The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is working with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to deliver a dynamic and inclusive programme of athlete and public engagement activities at the upcoming Samoa 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games, the CGF announced on UN International Youth Day on Wednesday.

The new initiatives will help fulfil the Games’ ambition to celebrate high-performance sporting competition, personal development and new Commonwealth friendships made on the level playing field of sport.

“We’re thrilled to be joining forces with the Commonwealth Secretariat and UNICEF to enable innovative projects at this year’s Commonwealth Youth Games which will engage, inspire and support our young Commonwealth athletes and young Pacific Island hosts,” said CGF Chief Executive David Grevemberg. 

“In line with our strategic ambitions, we hope the programme will have a lasting impact, recognising our young Commonwealth citizens as essential to achieving sustainable human development.”

Workshops for young athletes will take place each day throughout the Games, delivered by representatives from the Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace (CYDSP) working group, a network of young sport and development leaders from across the Commonwealth.

“The opportunity for participants at the Games to learn more about how sport can be used as a tool for development is another example of the important role the Games movement can play in promoting the Commonwealth and our shared values,” said Oliver Dudfield, Head of Sport for Development and Peace at the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Alongside the workshops, Just Play fan zones be set up for young locals, visitors, athletes and officials to participate in interactive games and activities.

Just Play, an Oceania Football Confederation programme, is developed in partnership with UNICEF, the Australian and New Zealand governments, the UEFA Foundation for Children and the Football Federation of Australia.

“Sport is a powerful development tool to engage children and young people across the world,” said Dr. Karen Allen, UNICEF Pacific representative. 

“Within the Pacific, since the programme’s inception in 2009, Just Play has attracted more than 200,000 girls and boys to engage in physical activity and learn healthy lifestyle habits and self-confidence. The

programme also encourages gender equality, promotes social inclusion and reduces anxiety after natural disasters.”.

The Commonwealth Youth Games will bring together up to 1000 young athletes aged 14-18, who will represent their country and compete for 107 Gold medals in 9 sports on the island nation of Samoa from 5-11 September 2015.

Three more young athletes from West Africa will not be able to compete in the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games due to the perceived risk of transmission of Ebola, it emerged on Friday. 

Nigeria and Sierra Leone have already pulled out of the Games, citing discrimination and warnings from Chinese authorities.

“Based on health authority guidelines it has been decided that athletes from affected areas will not compete in combat sports,” the IOC said in a “joint communique” with the organising committee.

It was also decided that no athletes from the region would compete in aquatics, based on “the inability to completely exclude the risk of potential infection”.

According to the joint communique, two athletes in combat sports and one swimmer will be unable to compete. According to the Nanjing 2014 website, Liberia’s Momodu Sombai was due to compete in swimming, alongside Alhoussene Sylla of Guinea. Mamadama Bangoura, also of Guinea, was set to compete in Judo. 

The remaining West African athletes will be “subject to regular temperature and physical assessment throughout the period.”

On Wednesday it emerged that Nigeria and Sierra Leone were withdrawing their entire teams from the Youth Olympic Games.  

"Nigerian athletes were quarantined, isolated and barred from training alongside athletes from other countries since they arrived the competition venue over news of Ebola virus in Nigeria. Following this discrimination, we have resolved to pull out from the Games," said Gbenga Elegbeleye, director general of the National Sports Commission. 

According to Patrick Coker, the president of the National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone, their Chinese Embassy had warned them that they "might find themselves in a troubled and awkward situation once they get to China's port of entry."

But according to the IOC, no teams have been excluded from the Games. “The organizing committee has made it clear that all delegations are welcome to the Games and each country is free to take their own decision on attendance,” the joint communique said.

“We regret that due to this issue some young athletes may have suffered twice, both from the anguish caused by the outbreak in their home countries and by not being able to compete in the Youth Olympic Games.”

The IOC and organising committee will invite the athletes to compete at a future event in Nanjing “to experience the welcoming atmosphere and spirit of the city and Jiangsu province.”

