Japanese media giant Dentsu has been awarded the exclusive broadcasting rights for the Olympic Games from 2018 to and 2024 in 22 Asian countries. 

World leading advertising agency Dentsu was the Asian broadcast partner for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games and is the broadcast partner in the region for the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

The agreement means Dentsu will continue to distribute broadcast rights in Afghanistan Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

In a statement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) described Dentsu as the “exclusive gatekeeper for broadcast rights” in all languages and all media platforms, including television, radio and the Internet. 

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This agreement ensures Olympic broadcast coverage for fans across the region, including on free-to-air television. Having begun our broadcast relationship with Dentsu at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, I am pleased we will continue through to 2024.”

The deal also encompasses Youth Olympic Games.

Kiyoshi Nakamura, Executive Officer of Dentsu said: "Following the acquisition of the broadcast rights for the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, we are delighted to strengthen the ongoing relationship between the IOC and Dentsu through the distribution of the broadcast and exhibition rights for all the Olympic Games until 2024. We are dedicated to contributing to the long-term development of the Olympic Movement and to deliver the excitement of the Olympics to the fans in these Asian countries and territories.”

IOC Vice-President Zaiqing Yu, Delegate IOC Member for Broadcast Rights in Asia, said: “Dentsu has a good understanding of the region’s commercial and broadcast environment, and their expertise and insight will help the Olympic Movement develop its presence and ensure excellent Olympic broadcast coverage of future Games.”

The agreement follows the IOC’s recent awarding of 2018-2024 broadcast rights to Eurosport in Europe and beIN in the Middle East. 

The Asian Football Confederation and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) on Friday signed a wide-ranging partnership agreement to strengthen safety and security in Asian football.

The agreement will strengthen existing safety and security regulations, develop training programmes and help assess safety and security within the AFC Member Associations.

The partnership agreement was signed by the presidents of the two organisations after the AFC Congress in Bahrain. 

“Safety and security is a top priority for the AFC, a basic requirement for any football match to take place. The AFC does everything within its powers to protect players, officials, coaches and spectators across Asia,” said Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who was reelected as AFC president on Thursday.

“The ICSS is at the forefront of safeguarding sport and this agreement is a significant step forward in enhancing safety and security practices within the AFC and our Member Associations.”

ICSS president Mohammed Hanzab said: “As sport and major events continue to increase in size and complexity, I would encourage other football associations and confederations to show the same proactive leadership as the AFC in sport safety and security to confront the new threats that sport now faces.

“This partnership with the AFC represents a significant milestone for the ICSS and builds on our growing portfolio with various sports organisations and other major events rights-holders around the world.

“As one of the fastest growing and most diverse football regions in the world, Asia is an important platform for the ICSS to showcase our expertise, as well as providing us with a unique opportunity to work on some of the world’s largest major sport events and venues.”

As part of the agreement, the ICSS and AFC will develop safety and security regulations within the framework of FIFA international guidelines. 

The partners will also deliver training programmes educate security officers within AFC Member Associations, including ‘Train the Trainer’ programmes.

They will also develop key requirements for the security design of sport infrastructure, security operations for clubs and international matches and tournaments taking place in AFC Member Associations

The growth of a professional network of security personnel will be supported, to ensure the appointment of qualified staff for clubs, international matches and tournaments.

Current safety and security documentation and reporting tools for clubs, international matches and tournaments taking place within the AFC will be reviewed.

ICSS will also provide safety and security assessments in collaboration with or on behalf of the AFC.

The date of the Soccerex Asian Forum has changed from the 14 to 15 April to the 3 and 4 May, the organisers announced today.

The change was made after the decision by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) to bring forward their congress to April.

“The aim of the Soccerex Asian Forum is to promote the development of football and football business in Asia, through providing a platform for the whole world of football to gather in Jordan. The rescheduling of the CONCACAF Congress meant that it would be very difficult for many of the decision makers from this important region, and the industry worldwide, to attend the Asian Forum,” said Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie.

“We have long enjoyed a good working relationship with CONCACAF and were delighted to welcome a significant CONCACAF delegation, led by President Jeffrey Webb, to two of our events in 2014.

“With this in mind, following discussion with our partners, we have taken the decision to move the Asian Forum to the new dates of the 3 and 4 May 2015. 

“The event will still be held at the same fantastic location on the banks of the Dead Sea and will continue to be hosted in conjunction with the Asian Football Development Project”.

Soccerex Asian Forum will now start just two days after the AFC Congress in Bahrain draws to a close. The close proximity of the Congress in both date and location – Jordan is just a short flight from Bahrain – means that a significant AFC presence is expected at the Asian Forum.

