1: Jiang Xiaoyu, Vice President, Beijing Olympic City Development Association

“In China, the popularity of ice and snow activities needs to be improved.

“In order to make China an ice and snow power we should not only focus on competitive events. Meanwhile we should also focus on cultivating the ice and snow culture, the popularity of ice and snow activities among the normal people. That’s the solid basis for the sustainable development of the ice and snow industry in China.

“So I really hope everyone can pay special attention to our 2022 Olympic Games but meanwhile focus on the ice and snow activities among the citizens to further spread the Olympic spirit.

“Tourism, sports, culture and health are regarded as the industries of happiness.”

2: Nasima Razmyar, Deputy Mayor, Helsinki

“Helsinki is sister city of Beijing and recently an action plan was signed between the two cities, extending the bond between the cities to include winter sports. 

“We were very honoured to have President Xi visit Finland and meet our President in April 2017. The two Presidents made the joint declaration where both sides can cooperate in several areas. I was extremely happy that both presidents promoted the exchange in winter sports and cooperation in the organisation of the Olympic Games.

“This gives a very good basis to share also the urban city development between Beijing and Helsinki to support Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. We know that you will have a great Games in China in Beijing, but we are very happy of the friendship that Helsinki and Beijing has built over the years.

“Finland is world renowned for education. clean tech and winter sport. Finland ranks first in quality of primary education and has some of the cleanest air in the world. Education and clean technology are very important when discussing winter sports.

“Most Finns learn skiing, ice hockey, skating and other forms of winter sports in their childhood.

“I moved to Finland when I was eight years old. My first touch with winter was holding snow in my hand. When holding the snow, I asked my parents why does this feel like holding diamonds in my hand? It felt so pure and so unique.

“There are also special programmes like Schools on the Move which encourage students to have more physical activity during school and support learning during activity based methods.”

3: Mattis Raustøl, Minister Counsellor, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing

“We take pride in our Olympic history; it’s a strong spirit in Norway. We are the country that has the most number of gold medals in [winter] Olympic history.

“Building a winter sports culture takes devotion, it takes time. It requires a broad-based perspective; you need to focus on the top elite athletes but you also need the base and grass roots level. The Norwegian sports model is based on a very strong volunteer culture; it’s focussed on education and sport in schools.

“It also reflects the connection we have with the outdoors, and particularly with snow and ice. Norway tops the happiness index – we are top of that happiness interest. We are able to make use of the outdoors all year, and have the equipment and infrastructure to experience outdoor living.”

4: Ingunn Trosholmen, Vice Mayor of Lillehammer, Norway

“We are a very small city in a very small country, yet we have hosted two Olympic Games – one in 1994 and the Youth Olympic Games in 2016.

“One thing that was very important was that we had snow every winter. In addition, we had the technology to produce snow and the knowledge of how to store it from one season to the next.

“Another crucial thing is the narratives that they bring from one generation to the next: we are skiers.

“Lillehammer’s coat of arms consists of a skier and alongside this beautiful picture of a skier is a courageous story of skiers saving our future king in 1206. Narratives like this create identity and fosters ski culture. The saying goes like this: we are born with skis attached to our feet.

“And I know for a fact that China has also a cultural heritage in skiing, because when we were looking for a cultural heritage in the glaciers up north in our county we found wooden skis from China. So we have been exchanging ski heritage for many years now.

“The nature surrounding our history of skiing is the foundation of Lillehammer’s identity as a winter destination.”

5: Peter Hirvell, CEO, Austria AST Eis-und Solartechnik

“It’s not enough to have the technology, it’s also important to get the people in there, especially children and families.

“The Vienna Ice Rink has 600,000 visitors per year. All children in Vienna from first grade in school or final year of kindergarten are invited one day to go free of charge to go skating. They then come back at the weekend with the whole family. So out of one child we have made four to five people experience ice skating and curling.

