The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission’s eighth visit to the “Marvellous City” of Rio de Janeiro gets underway on Monday, ahead of the IOC Executive Board meeting in the Olympic host city later in the week. 

The Coordination Commission, chaired by IOC vice president Nawal El Moutawakel, is working with the local Organising Committee and its government partners over the next three days, the IOC said, “to see how Rio’s preparations are advancing ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games”.

The inspection comes shortly after the vice president of the International Golf Federation (IGF) said construction on the golf venue is almost complete – a marked turnaround from the situation last year when concerns over venue infrastructure reached crisis point.

The IOC noted that, with the Games now just over a year-and-a-half away, Rio 2016 now has a number of Games-time initiatives underway, such as its ticketing programme, volunteer training programme and the Olympic Torch Relay. 

As well as hearing about these initiatives on the visit to Rio, the Coordination Commission will visit some of the Games venues and listen to reports on a number of key operational areas such as athletes’ services, sport, venues, National Olympic Committee services, International Federation services, accommodation, transport, marketing, media services and preparations for the Paralympic Games.

The progress of Rio 2016 came under intense scrutiny last year, reaching its nadir in April when IOC vice president John Coates described the Games preparations as “the worst I have experienced”. 

In less than a year, Rio 2016 appears to have turned the ship around - at least with respect to the golf course, which has received a vote of confidence from IGF vice president Ty Votaw.

"The construction aspect of it is virtually complete," he told Reuters on Friday. "There are a few items that need to be completed, some infrastructure things, but as far as the golf course itself and the design elements and the grassing of the golf course, that is virtually done.

"We just need to continue to impress upon everybody in Rio, the 2016 organisers and the land owners, that all resources need to be brought to bear to get the golf course in the condition that it needs to be to host a competition of this nature."

The course was originally scheduled for a test event in November 2015 but questions have been raised about whether the grass would be ready. Votaw said a test event would take place before Rio 2016 but did not confirm the timeframe.

"We want to get a sense of how the grow-in season goes over the next 60 to 90 days to determine what the chances are of a late '15 or early '16 test event.

The IOC Coordination Commission runs from 23 to 25 February and is followed by the Executive Board meeting, which takes place from 26 to 28 February.

Ryder Cup director Richard Hills confirmed that representative organisations in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey had lodged an interest in hosting the golf extravaganza by the August 31 deadline.

Official bids are now due to be submitted by February 16 and the host nation is expected to be confirmed next autumn.

“We are absolutely delighted at the level of interest we have received from across Europe in respect of hosting the 2022 Ryder Cup and we welcome each and every one of the seven letters of intent, each received through the respective national golf association, in accordance with bidding regulations,” Hills told reporters.

The Ryder Cup implemented a bidding process for the historic Europe versus USA team tournament for the first time for the 2018 event, which was secured by France ahead of rival bids from Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

“The implementation of this kind of formal bidding process for the 2018 Ryder Cup marked a new era for us all at Ryder Cup Europe, and this take-up for 2022 shows that the introduction of a fair, transparent and objective methodology has been welcomed across the continent,” Hills added.

“Not only that, we feel it is a process which befits a sporting event of the stature of the Ryder Cup and, as we have consistently stated, the key criteria in place will enable us to evaluate each bid equally on both its sporting and commercial merits while, at the same time, allowing us to judge each bid fairly, thoroughly and on a level playing field.”

The biennial event rotates between Europe and the US, with the UK and Ireland having staged all of the European matches so far apart from in 1997, when Andalusia in Spain was the host.

The 2014 Ryder Cup will take place at Gleneagles in Scotland from September 26-28. In the US, Minnesota’s Hazeltine Golf Club and Whistling Straits in Wisconsin will hold the 2016 and 2020 editions, sandwiching the event’s debut in France in 2018 at Le Golf National in Paris.

The International Crown was formed as a national team matchplay tournament and its inaugural edition was held in Owings Mills, Maryland from July 24-27, at Caves Valley Golf Club.

The next edition of the biennial event had already been confirmed for Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois in 2016. However, the LPGA has said the 2018 International Crown will be staged in Korea, with dates and a host venue to be confirmed at a later point.

Korea is a key market for the LPGA with the second-most players, 41, represented from the nation in the world rankings. World No.2 Inbee Park is one of three Koreans in the top-10.

“The Republic of Korea has clearly demonstrated their support for the LPGA by hosting 18 different tournaments over the years with tremendous fan support.” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said. “It made perfect sense that the first time we take the International Crown outside of the United States was to a country with so many dedicated fans and supporters of women’s golf.”