For more information contact Soccerex on +44 208 987 5522 or enquiry@soccerex.com

Soccerex has announced that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Royal Jordanian Airlines, PepsiCo and the Jordan Tourism Board have committed to the Soccerex Asian Forum, which takes place from 13-14 May on the banks of the Dead Sea in Jordan, in partnership with the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP).

Royal Jordanian Airlines – voted Airline of the Year by Air Finance Journal in 2007 – is now the official airline partner of the Forum. PepsiCo, the official sponsor of the AFC, and the Jordan Tourism Board have signed up as official event supporters. 

Pepsi (PepsiCo) will act as official drinks supplier of the event while the Jordan Tourism Board will sponsor a social evening taking place at the Marriott Dead Sea Spa & Resort on Tuesday 13 May.

“We are very excited to bring this impressive selection of global brands to the event,” said Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie. “These are first-class organisations that bring the sport and the community together, and we believe will help Jordan and the rest of the continent become a destination for the global industry and soccer fans alike for many years to come.”

The local organising committee of the 2015 Asian Cup will be partnering with Austrade, the Australian Trade Commission, to host Café Australia, the networking hub at the heart of the exhibition hall. 

Australia is joined by India, Korea and other Asian federations, demonstrating the Asian Forum’s status as a significant gateway to Asia for the global industry. In addition to national associations, a number of premier footballing institutions including FIFA, The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, The FA, La Liga, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, the Japan Football Association and Galatasaray, have signed up for the event.

The AFC is also involved in the content of the event, updating delegates on the delivery of the Cup in a panel dedicated to major events. AFC Vice-President Moya Dodd will provide an outlook on the issues surrounding women’s football in Asia.

The Forum, held in partnership with the AFDP founded and chaired by HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, brings together leading figures from the world of Asian football as well as other international football experts to discuss the development of the game across Asia. The conference agenda includes a review of the opportunities and challenges facing Asian football.

The presidents of 12 national football associations have so far confirmed their attendance at the Soccerex Asian Forum, which takes place on 13-14 May on the banks of the Dead Sea in Jordan. 

These officials are the ultimate decision makers for football in major middle eastern, Asian and western markets. And with FIFA introducing new regulations on the selection of host cities for future world cups, they administrators will also have a say in some of the biggest decisions in world football. 

Leading the list of FA presidents will be HRH Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, (Jordan), Sunil Gulati, (USA), H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, (Qatar) and Chung Mong-gyu, (Korea), alongside FA presidents from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Papua New Guinea and the Honorary President for Norway. According to Soccerex, many more are expected to confirm shortly. 

“The quality and quantity of the attendees singing up for the Forum is truly outstanding. As the key decision makers behind commercial and development projects for their own FAs as well as international matters such as future World Cup host selection, these presidents are amongst the most important footballing administrators on the planet,” said Duncan Revie, CEO of Soccerex.

Other senior representatives from Asia attending include AFC Vice-President and Football Federation Board Member Moya Dodd, All-India Football Federation General Secretary Kushal Das and Singapore FA General Secretary Winston Lee, as well as their counterparts from Turkmenistan and Bangladesh. 

Other premier footballing institutions represented include FIFA, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, The FA (UK), La Liga, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, the Japan Football Association and Galatasaray. 

Organised in partnership with the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP), the Forum is a unique platform for businesses looking to expand their network and to present themselves to these industry leaders. 

Chaired by HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, the event brings together the leading figures from the world of Asian football as well as other international football experts to discuss the development of the game across Asia. The conference agenda will include a review of the opportunities for growth and the challenges facing Asian football.

For further details about the Soccerex Asian Forum please read the full conference programme or contact Soccerex on +44 208 987 5522 or enquiry@soccerex.com. 

At the conclusion of SPORTELAsia on Wednesday, the organisers announced a 12 per cent increase in the number of registered participants as compared to 2013. A total of 603 participants, representing 299 companies of 42 countries, participated in the 2014 Asian Convention.

Ms. Amparo Di Fede, General Manager of SPORTEL said “All participants are extremely satisfied of the high quality and number of exhibitors, especially Asian. Among the new ones were SMIT, Kosmogo, LETV, PPTV, Super Sport Media and Slam Ball.

“The loyalty of the global sports media community has grown strongly over the years and shows that SPORTEL continues to be their ‘must attend’ event".