They have also offered to include the national flags of the affected countries in the opening ceremony, which takes place on Saturday 16th December and promises to be as spectacular as Beijing’s in 2008.

What are young people focused on and why does the sports industry need to attract them?

David Grevemberg CBE, Chief Innovation and Partnerships Officer, Centre for Sports and Human Rights: “What we do in sport is sell the dream of the lifestyle of the athlete. What we fail to do, and what is most needed, is sell life purpose.

“As for how we launch this into the future and are able to attract the hearts and minds of young people: my kids have taught me so much about identity, and their sense of what they want to belong to physically, mentally, spiritually and virtually. Their fluidity in terms of their knowledge, scale and skills and experiences at 17-18 years is much wider – and they are much more likely to offer sincerity and authenticity.”

Mayi Cruz Blanco, MD, Sports Practice & Partnerships, Adecco Group: “One issue that is ringing out is public trust. This is influencing the way sponsorship is done. The human rights movement, women in sports and geopolitics are shaping sports like never before.

“By 2025, 50% of the world population will need upskilling, in terms of data and digital literacy. We need to bring sports organisations to that future.”

Bill Powell, MD, Black Lab Sports: “There is a ‘give first’ mentality of Gen Z. A lot of sport is totally underestimating the change in how people from 8-25 are going to consume sport. They might look at their favourite team for only 15 minutes. You need to give first and get their attention.”

What can athletes bring to the professional sphere?

Mayi Cruz Blanco, MD, Sports Practice & Partnerships, Adecco Group: “The sports industry needs to think more about how they bring athletes back. Athletes are positive disruptors. They can bring a business mindset and creative thinking.”

Jeroen Straathof, Tournament Director, European Para Championships 2023: “We use the voice of athletes in the perspective of our event; we let athletes to tell their story. We advise all organisations to get the voice of athletes in their company. We need more athletes on boards.”

Rowena Samarasinhe, Founder, GENsport: “Now athletes have a much stronger voice through social media. It’s taken until now to put athletes first, or at least up there.”

What are the considerations for athletes planning a career in sports?

Jeroen Staathof, Tournament Director, European Para Championships 2023 and former athletes commission chair: “Athletes need to be aware that they are people who can do things really well – but out there are also guitar players who play really well, so you’re not special!”

Xu Lijia OLY, Olympic gold medallist: “When I was training in the 90s I didn’t know English. I was like a frog in a well! Learning English helped me a lot, to access the most advanced information and knowledge. And it helped my second career in sports media. By mastering both Chinese and English I could quickly switch between the two. A multinational experience really helped me to survive well in the western world – and perhaps people here can learn more about China.

“There are lots of courses, online and offline, from IOC other organisations, to help us to experience this difficult transition. As athletes we have many transferable skills – time management with a clear role.”

“But I did feel quite low when I realised I couldn’t compete any more, and I wouldn’t feel as high again.”

David Grevemberg CBE, Chief Innovation and Partnerships Officer, Centre for Sports and Human Rights: “You need a trauma informed approach. It’s traumatic to reidentify our life purpose.”

Why is it important to have a diverse workforce?

Bill Powell, MD, Black Lab Sports: “Some of the most culturally diverse teams are the ones grabbing onto exponentially growing technology.”

Mayi Cruz Blanco, MD, Sports Practice & Partnerships, Adecco Group: “Diversity is not just about numbers. It’s about making a huge difference in the world. Candidates are declining organisations that are not inclusive enough. You need to bring different groups into the sports industry.”

Rowena Samarasinhe, Founder, GENsport: “We are a global industry, but if you look at federations it’s very much a western ideology. We need to represent the entire world. Its 60 years since Martin Luther King gave his ‘I have a dream’ speech, but we’re in the same situation now, still talking about diversity.

“We have also had a spate of female leaders getting vilified. We’ve got to ride that wave, but get through it. A big part is supporting that next generation and helping them to be our future leaders.”