“Even at larger schools, it is very common to have an ice rink there.

“In Europe we have a tradition of sports clubs, where in every city there will be ski clubs and skate clubs who have programmes for children and also top athletes and retired people.”

6: Takatoshi Machida, Vice Mayor of Sapporo

“We were the first Olympic Games held in Asia in 1972. The Games aimed to make Sapporo into an international city. It is precisely because of the Games that we created the city.

“We developed a subway line that went from the city centre to the athletes’ village and the stadium, and the runway was extended to turn the airport into an international airport.

“There have been a lot of changes in terms of our environment as well. Until the 1960 the snow was black with pollution. However due to the Olympic Games we began to aim for a city free of pollution.”

7: Urs Eberhard, Deputy Director, Switzerland Tourism

“There is no other experience that feels so great as gliding on snow. It’s like flying without wings.”

8: Nick Sargent, President of SnowSports Industries USA

“Winter sports more than just a passion – it’s a lifestyle and culture that sits within everyone. We want to develop this culture beyond competitive sport, into the heart and soul of the people of China and here in Beijing.”

9: Yoshinori Otsuki, International Director of Nagano-ken County Culture Department

“The prefecture of Nagano is in the centre of Japan and close to the three major cities – Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

“With a population about 2.1m, Nagano has the longest life expectancy for men and women in Japan and the world. For those wishing to live a long a happy retirement, by all means come to Nagano – you are welcome.

“In 1998 Nagano hosted the Winter Olympic Games. During the opening ceremony the president of the IOC Samaranch declared, you have presented to the world the best organisation in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.

“Some aspects of the legacy of the Games can be presented in financial terms. From an economical perspective, the infrastructure developments were of great benefit for Nagano. The bullet train, which opened in October 1997, shortly before the Nagano Olympics began, cut journey times from 180 minutes to as little as 80 minutes. The upgrade of the highway network progressed quickly and it is now accessible to almost all areas of Nagano within just 30 minutes

“Regarding the economic effect of the Nagano Olympics, 1.43 trillion yen was the cost of the freight train and highway network and event facilities came from public investment. This equates to roughly 10 times the prefecture’s annual public investment budget.

“But the benefits cannot all be expressed in financial terms. Our visibility has risen. Local pride and appreciation have increased and through the actions of the 32,000 volunteers present at the Olympics are volunteer culture has taken root.

“Hosting the Winter Olympic Games rapidly increased the number of people participating in winter sports in north east Asia and also developed businesses in this industry.

“The number of people participating in snow sports in Nagano reached its peak in 1998 during the Olympics at 18 million people and sharply dropped over the following years to just 40 per cent of that figure in 2013, decreasing to 7.7 million. However, in recent years this decrease has stopped and, thanks to an increase in the number of international visitors, it has begun to show signs of recovery.

“I would suggest that Beijing, Hebei prefecture, PyeongChang, Sapporo and Nagano join together to host a new international tournament – the Asian Series of Skiing and Skating.”

10: Irina Gladkikh, Winter Sports Director, IOC

“At the IOC Sport Department, we have a very good tradition of receiving others who come to talk about their experience of the Olympic Games, on and off the field of play. They talk to us about their participation in the Games and shared with us their magical moments.

“Early this year we have the honour to receive Olympic medallists from China and world legends gymnast Li Ning and Chen Yongyan. Li Ning talked to us about the pride of being chosen to carry the torch during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2008. We watched a video of his performance and we all felt his emotions and excitement at this unforgettable moment. And we of course felt a pinch of insight to think what surprises the Opening Ceremony 2022 will bring to us.

“In June this year, Beijing’s commitment to support athletes was further underlined when it hosted the 8th athletes career programme forum with over 85 participants from more than 30 countries. The event was held successfully and our links with Chinese Olympic Committee got stronger.