The conference and panel programme was organised in collaboration with Sports Video Group and TV Sports Markets. A symposium was hosted in partnership with local agency Oceans Marketing entitled "Insight into the Chinese Sports Media Industry".

The next SPORTEL spring convention will return to Miami, where it was hosted in 2011. "Our community has anticipated and clearly chosen America for their next spring convention. SPORTELAmerica will once again welcome the international sports media community from 17 to 19 March 2015, at the JW Marriott in Miami, Florida."

The next SPORTEL event will be the 25th anniversary of SPORTELMonaco.  “The constant success of SPORTELMonaco conventions looks back on 25 years of dedication to our industry and to you, the SPORTEL community that has shared the same dedication and loyalty to us. We very much look forward to welcoming you once again in Monaco from Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 october 2014.”

Registration for SPORTELMonaco opens on 2 April 2014.

[Source: QOC] His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Senior Vice President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), has officially announced his candidacy for the Presidency of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), reaffirming his commitment to contributing to the development and unity of Asian sport in the years ahead.

The announcement follows the Olympic Council of Asia’s official call for nominations for the presidential elections, issued on 15 July 2025, in preparation for the upcoming General Assembly, which will be held in January 2026 in the city of Tashkent.

On this occasion, H.E. Sheikh Joaan expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to H.E. Raja Randhir Singh, the current OCA President, for his significant contributions and dedicated leadership in advancing Asian sport, as well as his unwavering commitment to strengthening solidarity and cooperation among National Olympic Committees across the continent. His Excellency also fully supported the OCA Executive Board’s decision to appoint H.E. Raja Randhir Singh as Honorary Life President of the Olympic Council of Asia, in recognition of his longstanding service and enduring legacy within the Olympic Movement in Asia.

H.E. Sheikh Joaan affirmed that his candidacy is rooted in a strong belief in the power of sport to foster development and unity among nations. He emphasized the potential of Asian sport to achieve transformational progress in areas such as governance, sustainability, digital transformation, and athlete empowerment.

He also highlighted the importance of promoting fairness in opportunity distribution, strengthening collaboration among NOCs, enhancing sports infrastructure, and creating greater platforms for youth and women to take part in shaping the future of sport in Asia.

His Excellency’s candidature is built on an ambitious strategic vision for Asian sport, grounded in five core pillars: solidarity, digital transformation, sustainable development, credibility, and economic and financial resilience. It is underpinned by His Excellency’s extensive experience in sports, his proven track record at the helm of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and his active role within the international Olympic Movement, particularly as Senior Vice President of ANOC.

The upcoming OCA election is expected to draw significant interest from the international sporting community, amid growing global challenges and the need for dynamic leadership that promotes transparency, cooperation, and innovation across the Asian sports landscape.

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Kuwait City, the Olympic Council of Asia is one of the most prominent continental sports organizations. It brings together 45 National Olympic Committees and plays a pivotal role in coordinating regional sports activities, supporting development initiatives, and enhancing cooperation in governance, infrastructure, and institutional capacity building.

The OCA also oversees the organization of major multi-sport events including the Asian Games, Asian Winter Games, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, Asian Beach Games, and the Asian Youth Games - competitions that continue to elevate Asia’s sporting profile on the world stage.

The international volleyball federation (FIVB) has made no secret of its ambitious global growth plans by targeting Asia. In recent months, FIVB president Ary Graça spoke about the untapped potential for indoor volleyball and beach volleyball in China and other parts of the continent.

The FIVB’s inaugural Volleyball Nations League is billed as “a pivotal moment” for the sport by Graça. He has said it’s “the most important competition in the FIVB’s history and will revolutionise how volleyball is presented; making it more fan-centric and placing our fans, both inside and outside the stadium, at the very heart of the action”.

A joint project between the FIVB, IMG and 21 national federations – the Volleyball Nations League concluded with the men’s finals in Lille and the women’s finals in Nanjing in July.

Luis Alexandre Rodrigues is driving forward the FIVB’s Asian growth plans from a newly-opened office in Beijing. Setting out the goals, he says the federation is keen to maintain “the momentum that the sport is going in with the Chinese team and of course with the world championships in Japan in September and October and to try to attract more partners interested in working with us”.

“We believe that the future is here that’s why it’s our first office outside Switzerland,” he explains. “We are here to learn with the region and by the time we get more experience for sure we will be holding hands with the other federations we have and promoters as well to deliver what we know best… good events.”

China is ranked number 1 in women's volleyball. They have won a major international volleyball title in each of the last three years – 2015 FIVB World Cup winners, 2016 Rio Olympic title and 2017 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup champions.

