The International Olympic Committee’s coordination commission has concluded that Rio de Janeiro is making solid progress on preparing to host the Games, but there is an “intense year ahead” with operational activities coinciding with a series of test events that pose “very aggressive timelines” for some venues.

IOC president Thomas Bach led a delegation to meet Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who pledged full support for the Games from “every level and ministry of [her] government as well as from State and City authorities.”

Bach also met with Rio State Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes and Brazilian Minister of Sports George Hilton, and joined the commission on a tour of the Barra Olympic Park.

Speaking at the end of the visit, commission chair Nawal El Moutawakel said: "We were pleased to be able to show President Bach that good progress has been made on the Rio 2016 Games. The advancements made on both the Barra and Deodoro Olympic Parks were very encouraging, with both areas on track to leave fantastic legacies to the people of Rio and the athletes of Brazil.

“However, the Rio team is now entering the most intense phase in the preparation for the Games, as they reach a new level of detail while planning numerous test events.”

Rio de Janeiro’s Games venues are set to host 21 test events in 2015.

“Rio 2016 will have a lot to deliver while still preparing for the Games,” said El Moutawakel.

“We were pleased to see that Rio and its government partners have put in place structures that will allow them to deal with what will be an intense year ahead, filled with thousands of details that will need to be dealt with before the Games. They will also need to ensure that the venues are delivered in time to host the test events.

“The golf course, velodrome and equestrian cross-country venues all have very aggressive timelines that will need to be met over the coming months.”

Carlos Nuzman, president of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, said “As we move at high speed from the planning to the execution phase of the project, we are dedicated to delivering on our vision for the Games.

“In a project of this magnitude, some obstacles will always exist, but with the help of our partners at the IOC and the three levels of government, we will overcome them. Our joint commitment to deliver excellent Games with memorable celebrations is stronger now than ever.”

The IOC coordination commission was pleased with the level of unity shown by government partners with the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, “which emphasised the importance of having an integrated approach to the delivery of the Games, especially during a period which is as intense as the coming 17 months.”

Accommodation and transport were also highlighted as areas that the organisers need to focus on.

“A significant amount of work needs to be completed this year to ensure that the Games experience is delivered at the highest level for the athletes, participants and spectators,” the IOC said.

The commission was pleased to see that a number of engagement initiatives have been launched in Brazil since its last visit, such as ticket sign-up, volunteer recruitment, mascots and the Olympic Torch Relay.

Ticket sales are set to begin in late March. Volunteer training, torchbearer applications, and the cultural programme are due to get underway later in the year.

FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke has requested that the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the Qatar 2022 World Cup propose the number of venues to be used as a “next important step” to be confirmed by the end of 2015, along with the timings of the tournament. 

He also commended progress on infrastructure works and evident progress on improving the welfare of construction workers. 

Speaking at the end of the LOC’s first board meeting in Doha on Tuesday, FIFA’s secretary general Jérôme Valcke said “We had a very constructive first LOC Board meeting and are pleased with the work accomplished to date by the LOC, especially in delivering a first customised operational plan to the specifications of the host country. 

“As we have done with previous hosting partners, we will help find solutions that work best locally including considerations for beyond the event itself. 

“Next important step will be for the LOC to provide FIFA with feasibility studies to identify the best number of venues to ensure perfect playing conditions for the teams. We aim to have a confirmation of dates, length of tournament and final number of stadia to be used by end of this year.”

On Monday, a FIFA task force recommended that the 2022 World Cup should take place in late November until late December , with a slightly shortened timeframe than the usual four weeks. 

The CEO of the LOC, Hassan Al Thawadi said “We are ready to host anytime depending on the wishes of the global football community.”  

Valcke was shown around the building site of the first stadium being built for the World Cup. “It was very encouraging to see yesterday the Al-Wakrah stadium construction site as well as the respective workers living facilities,” he said.

“I am no expert on these issues but I can see that progress is being made, particularly with the standards introduced by the Supreme Committee related to 2022 infrastructure. At the same time, recognising this is a complex issue that is vital for the Qatari authorities to continue to work on with labour experts to ensure that the initiated measures on welfare standards are sustainably implemented for all workers in Qatar and not limited to 2022 projects.”

The main focus of the meeting was for the LOC to present to FIFA its Tournament Operation Master Plan (TOMP), which it describes as a “unique hosting concept based on the compact World Cup”.

The Qatar 2022 LOC will focus on operational planning, tournament preparedness and coordinating with FIFA on all competition related matters. 