The announcement has coincided with safety consulting and certification company Underwriters Laboratories signing on as the first title sponsor of the International Crown, in a deal spanning the 2016 and 2018 events.

UL served as an ambassador sponsor for the inaugural International Crown, which saw Team Spain crowned the event’s first champion. 

Whan added: “When we came up with the idea for the International Crown our goal was to launch a truly global event for women’s golf which we did earlier this year at Caves Valley Golf Club. We were looking for a partner to help grow it globally and I can think of no better partner than UL, whose business aligns perfectly with the LPGA.”

The 2014 Ryder Cup will break new ground for technological innovation after organisers announced that high-tech wristbands will be offered to fans at the Gleneagles golf course.

The wristbands, which will be handed out with course tickets at the Perthshire venue in Scotland, will utilise Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to allow spectators to access information, share experiences through social media and tap into fan-focused activities provided by the event’s commercial partners.

The RFID technology, embedded in the wristbands, will contain information about the wearer that can be uploaded to the tournament’s website when they register via a tablet or smartphone.

Ryder Cup Europe, which is operating the tournament, is also working with the Scottish government and mobile phone providers to provide ultra-fast 4G wireless connections across Gleneagles for the tournament between two teams representing the USA and Europe.

“Ryder Cup Europe and the key stakeholders wanted to deliver the best possible spectator experience,” Antonia Beggs, operations director for the 2014 Ryder Cup, said.

“As social media, smartphones and mobile internet have become a part of everyday life, the RFID technology seemed a natural choice to lift the event beyond the standard set previously.”
Serge Grimaux of Intellitix, the company behind the wristband technology, added: “Our RFID wristbands will mark the 2014 Ryder Cup out as something completely different to what has gone before in terms of interaction with spectators, media and indeed anyone visiting the course.

“The technology is totally secure and has been proven at a number of large scale events across the world.”

Some of the options available through the wristband include a ‘Walk the Course’ initiative, with prizes offered to spectators who check in at points around the course, and a simulated team competition with live scoreboards around the venue.

The wristbands, which will serve as a method of cashless payment at certain areas of the course, will also enable fans to show support for their team, offering a virtual ‘high five’ for the Europe or USA team.

The 2014 Ryder Cup, which will be supported by global power and temperature control specialist Aggreko, will take place from September 26-28.

A new golf tournament in Mauritius will become the first tri-sanctioned event to be endorsed by the sport’s European, Asian and Sunshine Tours.

The three Tours, which are all founding members of the International Federation of PGA Tours, have confirmed that the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open will take place at the Heritage Golf Club on the island from May 7-10, 2015.

The 138-man field, comprising at least 40 professionals from each of the participating Tours plus qualifiers and local invitees, will compete in a 72-hole stroke play championship, with the results counting towards the individual Tours’ orders of merit and world ranking points.

The tournament illustrates the improving relationships between various Tours, which have increasingly explored co-operations since the European Tour began co-sanctioning tournaments with the Sunshine Tour – then called the South African PGA Championship – in the mid-1990s.

Next month, the European Tour and PGA of America will co-sanction the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland.

One of the benefits of co-sanctioning events is that such an approach can boost a tournament’s prize fund, and the total €1 million ($1.34 million) purse on offer for the Mauritius Open is likely to attract a string of top golfers.

Selwyn Nathan, executive director of the Sunshine Tour, described the deal as “groundbreaking” while Asian Tour Chief Executive Officer Mike Kerr said that the tournament would represent a “milestone” for the Tours.

European Tour chief operating officer and director of international policy Keith Waters said: “Golf is a major part of Mauritius’ tourism strategy and through the support of the sponsors the tournament will showcase the island to a worldwide television audience as part of the 2015 Race to Dubai.”

The Heritage Golf Club, which will host the event, is operated by Rogers Group, which operates extensively in the local tourism industry and has about 4,000 employees.

AfrAsia Bank has signed up as the title sponsor of the event.