“Beijing is also a truly unique Olympic city. In just four and half years it will become the first city to have hosted both summer and winter Olympic Games. This is very much supported by your incredible vision for 300 million people to be practicing winter sports in China. I personally find it incredible; these are amazing plans.”

This article, based on comments made at World Winter Sports Expo (WWSE) 2017 in Beijing,  first appeared in the Winter issue of Host City magazine. 

Host City: Volleyball is extremely popular internationally – but where in the world is it the most popular?

Mario Medeiros: Both volleyball and beach volleyball have huge appeal in nations all over the world, including China, USA, Brazil, Russia, Japan, Poland, Thailand, Italy, Turkey, Germany, France and many others. If we talk about China, for example, the women’s national volleyball team are current Olympic champions. During the final at Rio 2016, between China and Serbia, China’s main TV channel, CCTV, recorded one of its highest-ever viewer ratings for an Olympic Games event. The IOC data report on the Games also proves volleyball’s popularity in China, noting that more than one billion viewer hours of the total recorded for volleyball at Rio 2016 came from China. And to further highlight the overall popularity of indoor and beach volleyball worldwide, I am happy to confirm that volleyball (indoor and beach combined) was the most popular sport at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in terms of the accumulated number of viewer hours, reaching more than 2.6 billion hours. This figure is equivalent to every single person in the world (approximately 7.5 billion people) watching 20 minutes of volleyball. This is a huge number! 

But the popularity of our competitions goes well beyond the Olympic Games. At the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Vienna this summer, the stadium was packed every day, where a total of 170,000 spectators came to enjoy the high-class beach volleyball experience. We are also proud of our annual events, for example this year’s World League Group 1 Finals were in Curitiba, Brazil – the home of volleyball – where more than 23,000 fans filled the Arena da Baixada football stadium, which hosted matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Volleyball is one of the most-practiced sports in schools and universities in some of our key markets, such as the USA and China. It provides solid values of team spirit and discipline which reflects the professional development and education of each individual in life. At the same time volleyball is a non-contact sport that could be played in different environments by people of different ages. This all contributes to its global popularity.

Host City: Where do you see the greatest opportunity for future growth and commercial potential?

Mario Medeiros: Part of what is so exciting for us at the FIVB is that while we have grown significantly over recent years we know there is so much potential for further growth all around the world. In terms of individual countries with huge potential, I would point to China and the USA. Both countries have been responding positively to the new momentum of the FIVB, as we build on our current successes and look to the future with the creation of the New Volleyball League – the new annual competition that we plan to launch next year. Both countries are not only at the top of the world GDP rankings but have strong volleyball teams which we expect to challenge for titles in the future.

The creation of the New Volleyball League is part of the leadership plan formulated by FIVB President, Dr Ary S. Graça. The plan focuses around the Nucleus Project, the aim of which is to concentrate our vision and investment on the key markets around the world, according to GDP rankings. We believe that these nations are crucial to raising the relevance of volleyball around the world, which will then in turn help smaller volleyball nations through greater funding and opportunities for hosting. 

Host City: What formats of the sport are creating the highest level of interest?

Mario Medeiros: Of course, each country and National Federation within the FIVB Family has different interests and goals to achieve but we have been pleased to see great interest from our key stakeholders in the New Volleyball League. With this event, we plan to revolutionise our annual national team competitions. The new event will be composed of a two-tier league: The New Volleyball League, made up of 12 core permanent teams and four challenger teams, as well as a secondary Challenger League.

Participating teams, selected according to a number of criteria including their technical seeding and commercial potential, will play against one another in a round robin format. The New Volleyball League and the Challenger League will feature a promotion and relegation system ensuring volleyball remains one of the most competitive sports in the world for both genders.

The FIVB for the first time, together with IMG, will regulate content production and distribution to guarantee the highest quality and consistency of the output fans around the world will consume from its events throughout the season. The FIVB will also highlight world class performances from teams and individuals throughout the season.