Fans  

Traditional sport, it seems, is increasingly struggling to connect with younger generations.  

Only 23% of Gen Z describe themselves as passionate sports fans, compared with 42% of millennials, according to a survey assessing sport fandom in America; a significant fall and one that looks set to decline further in the next decade.  

An additional survey highlighted that 35% of US parents with children born from 2013-2017 said they lost interest in sports during the pandemic.  

In response, sports organisations are rapidly spinning-up digital platforms and personalised products aimed at attracting, retaining, and diversifying their fanbases.  

According to YPulse research, 70% of 13-37 year olds say that they don’t need to watch sports events to keep up with what’s going on. Many prefer to watch highlights or bitesize content rather than a full match. We’re also seeing growth in the type of content that audiences enjoy, with a greater variety to watch live or on streaming channels than ever before.  

Whilst younger generations’ appetite for watching a full match is declining, content consumption as a whole is increasing, with 30-60 minute streaming platform series and social media content growing in popularity. As a result, there is a rush amongst clubs, leagues and governing bodies to respond to fans’ insatiable demand for content by partnering with OTT platforms to produce docu-series.  

Traditional sports formats are also changing to appeal to a wider spectrum of generations and fans. The Hundred (cricket), super tiebreaks (tennis), RugbyX and 3x3 basketball are all examples of the shifts in fan preferences, resulting in new formats and rules being applied to traditional sports. Supplemented by slick digital content and social media engagement, format innovation is targeted at appealing to younger audiences’ preferences and habits.  

Stadium experiences are also transforming to meet fan expectations, with technological, sustainability and safety related enhancements at the core. Bringing the live stadium experience closer to those who can’t or won’t attend (with international and sustainable minded audiences) is also becoming an increasing focus for organisations looking to grow their fanbases. Digitally connected stadia and virtual/augmented reality in-home experiences will complement the fan experience, but these must be seamless and deliver real fan value to become truly mainstream and there is much work to be done here. 

Players  

Around half of Gen Z males in the US spend more time following non-traditional sports than traditional sports. This is challenging ‘traditional’ sports to evolve to attract younger audiences. The introduction of new Olympic sports in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, such as climbing, skateboarding, surfing and breaking, is a direct response to the growth of these sports and aiming to draw younger and more diverse audiences to engage with the Games.  

A common denominator of high-growth sports is their more compact and action-packed format when compared with traditional sports. For example, Padel – a form of tennis played in an enclosed space – is the fastest growing sport in the UK with younger players finding it more exciting, sociable and easier to play than tennis.  

With participation and player dynamics changing, sports organisations are having to go back to basics to develop core digital capabilities to increase recruitment and retention of grassroots players. Making it easy for people to sign-up, find and book facilities online will be paramount to increasing participation as users expect a frictionless experience.  

Workforce  

Younger generations are growing up in a ‘purpose-focused’ world, challenging brands to reflect their values such as a commitment to sustainability, equality and inclusion. The race for talent is likely to continue at pace and younger generations in particular will seek out roles in sports organisations that have an authentic purpose and an inclusive working environment.  

The race for talent is likely to be particularly competitive for digital experts as new entrants and new innovations enter into the market. Private equity investment is playing an increasingly active role in professional sport and this is likely to soon filter down to grassroots sport, too. 

As the commercialisation of sports organisations develops, particularly at a grassroots level, the profile of full-time employees and volunteers within a workforce will also change.  

Sports organisations must embrace the change and importantly put themselves in a position where they are agile to respond to the changing demands of the next generation. 

The next decade will be crucial in determining the future success and legacy of some sports. Whilst the future consists of many uncertainties and potential challenges, it also will provide great opportunities for the sports industry to take an active role in addressing the next generation’s most pressing concerns: climate change and sustainability, health and wellbeing, and societal issues. 

