of the flame reaches further. Special efforts were made to involve disadvantaged groups in the Studio Koorvlam event. For example, a caravan travels through Flanders stopping at people with dementia, with physical disabilities, people in poverty and at an interfaith singing group. 

Flemish cultural heritage

Flanders was not randomly chosen as host region. Singing is an important element of our culture. Today Flanders has more than 1,000 choirs and 35,000 singers. No less than 1 in 3 Flemings are directly or indirectly involved in an amateur arts organization such as a choir. This puts us at the top of the lists worldwide in terms of cultural participation. Flemish Minister-President and Minister of Culture, Jan Jambon: "Flanders has a rich tradition in the field of vocal culture. We are therefore very proud to be able to organize the World Choir Games this year. The Games allow the many participating Flemish choirs to meet their international colleagues in a creative and inspiring way. Moreover, in this way Flanders gets the chance to show itself from its best side with our heritage and our gastronomy."

Meeting point for the international World Choir Council

In addition to the numerous concerts and virtual meetings, the General Conference of the World Choir Council marks also an important part of the World Choir Games. "It is a fantastic sign that we can also hold the General Conference of our most important advisory body in Flanders – live and virtually! More than 120 representatives from over 90 countries and regions are invited to come together to discuss current developments in the international choral scene and to exchange practical experience. Thus, as ambassadors, they will bring confidence to the choirs in their home countries, motivate them and make the stages of the world resound again soon", says Günter Titsch, President of INTERKULTUR, the World Choir Games & World Choir Council.

Tickets for the competitions, workshops, ceremonies Main Ceremonies and Celebration Concerts will be on sale starting September 15 through the World Choir Games website, www.wcg2021.be. The Virtual Village is accessible free of charge beginning September 15, at www.virtualvillage.be.

The World Choir Games are an international choir event of INTERKULTUR. The WCG 2021 are organized in Flanders on the initiative of EventFlanders - a partnership of Tourism Flanders, the Department of Culture, Youth and Media and the Department of Foreign Affairs - the cities of Antwerp and Ghent and Koor&Stem vzw. www.wcg2021.be.

[Source: Interkultur] Three regional meetings of the World Choir Council took place on August 25 and 26, 2021, where its members came together online to discuss current topics from the international choral scene.

The Regional Meetings were organized as a hybrid event for the first time. More than 100 participants from all over the world in total attended the meetings, including members of the World Choir Council and invited guests. The three conferences happened online with several additional events taking place at the same time in the City of Chengdu, China.

Hoping that this pilot project will lead to many other editions in the future, Mr. Günter Titsch, President of INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council said:

“The ’International Music Capital’ Chengdu played an elementary role, as a large part of the World Choir Council events took place live there. Participants from all over the world were digitally connected to the choral music workshops, master classes and a special symposium. The conference brought us a big step closer to our common goal of seeing choirs live on the stages of the world again. Special thanks to the City of Chengdu and the Chengdu Musical Fun Management Committee for the opportunity and to the China Chorus Association as well as "Chorus China" of Chinese Musicians Association for the opportunity”,

The focus of the regional meetings in August 2021 was mainly on mutual exchange and discussion rounds to hear the manifold voices and opinions of all World Choir Council Members. New ideas were born together and the participants learned from the broad expertise represented in the World Choir Council.

The topics of the three regional meetings varied for the different regions with the meeting for Asia-Pacific, Middle East and China focusing mainly on the role of choral music in boys’ education and on problems and challenges especially composers and arrangers are facing during the pandemic.

In the regional meetings with council members from North, Central and South America questions of Environmental Sustainability were discussed and the participants tried to find solutions on how to use their voices for a positive change. Also, they tried to find answers to the question on how children and youth choirs can be encouraged to sing again.

The last of the three regional meetings took place on August 26 with members from Europe and Africa. They addressed one of the biggest challenges of our times, namely to affect positive change in communities or countries where different ideologies are at odds within the population, and exchanged ideas around the use of choirs and choral singing as a vehicle to reach this goal. Further they discussed the different learnings from the Covid pandemic: What lessons can be learnt from the past 1.5 years and which rehearsal methods will live on?

All members of the World Choir Council who participated in the meeting were happy about the possibility of exchange with other choir experts, especially with regard to cultural differences, different measures and approaches in relation to the pandemic and the work with choir singers.

First Vice President of INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council, Ms Qin Wang was pleased about the wonderful opportunity to come together with the World Choir Council live and virtually through this pilot project:

“In the pandemic, our goal is to unite together, support each other and to help and motivate our choirs to return to the stage as soon as possible. Our hybrid event was a great start to reach this goal and I'm sure we will continue on this path in our future global and regional projects."

INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council hopes to continue the exchange in the future and to use the results to tailor future projects even better to the needs of the choral scene. For this purpose there will be an additional survey.

The next General Conference of the World Choir Council which traditionally gathers all council members at one place, is already being planned to take place on November 3, 2021 in Flanders, Belgium during the 11th World Choir Games.

For more information on Interkultur visit www.interkultur.com – and to find out how and why to host the European Choir Games visit https://worldofchoirs.com/ecg/