Host City: How important was the introduction of beach volleyball into the Olympic programme to widening the appeal of volleyball?

Mario Medeiros: The introduction of beach volleyball into the Olympic programme was a historic turning point for our sport and the Olympic Games. Beach volleyball was introduced in 1996, during the Atlanta Games, and brought to the Olympic Movement a new format of competition, with speed, fashion, fan engagement and sport entertainment. Of course, the initial decision, taken by the IOC Executive Board in September 1993, to include beach volleyball on the Olympic programme provided the opportunity for beach volleyball athletes to pursue their dream of becoming Olympians and, ultimately, Olympic Champions.

If we look at the numbers from the IOC’s data report regarding the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, 99.9% of all the tickets available for beach volleyball were sold – that number speaks for itself. The great sporting action, spectacular sea front setting and amazing technology and sport presentation created the perfect beach party atmosphere and established beach volleyball as one of the most in-demand sports at Rio 2016.

The FIVB has a great relationship with the International Olympic Committee, and President Thomas Bach attended this year’s FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Vienna. He was amazed by the atmosphere created by athletes and audience, with the help of cutting-edge technology and sports presentation.

Host City: Asian cities have hosted several FIVB events recently. How would you describe these experiences and what are your expectations of future events in Asia?

Mario Medeiros: Hosting events in Asia is spectacular for the FIVB. We have a strong fan base on the continent, with impressive ticket sales resulting in packed stadiums and cheering crowds for the FIVB’s most prestigious events, as well as high exposure for our sponsors and relevant TV partners across Asia.

In August, Nanjing, China hosted the FIVB 2017 Women’s World Grand Prix Group 1 Finals, with six teams showcasing world-class performances over five days of competition. The organization also involved around 2,000 staff and 312 volunteers, but it was a fantastic spectacle. We enjoyed enormous success in ticketing and merchandise sales, but also saw great results in terms of media coverage and TV ratings, as CCTV5 reported consistently high viewing figures on the nationwide-broadcasted matches. Six out of the top ten highest rated shows broadcast on this network during the entire period of the FIVB 2017 Women’s World Grand Prix Group 1 Finals were volleyball matches, including the number one broadcast programme.

The FIVB continues to invest in technology, innovation and sports presentation. We have introduced the Challenge system as we believe that the match should be decided by athletes and not the referees. The system was introduced to the Olympic Games in 2016 and we had more than 30% successful challenges in both indoor and beach volleyball. With just one point being able to change the podium, the Challenge System brings more credibility and fairness to our sport.

The FIVB’s new standard for sports presentation moves fan entertainment to engagement, establishing the narrative of the game, as well as educating and engaging the audience. With the help of the extensive sports presentation team, composed of DJs, MCs, announcers, lighting technicians, producers, giant screen operators and others, we would like the audience to celebrate the game with some truly sensory experience through sound effects, loud music, big screens and lights.

We also want fans to be physically active in the way they celebrate the great moments of the game. We want fans to imitate volleyball actions, like the block or the spike. That’s an important message: move your body and be healthy.

Asian countries like China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand have been supporting these introductions and are delivering great events with new features in place. A volleyball match has become more than just a game. It has become a show, with spectators being active game participants, like actors on the stage. Therefore, the goal of the FIVB is to work together with the National Federations to deliver successful events across Asia and get fans more involved in sports, educating them throughout the match and ensuring they take home fantastic memories.

This interview was first published in the Winter 2017 edition of Host City magazine.

Global event supplier Arena Group has bought Hong Kong based event production company Ironmonger Marquees, to create Arena Hong Kong, extending its Asian capabilities with a new office and hub in Northern Asia.

Ironmonger Marquees was introduced to Arena Group in 2015, when the companies collaborated on the Art Central project in Hong Kong.

Tom Evans, Managing Director of Arena Asia said: “We worked very well together, identifying a shared ethos of giving our clients the best possible event space.