Alice John, head of economic growth and development advisory in Deloitte's Sports Business Group, spoke on the panel The Future Fan at Host City 2022

[Source: GAISF] GAISF President Ivo Ferriani marked this year’s United Nations (UN) International Youth Day by calling on the global sports community to ensure the world’s youth have a voice in the development and future of sport.

Observed globally, International Youth Day provides an opportunity to celebrate and recognise young people’s voices, actions and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal and equitable engagement.

This year’s theme is “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages”. As part of strengthening intergenerational solidarity, ensuring that young people have a voice in decision-making mechanisms is vital in bridging generational gaps.

President Ferriani said: “Sport has a key role to play in the physical, mental and social development of young people, so it is key that the global sports community listens to their voice when guiding sport’s global development. By working collaboratively, we can help draw more young people to sport and increase participation to secure sport’s future.

“As an integral part of society, sport can also be a powerful intergenerational activity. At all levels older generations pass on their knowledge to young people, ensuring that younger generations can experience the joy of sport and benefit from an active lifestyle. In a time where solidarity and collaboration are more important than ever, it is vital that we harness sport’s role as a vehicle for promoting social cohesion among all ages.”

When the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) was formed on August 3, 1948, the majority of events at the Summer Olympic Games were taking place some 50 kilometres away in London.

At the time, a meeting of 15 national pentathlon federations at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst may not have seemed like the epicentre of the action, but the decision taken by that group sowed the seeds of a sporting organism that has been growing and flourishing ever since.

Today, after 70 years of heritage and innovation, the UIPM movement is in many ways unrecognisable from those early beginnings.

Today it is a sprawling sporting organisation with nearly 120 member federations, a 106-year-old core Olympic sport (Modern Pentathlon), five other multi-discipline UIPM Sports and a new urban phenomenon that is rapidly spreading across the cities in all six of the world’s populated continents.

That phenomenon is the UIPM Global Laser-Run City Tour (GLRCT), a concept that delivers an exciting, dynamic and fun competition to participants of all ages and offers them an entry point to UIPM Sports. Who knows, maybe some of the young athletes enjoying the unique combination of running and laser shooting might even become pentathletes one day and reach the Olympic Games.

The GLRCT took place in parks, stadiums and iconic urban venues in 60 cities around the world in 2017. It is currently in the process of visiting about 100 cities throughout 2018.

Laser-Run is the newest sport on the UIPM pyramid. It was conceived as a development sport, aimed at growing participation numbers in the core Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon, but its simplicity, popularity and marketability have seen it grow an identify of its own.

The growth of that brand has coincided with the evolution of UIPM’s wider visual identity, which aims to communicate the historic pentathlon family values aligned to the dynamic future of UIPM Sports.

A branding review in 2017 led to the creation of two new logos, one for institutional and internal use and the other for external promotional use. The new institutional logo features two original colours that represent the pentathlon environment: yellow (symbolizing dynamic development) and blue (standing for longevity and power). Gender equality is also reflected with the addition of two female pictograms.

Martin Dawe, UIPM Executive Board Member for Marketing, said: “The purpose of this branding review is to make sure our logos are more up to date. It is not a completely new logo but more of an evolution, and it’s about making it more applicable for today’s audience.”

UIPM has planned a series of events and commemorations in celebration of its 70th anniversary, culminating with a special edition of the UIPM Congress in November in Limassol, Cyprus, which will feature a gala dinner with VIP guests from across the Olympic movement.

The role played by those 15 federation delegates in England in 1948 will be fully acknowledged, as well as the work of the many people who have contributed across the past seven decades to the realisation of a dream.

This article first appeared in the Summer issue of Host City magazine. Read the full magazine here

FISU is the IOC-recognised partner of the Olympic Movement responsible for delivering international sport to millions of students from more than 26,000 campuses around the world, with the help of member federations in 174 countries.

Our vision is to help shape the leaders of tomorrow through their experiences of international university sport: either as spectators, as volunteers or as spectators. And the nature of University life is that every four years or so, our audience is completely new.