Scotland is celebrating becoming the next host nation of The Solheim Cup following the official handover to Gleneagles at the culmination of the 2017 event at Des Moines Golf & Country Club in Iowa.
The American team triumphed over Europe in a thrilling contest which showcased the very best of women’s golf and now the responsibility for staging the biggest event in the women’s game rests with Scotland when Team USA will look to defend the title at Gleneagles in 2019.
The official handover was recognised at the closing ceremony of The 2017 Solheim Cup during which junior golfers Anna Mackay and Eilidh Henderson accepted the honour of hosting the 2019 event on behalf of Scotland.
Anna and Eilidh were chosen to represent Scotland as part of the #Project19 initiative which saw six junior girls attend The 2017 Solheim Cup as part of Scotland’s delegation to experience a major event and inspire them looking ahead to 2019.
The closing ceremony, which was broadcast worldwide, also featured a performance from up-and-coming Dundee band BeCharlotte to showcase the very best of young Scottish talent in both sport and music.
The 2019 Solheim Cup will take place at Gleneagles from 13-15 September 2019 with the PING Junior Solheim Cup played at the same venue earlier in the week. The event underlines Scotland’s commitment to supporting women’s golf and growing junior and female participation as well as showcasing Scotland as a world-class golf tourism and events destination.
Scotland’s staging of The 2019 Solheim Cup is being led by the EventScotland team within VisitScotland’s events directorate. Paul Bush, Director of Events with VisitScotland, said: “We have witnessed a truly world-class exhibition of golf in Des Moines for The 2017 Solheim Cup with huge crowds supporting both teams and a massive worldwide TV audience.  I hope this success has whetted the appetite of spectators for Gleneagles and demonstrated the sheer scale of the event coming to Scotland in 2019.
“It was a great experience for our junior golfers Anna and Eilidh, and an up-and-coming band in BeCharlotte, to represent Scotland in the handover and demonstrates our commitment to using The Solheim Cup as a vehicle to supporting young Scottish talent.”
Tickets for The 2019 Solheim Cup will be going on sale from Thursday 24th August on www.solheimcup2019.com with daily, weekly and family packages available. As well as attracting a strong golfing audience in Scotland, the event will also be aimed at families with a host of family-orientated activities available on site.
It is also a key event in Scotland’s goal of growing golf tourism with a number of Authorised Tour Operators already promoting travel packages to The 2019 Solheim Cup. Currently 12 per cent of golf visitors to Scotland are women but The Solheim Cup offers the opportunity to promote Scotland, the Home of Golf, to many more female golfers.
Golf tourism is currently worth £286 million annually to Scotland with a target to grow that to £300 million by 2020.

Sky Sports’ innovative coverage of The 145th Open at Royal Troon in July 2016 has earned them a BAFTA after being named best sports production during the awards ceremony in London.

The Sky Sports team won the award for best sports production for their enhanced coverage of the championships, including the thrilling climax when Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson were embroiled in a sensational final-day battle watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

The Open was named the winner ahead of BBC's coverage of the Rio Olympics and the Six Nations clash between England and Wales, while the Paralympics on Channel 4 was also nominated.

Paul Bush OBE, EventScotland director of events, said: “This is a tremendous accolade, not only for the team at Sky Sports but for golf in general to have beaten off competition from so many top-class sporting productions. It is also a triumph for the stunning Ayrshire coastline which provided the perfect backdrop for the high-class drama that unfolded on the course.

“I’m especially delighted for our golf events executive Katy Mathieson, who was part of the Sky Sports team producing coverage from Royal Troon before joining EventScotland last year. We have a great relationship with Sky Sports through the world-class portfolio of golf events taking place in Scotland and we look forward to working with them on many more in the coming years.”

The EventScotland team work across Scotland’s extensive golf portfolio, which includes the men’s and ladies Scottish Opens at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire and the RICOH Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns in Fife among others this summer. The Open also returns to Scotland in 2018 at Carnoustie.

Gleneagles, the world-renowned luxury hotel, has been unveiled as an Official Supporter of the Glasgow 2018 European Championships – an exciting new multi-sport event that will see Gleneagles make golfing history as host of the first ever European Golf Team Championships.

The news comes a week after the announcement of Atos as Glasgow 2018’s first Official Supporter.

To be staged every four years, the European Championships will combine the existing European Championships of Athletics, Aquatics, Cycling, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon. The first edition will be held in 2018 in a unique sporting partnership between Host Cities Glasgow and Berlin.

The European Golf Team Championships is the only new event being staged as part of Glasgow 2018 and will take place at the famous Jack Nicklaus-designed Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course – the same venue that hosted Europe’s memorable victory over the USA in the 2014 Ryder Cup.

The Championships promise to be a game changing moment for golf, with Europe’s elite men and women set to compete together for the first time. It is backed by the European Tour and Ladies European Tour and will include a men’s and women’s event along with a ground-breaking mixed competition.  

Host Venue and Official Supporter Gleneagles is home to some of the best golf facilities in the world including three championship courses and the PGA National Golf Academy. Gleneagles is a former long-standing European Tour and Ladies European Tour venue and has unrivalled experience of hosting international events such as The Ryder Cup.