Along with Nanjing, Asian cities involved in hosting the competition included Hong Kong, Macau, Bangkok, Osaka and Melbourne.

“We hopefully can engage much more with the region and do what we do in terms of delivering the best events possible,” said Rodrigues.

The Chinese government is investing huge amounts in sport, football in particular, but volleyball is also benefiting from more funding.

“When you see that volleyball is today the only collective sport in which China has such big results, like being world and Olympic champion on the women’s side, it’s something that the government for sure is foreseeing… and they will push as much as they can to make it even better,” Rodrigues said.

“And I think it’s the time to focus as well on the men’s side and make the team shine. They have a very, very strong, tall and good generation, they have hired an international coach and I think they have a good project for the future.”

Rodrigues said the growing profile of the Volleyball Nations League and finals in Nanjing are giving the sport momentum before the world championships spread around six Japanese host cities in September and October: “It’s occupied our time in Asia this year and we are very, very happy to do so. We see this as a good opportunity and we will do much more.”

Luis Alexandre Pontes spoke at Host City Asia. This article first appeared in the Summer issue of Host City magazine 

The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) and Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute have agreed a partnership to support the sports movement in the Kingdom.

Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute is a trading agency in Jordan representing renowned food and drink products including Indomie Noodles, sponsors of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the upcoming 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games.

The agreement was signed at the JOC’s Olympic Preparation Centre (OPC) between CEO of Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute, Ihab Al Shorafa and JOC Secretary General, Nasser Majali.

“The Jordan Olympic Committee is delighted to welcome Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute to the JOC family,” said Nasser Majali. “Working closer with the private sector is key to developing sport in Jordan so this is another important and exciting partnership for us.”

Ihab Al Shorafa added: “As a company, it is our mission to keep supporting youth in Jordan and to encourage them to achieve more. This agreement with the JOC shows that we stand behind our young athletes who represent us worldwide.”

Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute is the latest international company to show its support for Jordan sport. The JOC’s other partners and sponsors include Samsung, Shami Eye Center, GloSante, Greater Amman Municipality and Umniah.

Host City: Why did Gwangju decide to bid for the 2019 FINA World Championships?

Dr Cho: The city of Gwangju had hosted a few major international sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup quarter-final and the 2015 Universiade, so we wanted to build this image as the sports city of Korea.

As a legacy of the Universiade we had the international standard swimming pool. We wanted to utilise this venue but at the same time wanted to build further the city brand. So that’s why we decided to host this World Championships. 

Host City: What impact do expect hosting the Championships will have on the city?

Dr Cho: We have a bigger vision than just impact on the city itself. Gwangju is the central city and the pillar of democracy, peace and human rights of South Korea. That’s why we wanted to let the spirit of Gwangju into the championships and chose our slogan “Diving into Peace”.

Through the Championships, all the initiatives will come together to create peace-building in the Korean peninsula, in South East Asia and further.

Host City: To what extent will the North and South Korean teams join during the Championships?

Dr Cho: There are three phases. The first one will be the participation of North Korea.

After that we are going to seek a joint ceremony, such as maybe marching together.

And after that, if the condition allows, we will try to create a unified team. All possibilities are open at the moment.

We had a unified ice hockey team at the PyeongChang Olympics, but I think we have more favourable conditions than that because we have even more preparation time to discuss creating a unified team. And also, there is a good atmosphere building between North and South Korea; so things are working very favourably for us.

Right now, we are not thinking specifically about what events we want to host. However, we want to strongly be positioned as the sports city of Korea; that is why after this we want to open our eyes and see what events are possible for us to bring to Gwangju.

Host City: Why is Gwangju focusing on sports specifically for its development?

Dr Cho: Firstly, Gwangju is the central cultural hub of Asia. When you talk about culture there are two major strands: one is art, the other is sport. Because of that, we think that when we bring sports events to Gwangju it’s going to create synergy with the arts, to really promote our city as the central hub of culture in Asia.

The second point is that we want to promote the value of the city, what we are good at, through sports. Because that is one of the easiest ways for us to really promote the merits and values that the city has.

The third point is that Gwangju is really building an industrial base for the fourth industrial revolution – for example, robotics, AI and IoT. We also want to promote that idea through sports.

Gwangju has a high concentration of energy industries. We want to create a revolution in renewable energies and our industries through sport.

At the same time, we have an automotive industry base in Gwangju. This industry is moving towards the fourth industrial revolution and we want to promote this idea through sports events.

Host City is Event Development Partner of SportAccord 2018