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) – the organisation tasked with delivering infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup and its aftermath – also gave a presentation on the development of stadiums and extensive transportation network links which will connect these and other venues across the country. 

“Today’s meeting was a significant milestone as we continue to make progress towards hosting an outstanding FIFA World Cup which will leave a lasting legacy for future generations in the Middle East,” said Thawadi. “This was an opportunity to demonstrate our operational preparations and ensure we are ready to deliver the tournament as early as possible.

“The first LOC board meeting is a symbol that this World Cup is not simply a concept for a tournament that will be held in the distant future. It is evidence that we are working every single day to deliver a unique tournament that will bring people in the Middle East together and build bridges between East and West.”

Luis Figo, the retired Portuguese footballer who is running for the presidency of FIFA, has said that the organisation is right to recommend hosting the World Cup in late November and December 2022 – despite the disruption this would cause to the European football leagues.

“The FIFA Task Force recommendation is the right decision for the World Cup,” he said in a statement. 

After a six month consultation process, the FIFA task force recommended earlier today that the 2022 World Cup should take place at the end of the year, to avoid clashing with the Olympic Games, Ramadan and the hottest months of the year. 

“It has to be played in the best possible conditions for the fans and players who will enjoy a great World Cup atmosphere, and for Qatar who deserve to be put in the position to organise a great event,” Figo said.

“With good will and a sense of solidarity it is always possible to find the right solutions.”

Figo’s endorsement is in contrast to the reaction of other leading European football administrators. The European Professional Football Leagues and the European Clubs Association had been pressing for the World Cup to take place from 5 May to 4 June and will continue to oppose the proposed date change. 

Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the English Premier League, said “It's the European leagues and European clubs that are going to suffer the most, so it's very disappointing."

While Figo has been outspoken about the need for transparency in FIFA, he is taking a very diplomatic stance on the issue of Qatar’s right to host the World Cup. At the launch of the manifesto for his presidential campaign last week, he acknowledged that there are reports of “irregularities that have taken place, reports not made public” but said “If there are no irregularities, I don’t think Qatar should be prejudiced [against].”

A FIFA task force charged with identifying the least disruptive timeframe for hosting the 2022 World Cup finished its six month consultation process today with the recommendation that the event should take place at the end of the year.

The task force has identified end of November to the end of December as the most viable period to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

To minimise disruption to domestic leagues, the tournament will take place over a slightly shorter timeframe than usual, depending on the number of venues to be used. 

According to unconfirmed reports, the tournament could run right up to Christmas with the final taking place on 23 December. 

The dates are set to be confirmed at the next FIFA Executive Committee meeting in Zurich on 19 and 20 March 2015.

 “The outcome of the discussions is also a proposed reduced competition days schedule with the exact dates to be defined in line with the match schedule and number of venues to be used for the 22nd edition of football’s flagship event,” said FIFA. 

How many venues Qatar will use for the World Cup is still unknown. 12 venues were proposed in the bid; FIFA’s minimum requirement is eight but it would be difficult to shorten the timeframe of the tournament with so few venues. 

Reducing the number of teams from 32 or matches from 64 has not been discussed.

Qatar’s bid for the World Cup was based on a summer tournament, but since being awarded the right to host the event it has become evident that the temperatures would be too high, even with advanced cooling technologies.  

A FIFA statement also cited the 2022 Winter Olympics and Ramadan as immovable obstacles.

“Given that the two bidding cities for the 2022 Winter Olympics - Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Beijing (China PR) - pledged recently to host the winter games from 4 to 20 February 2022; that the month of Ramadan begins on 2 April in 2022; and that consistently hot conditions prevail from May to September in Qatar, the only remaining effective option is the November/December window,” said FIFA.

Postponing the event until early 2023 is not an option due to legal reasons, FIFA said.

FIFA says the proposal has the full support of all six confederations. However, European leagues have fought hard to avoid the competition taking place during their calendar. 

England’s Premier League said in a statement: "The 2022 World Cup was bid for and awarded to Qatar as a summer tournament.

"The prospect of a winter World Cup is neither workable nor desirable for European domestic football."

FIFA said the task force took on board the considerations of everyone concerned. 

“The analysis aimed to find the most viable solution for all stakeholders, covering the likely and possible impacts of conditions on players, staff and fans, as well as the knock-on effect for domestic leagues. 

“The representatives of the leagues once again emphasised the impact that a November/December tournament would have on their respective calendars.