The European Golf Team Championships will also build on Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage for major events such as The Open, Scottish Open and Women’s British Open as well as major one-off events like The Ryder Cup and The Solheim Cup.

Aileen Campbell MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Sport, said: “Gleneagles has staged many prestigious golf tournaments through its history and was the home to what many regard as the best Ryder Cup ever in 2014. In 2018 Gleneagles will be the magnificent setting for European Championships and will see elite men and women golfers compete together for the first time. 

“In 2014 the Ryder Cup players spoke about the top class facilities, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowd and left with good memories and we know it will be the same for those taking part in the inaugural European Championships in 2018.”

Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “The European Championships will be a new highlight on the global sporting calendar, set to be played out in front of a potential television audience of up to one billion people.

“Gleneagles is a world leader when it comes to golf and we are delighted that they will play such a crucial role in the delivery of the new European Golf Team Championships, which will be a real first for world sport.

“Glasgow is the gateway to Scotland and partnerships such as this with Gleneagles will help us bring one million more people to the city as part of Glasgow’s Tourism and Visitor Plan to 2023.”

Bernard Murphy, Gleneagles’ Managing Director, said: “We’re proud to be associated with what will be a ground-breaking moment in sporting history. The event will build on Gleneagles’ long history of raising the bar in golf and breaking cultural boundaries in sport – including the first match between British and American professionals in 1921.

“We look forward to continuing that tradition at the European Golf Team Championships, when Europe’s leading men and women compete together for the first time, in what will be a real historic moment for the sport.

“We are therefore delighted to be announced as an Official Supporter of Glasgow 2018, and look forward to delivering an inspiring event that will strengthen Gleneagles’ reputation as one of the foremost golfing venues in the world.”

Attendances across Glasgow 2018 are expected to be in the region of 250,000 with registration for priority access to tickets currently available at www.glasgow2018.com for all sports including golf.

As part of the inaugural European Championships in 2018 around 3,000 athletes will visit Scotland for six events (Aquatics, Cycling, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon) while a further 1,500 athletes will compete in Berlin as part of the European Athletics Championships.

Over the years I have listened to dozens of marketing experts talk about how to effectively promote and sell your product or brand in the face of stiff competition. Undoubtedly there are various techniques and tactics that marketeers can deploy but for me, the conversation has always seemed to end up back at one place – the unique selling point.

Working out what it is that differentiates your product from all others on the market is the key to not only standing out from the crowd but maintaining credibility in an environment where everyone is trying to shout louder than you.

In Scotland, our golfing USP was forged many centuries ago when the humblest beginnings of a game now played by more than 60 million people worldwide first took root. Few countries in the world have such a close association with a single sport than Scotland does with golf.

It is known around the world as the birthplace of the game, where every legend of the sport has played, where the rules were first established and where the game’s greatest championships were first played.

It is the place where golf clubhouses are the hubs of local communities, where a love of the game is celebrated in families and passed down through generations and where the finite elements of the game are regularly dissected over a few drinks in the 19^th hole. In short, Scotland is the Home of Golf.

This USP represents the basis of all Scotland’s activities in golf, from promoting the country globally as a golf tourism destination to instilling it into the minds of Scotland’s schoolchildren as a game for everyone.

It has also been a catalyst for Scotland’s success in bidding for and securing the world’s most prestigious golf events. Don’t get me wrong, there are many factors that go into securing major events, not least past experience and an engaged and supportive Government, which we also have in abundance in Scotland.

But there is no doubt that when it comes to hosting a major golf event in Scotland, event organisers are drawn to the Scotland, the Home of Golf message and the added value it can bring to events.

A key example was The 2014 Ryder Cup, an event which was undoubtedly a huge success for Scotland, delivering economic impact, legacy and huge media profile in our key markets. But what was also apparent was the benefits that The Ryder Cup derived from being hosted in a country synonymous with the game and respected worldwide. Record numbers of overseas spectators at Gleneagles, including a larger proportion from the US than previous Ryder Cups, is indicative of that.

I don’t believe any other golf tourism brand can stand alongside that of The Ryder Cup and add value in the way that Scotland, the Home of Golf did in 2014. And in the current market with global golf sponsors and government support in shorter supply, in traditional markets at least, there is an even greater premium on a country being able to add brand value in this way.

When hosting a major event in Scotland, we endeavour to hand it back to organisers in a stronger position than when it came. This was a key element of our bid for The 2019 Solheim Cup and we firmly believe that Scotland, the Home of Golf can play its part in continuing to elevate the profile of not only The Solheim Cup but the women’s game globally.