In fact, the sports world often thinks of new audiences as only being those in new places, perhaps where a rights holder has not yet hosted competitions. But I would challenge this approach.

New audiences must also be thought of as those young people who, each year, are arriving at the age where they will make decisions for themselves, where they will develop affinities and loyalties independently. These people are not just the future of one sport, or two sports, but the future of every sport. And every year, the universities of the world have an intake of potential players and potential fans that is measured in the millions.

FISU’s showcase events, the ones where we reach the biggest number of students each year, are the Winter and Summer Universiades. And the most recent editions of these were here in Asia: last year we were in Almaty for winter and Taipei for summer.

In the last ten years, there has been a lot of talk about opening up new audiences in Asia and especially here in China.

I am proud to say that FISU has been at the front of successful hosting in Asia for twenty years. Many of our friends here are already old friends. Years before even Beijing’s Olympic bid was successful, FISU was here preparing for the Beijing 2001 Universiade: the first major global multisport Games in China.

Even if China and Asia are not new audiences for us, they are very successful audiences and we are always happy to come back and even to discover new cities!

Our lessons in developing new audiences here have been very valuable to us. For FISU, our work here in China and in Asia has been about long-term investment. And our biggest investment is the one we make in people.

I cannot understate how important it is to invest time in building relationships and developing people. That’s why things like volunteer training are so important to us at FISU. Ten, twenty or even thirty years from now, there will be a student whose experience of volunteering at one of our events led to a career as a leader in business or in politics. And that student will remember just how much hosting one of our events can do for people and communities.

Leaders who have happy memories of the Universiade go all the way up to the IOC President, Thomas Bach. And while it is great for us to have leaders with a positive experience of the Universiade, it is also a great asset for our hosts. Here in China alone, there have been more than 50,000 volunteers with experience of the Universiades and World University Championships. That’s more than 50,000 young people with massively multicultural experience, with experience of successfully delivering huge projects and from learning from the best in the world as they do so.

Of course, it is no longer possible just to use a single tool to reach audiences, whether new or old. Today’s audiences are more fragmented than ever. Advertisers know this very well. They used to be able to count on TV to reach the big majority of their audiences. But now they have to combine efforts across many different channels. They have to follow closely the interests of their audiences and we do the same with our World University Championships. These FISU events, and we will have organised more than 350 of them by the end of this year, can be a perfect vehicle for new sports to develop and find new audiences of their own.

A perfect example is the World University American Football Championship that will bring something new to the nearly 20,000 students who attend Harbin University of Commerce next month. Taking those 20,000 students to experience a new sport and new cultures would not be affordable. But taking a new sport and new cultures to the students in Harbin who are expecting international careers can be a huge part of their education.

I would like to say that hosting events here in China has been a vital part of the way FISU is working on new ways to deliver international University sport, and to bring it to new audiences.

The World University League for 3x3 basketball that has been hosted annually by Huaqiao University is a great example of this.

3x3 basketball has been a great success, especially in Asia. It was first trialled in Macao, it first came to global attention at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games and the first Olympic champions will be crowned in Tokyo.

For us, 3x3 has been an opportunity to bring in not just a new sport but to adapt the model of international university competition.

Traditionally, teams have competed on behalf of their national university sports federations.

Now, however, we are providing opportunities for teams to compete on behalf of their individual universities.

Today’s young people seem to identify less and less with nationalism. Instead they appear to engage more with brands.

So at a time when universities have been looking to establish themselves as global brands, it has made a lot of sense to allow athletes to compete with the names of their universities on their shirts whether they are playing new sports or traditional sports.

We can already see this with eSports too. In 2014, Robert Morris university, not far from Chicago, became the first university to offer scholarships to players of League of Legends.

Tencent held the first International College Cup for League of Legends here just last year and students competed for their universities.

It is here in Asia that we have discovered new audiences for more traditional sports too, and I would encourage all rights holders to show some flexibility out of respect for their hosts. This approach certainly worked for us last year, when we added rollersports to the programme for the Universiade.