Arena Group acquired Malaysian company Asia Tent International for £3.5m in June 2013.

“Arena Middle East and Asia Tents Arena work hand in glove serving the growing events market in North Asia and identified Ironmonger as an ideal acquisition to help grow the Arena brand in the region,” said Evans. 

Key Ironmonger Marquee contracts that have been delivered recently include the Cathay Pacific HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, European Tour (HK Golf Open), IMG’s Taste Food Festival and shortly to be delivered by Arena Hong Kong, the new Formula E Grand Prix in Hong Kong.

Rob Derry, Arena Hong Kong Managing Director said: “Arena Group has the expertise that has seen it deliver the finest events in the world, which gives us a huge knowledge and skill base to draw on, coupled with the finest structures inventory in the world, so our Hong Kong clients will see a vast expansion in type and quality of equipment available.”

“The success of the Arena/Ironmonger Marquee collaboration over the past 18 months means that Arena Hong Kong launches as the number one event design and delivery business for major events by market share in Hong Kong. Global brands coming into Hong Kong now have a proven world class delivery partner they can trust to create their event spaces.”

Paul Berger, CEO of Arena Middle East and Asia said: “We are delighted to welcome Rob and the Ironmonger team to the Arena Middle East and Asia division and also to the Arena Group. Hong Kong is an important marketplace for the events industry and strategically very important for Arena Group to have a strong presence. Our focus is to grow our footprint in North Asia, as the region builds up to hosting the Olympic Games in 2020.”

The Beijing 2022 Bid Committee will do its first official presentation in front of the Olympic family in Bangkok on Friday 7 November.

Building on the legacy of the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, Beijing 2022 aims to deliver an athlete-centred, cost-effective and sustainable Games in order to raise the winter sports culture in China and contribute to the development of the Olympic Movement.

Three leading figures in football have been added to the bill of the Soccerex Asian Forum, organised in partnership with the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP). 

Speaking alongside AFDP founder HRH Prince Ali Bin Hussein, Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie announced that Moya Dodd, AFC Vice President and FIFA Executive Committee Member will be playing a key role at the event. 

Dodd will speak on the future of football in Asia and the development of women’s football. She will be joined at the event by Singapore FA General Secretary and AFC Executive Committee Member, Winston Lee.

In addition to these two leading football administrators, Revie also confirmed that Argentinean football legend and World Cup winner Osvaldo Ardiles will be attending the event and sharing his vast football knowledge, including his experiences of playing and coaching in Asia and winning the World Cup.

Mr Ardiles will join fellow football legends, Bryan Robson and John Barnes as part of a special panel discussion at the event.

Also in attendance at the press conference was Sunando Dhar, CEO of I-League, who discussed the All Indian Football Federations involvement with the Soccerex Asian Forum, which will see General Secretary, Kushal Das participating in a panel discussion on commercial development within Asian football.

It was also confirmed at the press conference that the Marriott Hotel Jordan Valley will be the official event hotel. Soccerex also announced a new global partnership with leading international law firm, Pinsent Masons.

HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein said “The Asian Forum is a platform for all the major Asian leagues, clubs and other stakeholders to get together and discuss the development of football across the continent; to share best practices in coaching development, stadia development, women’s football and most importantly for me, social development. Soccerex is the best platform for this.”

Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie added “My thanks goes to his HRH, and to all those participating in this unique event, in this unique setting. We will be truly be bringing the world of football, not just Asia, to this wonderful country.”

The Soccerex Asian Forum will take place on 13-14 May at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre by the Dead Sea in Jordan. The two day event, featuring a conference and exhibition, will bring together over 1000 senior decision makers from the football industry across Asia and the rest of the world, providing a platform for networking and knowledge sharing, with the aim of developing football throughout the continent.

For further details about the Soccerex Asian Forum please go to www.soccerex.com/asia or contact Soccerex on +44 208 987 5522