There is an obvious quid pro quo in this equation. Our ultimate objective is to encourage more visitors to Scotland and we use our hosting of major golf events as a vehicle for achieving that. This event-led marketing strategy allows us to reach more potential visitors than we could through traditional marketing techniques and a limited budget, while adding further credibility to Scotland’s golfing proposition.

If you look closely at the golf events we support and the golf marketing we undertake, you’ll rarely see a VisitScotland logo when targeting golfing consumers. Instead, you’ll see the Scotland, the Home of Golf message because we know this resonates strongly with golfers around the globe.

This event-led technique also allows us to be innovative in the types of event we target, while also supporting the Scottish Government’s social inclusion and equality agenda. The 2019 Solheim Cup and the European Golf Team Championships – the world’s first mixed men’s and ladies professional event – in 2018 is further testament to that.

The golf tourism market is more competitive than it has ever been with golf tourists presented with more choice than ever before. Each destination has its proposition whether that be warm weather, cost, ease of access, new courses or luxury resorts. But among them Scotland continues to stand unique, as the only Home of Golf.

Paul Bush is speaking at Host City 2016, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. For more information visit www.hostcity.com/events/host-city-2016

Scotland has agreed a unique partnership with global sports, media and events organisation IMG to stage the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles, ensuring the country hosts a world-class spectacle and delivers on its key principles of equality, experience and innovation.
Appointed by VisitScotland on behalf of The Scottish Government, IMG will bring its vast expertise and experience to ensure the competition will be one of the best in the tournament’s history.
“This partnership brings together two of the world-leading brands within the global golf industry and will allow Scotland to realise the many benefits of hosting one of the most prestigious sporting events on the planet,” said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, announcing the partnership during the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Dundonald Links.
“IMG’s vast experience in staging major events will ensure that Scotland stages the best-ever Solheim Cup when it visits Gleneagles in 2019 and delivers a spectator experience that is second to none.
“They share our vision of an open and inclusive event and will work alongside us to show that in Scotland golf is a family-orientated game that is open to everyone. We want to use The 2019 Solheim Cup to encourage greater participation among women, young people and families and IMG’s strong track record in the women’s game will help us to achieve this.”
The Solheim Cup is the biggest event in women’s golf, pitting European and US teams against each other in a team format which mirrors that of The Ryder Cup. Scotland was awarded the right to host The 2019 Solheim Cup in October 2015 following a successful bid led by VisitScotland. Responsibility for delivering the event on behalf of The Scottish Government will sit with the EventScotland team within VisitScotland’s events directorate.
 “IMG is one of the most experienced sports events organisations in the world and, having worked with them over the years on various projects, we are confident their professional and innovative approach will help us to deliver the best Solheim Cup to date and one of the best sporting occasions to be hosted in Scotland,” said Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland.
“We are proud to have played a role in enhancing the Ryder Cup brand with the 2014 staging in Scotland and look forward to doing the same with the Solheim Cup through this partnership with IMG.
“After a thorough procurement process, IMG stood head and shoulders above the other candidates in terms of their experience, in-house resources and their standing and experience within the golf industry. They share our key principles in the bid of equality, experience and innovation and we are very much looking forward to working together.”
IMG operate in more than 30 countries with unrivaled experience in event delivery. IMG’s Golf Division has staged more than 750 golf events and their current portfolio includes over thirty tournaments staged annually around the globe. The organisation has previous experience of delivering major golf events in Scotland through their work with the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Johnnie Walker Championship over many years.
“We are delighted to have been chosen to partner with VisitScotland to deliver the 2019 Solheim Cup,” said Guy Kinnings, Global Head of IMG Golf.
“It is a fantastic challenge to deliver a Solheim Cup in Scotland following the success of the 2014 Ryder Cup. Our team can’t wait to get started on this exciting project and we look forward wholeheartedly to working with the considerable resources within the Scottish government to ensure that this Solheim Cup delivers in every aspect.”
The event is regarded as the biggest tournament in women’s golf and sees the best female professional golfers in Europe competing against their United States counterparts, attracting a huge worldwide audience and media profile for the host country.
“We welcome the appointment of IMG to partner with Scotland on the staging of the 2019 Solheim Cup,” said Ivan Khodabakhsh, Chief Executive of the Ladies European Tour.
“We are confident it is in excellent hands and look forward to an event that will continue to enhance the reputation of the women’s game on an international stage and inspire many more women and juniors to get involved in the sport.”