While bringing new sports and events to new athletes and new hosts, we’ve also been looking of course at new ways to bring our events to new audiences.

Everyone in this room will be aware of the changes in the way young people consume sport.

While live TV continues to be very important, there are so many new ways to reach audiences. It is critical to take advantage of them.

Digital streaming is something I know the panellists in the next discussion will want to talk about.

But to give you some examples, FISU has found huge success in streaming competitions online via social media. For us, to have more than 100,000 watching a single game of basketball online is a great step forward.

This year’s 3x3 World University League finals is one where we will be developing this approach further, with our own production teams and online broadcasting.

And as of next year, FISU will be looking to apply all that it has learned about engaging students as players, as volunteers and as fans at the first FISU University World Cup Football, which will take place in September in Jinjiang.

The FISU University World Cup Football hosting arrangement is potentially for seven annual editions, which shows this kind of long-term investment FISU is prepared to make in places and people. And I should add that we are always looking for new hosts in which to invest, new places where we can engage students around both traditional and new sports.

It is clear there is a great opportunity for the old and the new to learn from each other. And what better place to do this than in a place that combines tradition and innovation as well as China!

This speech was delivered at Host City Asia in Beijing on 31 May

HOST CITY: Pierre De Coubertin said Modern Pentathlon “tested a man’s moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills”. How does Modern Pentathlon achieve this and why is this still important today?
Dr. Klaus Schormann: Modern Pentathlon first appeared on the Olympic programme in Stockholm in 1912 when De Coubertin’s wish was to devise a test suitable only for the “complete athlete”. In pursuit of this aim he created the ultimate test of an athlete’s fitness, courage and skill – a sporting challenge like no other. Modern Pentathlon combines five traditional disciplines in a one-day format and is unique in sport as a complex mental and physical examination.
Today it remains as important as ever in the Olympic Movement. Pierre de Coubertin’s vision has its roots in the Ancient Games of 708 where Lampis of Sparta was the first winner of Pentathlon and received the prestigious status of “Victor Ludorum”. In this time, Pentathlon consisted of discus, long jump, javelin, stadium run and wrestling. The format has changed beyond recognition but the principle remains the same: it is the complete sporting challenge.

HOST CITY: Competition for inclusion in the Olympic programme is strong. What are the key factors that have enabled Modern Pentathlon to retain its place in the programme?
Dr. Klaus Schormann: Modern Pentathlon has been a core sport of the Olympic Games ever since 1912. Although it has had to justify its inclusion in the Olympic programme several times, it has retained a constant presence and this is because of two things: strong Olympic heritage and modern innovation. First we had to shorten the Modern Pentathlon from five days in duration to one day, because it was not compatible with the demands of the mass media, viewers and spectators.
To make it a more compelling spectacle, we introduced several changes and developments. We introduced Laser Pistols at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. We created a running/shooting Combined Event (like winter biathlon) that made the sport safer for athletes and spectators, allowing them to get closer to the action than ever before. Most recently, in addition to the fencing round robin, pentathletes have the opportunity to win extra points in a new bonus round. In less than an hour, all of the athletes compete on one piste in front of the spectators to win bonus seconds for the Combined Event.
To make our sport more compact and exciting, we had to adapt our format as we are living in a fast changing world with a modern, diverse and digital society. You can inspire others to change, only if you are ready to change yourself. Our new format is compact, media and spectator friendly with entertainment in between. It is not only a competition anymore – it is five sports brought together to create one big event. As De Coubertin wrote in 1918, “the individual who truly deserves that name ‘Olympian’ is the competitor in the modern pentathlon”. We are certain that he would have approved of Modern Pentathlon’s proven ability to move with the times and stay fresh.
 
HOST CITY: As a member of the IOC Commission on Culture and Olympic Heritage, do you think modern pentathlon can play a role in helping the IOC to realise its Agenda 2020 aim of further blending sport and culture?
Dr. Klaus Schormann: UIPM can, like all of the International Federations in the Olympic Movement, play a role in helping the IOC to realise this goal. Only together can we implement another of Pierre de Coubertin’s visions: to “blend sport with culture and education” as in the Ancient Games.
Due to the concentration on sport, the influence of the Olympic Movement’s cultural activities has been limited even though many committed institutions and communities like museums, academies, historians, collectors or artists for instance have been established. However, our mission as members of the IOC Commission on Culture and Olympic Heritage is to develop concepts and programmes to further blend sport and culture at each Olympic Games and in the years between. This only goes hand in hand with the whole Olympic Family to create values with culture.
 
HOST CITY: And how can the values of UIPM and Olympism help with the education and personal development of young people worldwide?
Dr. Klaus Schormann: In our fast changing world, education has an important role in society. As Nelson Mandela said “Sport has the power to change the world” and currently we need to change and act against crime, hate and discrimination more than ever before.
Modern Pentathlon is not only a big event but it has remained through 100 years of history very traditional and unique in the Olympic Movement. The Olympic Agenda 2020 clearly demonstrates our decision to live up to our values and principles. The values of “excellence, respect, friendship, dialogue, diversity, non-discrimination, tolerance, fair play, solidarity, development and peace” should be demonstrated through our sport around the world. Our Unity in Diversity is important to make those values and principles remain relevant in society.
Through Modern Pentathlon with the five different skills you have a platform for education, integration of all religions and cultural societies with the message for a more friendly, humanitarian and peaceful world. 

HOST CITY: How do the UIPM’s other events, such as the new Laser Run format, help to engage new athletes and audiences? 
Dr. Klaus Schormann: The Laser-Run is the latest original creation of UIPM, derived from the Combined Event and launched in 2015 as a non-Olympic sub-sport. The simple format of running/shooting helps introduce and engage new athletes and new audiences as athletes of all ages from 8 to 80 can participate and the event can be staged on beaches, in cities and in the countryside. 
The Laser Run is the basis of the UIPM Pyramid and for many is the first step on the way to participating in Modern Pentathlon. The bigger the basis, the more athletes will find their way to the top. Modern Pentathlon keeps the legacy of Pierre de Coubertin as a strong heritage. 

The inaugural edition of the Asian Youth Athletic Championships will be hosted in Doha in 2015. The news, reported by the Gulf Times, was announced at the 78th council meeting of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) in Doha. 

Youth Athletics Championships are open to athletes aged 17 or under, unlike Junior Athletics Championships, which are open to participants aged 19 or younger.

“Long-term planning and grass-root level development should be our focus and we need to find ways to encourage the youth. That’s why we have decided to have an Asian Youth Athletic Championships next year,” AAA President General Dahlan Jumaan al-Hamad told reporters at the close of the event on Sunday.

The dates of the event have yet to be determined but it is likely to be hosted in May or June, as the IAAF World Athletics Championships take place in Beijing from 22-30 August. “It would be held before the World Championships so as to give our athletes the incentive to qualify,” Dahlan said. 

The aim of the Asian Youth Athletics Championships is to boost the sport in the continent.

“Asia should change. We need to improve. We need to raise our level. The continent should be at the pinnacle of everything. We are working towards it, and it involves a lot of hard work and commitment. But we are confident we shall reach there," said Dahlan.

In addition to the leaders of AAA member federations, the meeting was attended by former pole vault world champion and IAAF Vice-President Sergei Bubka.

It was also announced that selection trials for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) would be held in the Thailand capital of Bangkok from 21-22 May. The YOG takes place in the Chinese city of Nanjing in August 2014.

The 2015 Asian Youth Athletics Championships event adds to Qatar’s growing programme of sports events. The Gulf nation will be hosting the World Men's Handball Championship in January and February 2015. The UCI Road World Championships is scheduled to take place in 2016, with a potential shift from September to October due to the climate.