“The members deliberated over the various options to determine the least impact on the national and international football calendars.

Discussions are also underway about whether to move some of the qualification matches, with a final phase in early 2022 under consideration.

“We are very pleased that, after careful consideration of the various opinions and detailed discussions with all stakeholders, we have identified what we believe to be the best solution for the 2018-2024 international match calendar and football in general,” said Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the chair of the FIFA task force.

“It was a challenging task and I want to thank all members of the football community for their productive input and constructiveness in helping to find a solution that we believe can work for everyone.”

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.

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

The European Judo Championships, originally set to take place in Glasgow, will now take place as part of Baku European Games in June, following a disagreement between the European Judo Union (EJU) and the British Judo Association (BJA).

Judo is the first European Championships to be integrated with the European Games. The Games now offers the opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Glasgow’s Emirates Arena was due to host the Games on 9-12 April this year but the EJU withdrew the hosting rights from the BJA on 14th February.

This was reportedly due to concerns over a sponsorship agreement that would have seen the Ultimate Fighting Championship promote the European Judo Championships to its audience of mixed martial arts.

“The European Judo Union has come to the realisation that the British Judo Association does not fit the EJU criteria to host the EJU flagship event,” the EJU said in a statement last weekend.

“The BJA had entered into a sponsorship agreement which did not meet the EJU values.”

Within the space of a week, a new host city has been allocated. The event has now been incorporated into Baku 2015’s judo competition, to take place during the final four days of the inaugural 2015 European Games, which takes place from 12 to 28 June. 

“After the cancellation of the event in Glasgow, our priority was to find a new host as quickly as possible. We have done this and I am very happy with our choice,” said Sergey Soloveychik, President of the EJU.

“Baku 2015 has a world-class judo venue with supporting facilities which will help Europe’s elite judoka reach peak performance in June.

“For all the judo fans who have already bought their tickets for Emirates Arena in Glasgow, they will have an opportunity to get free tickets to the judo venue in Baku.”

The decision to incorporate the European Championships into the Games ensures that Europe’s top judoka will be competing at Baku 2015, as the Championships is a qualifying event for Rio 2016.

“This decision further strengthens the European Games with 12 of the 16 Olympic Sports now offering direct or indirect qualifying opportunities for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,” said Azad Rahimov, chief executive officer of Baku 2015 and Azerbaijan’s minister of youth and sport. 

Other sports offering qualification opportunities for Rio 2016 are archery, athletics, boxing, cycling, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball and wrestling. There are 20 sports in total at the European Games, which is administered by the European Olympic Committees (EOC). 

Judo is the first European Championships to be integrated into the European Games. 

“The EOC has always intended for European Championships to become part of the European Games and this agreement indicates that our aim is coming true, even earlier than we had anticipated,” said EOC president Patrick Hickey.

“I am sure other sports will follow suit at future editions of the European Games and that the event will become one of the main qualification routes for the Olympic Games.”

Despite the decision to move the EJU Champsionships to Baku, Scotland retains a strong portfolio of events after hosting the acclaimed Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup in 2014. 

In 2015, Scotland is hosting the IPC Swimming World Championships, the World Gymnastics Championships, the World Orienteering Championships and the World Equestrian Championships, as well as seven golf tournaments and the Turner Prize. 

“Scotland has a huge amount to offer in terms of its natural assets, its people and its infrastructure,” Paul Bush OBE, chief operating officer of EventScotland told HOST CITY. 

British minister for the Cabinet Office and paymaster general Francis Maude this week met with senior Qatari officials, one of whom is to visit London next week to meet with experts on cybersecurity. 

Maude was in Qatar to discuss transparency, “open government” and cybersecurity – a critical issue for the hosts of major events. 

“I chaired the cabinet committee in Britain on the 2012 Olympics and cyber security was a big concern,” Maude told the Gulf Times. 

“We want to work very closely with the Qatar government in preparing for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The lessons of how and what we did and all of that, we are very keen to share it with our friends,” he said, adding that Qatar and the UK have “a huge amount of common ground.”

The UK signed a security pact with Qatar last year, under which the two countries security agencies are sharing intelligence. 

Information sharing between countries is crucial to maintain the security of data, as the internet transcends national boundaries. 

“Governments need to work together in real time, with business and other organisations to share knowledge, information and capability quickly and effectively. Building those close relationships on these matters with our governments is of first importance.”

Bilateral trade between Qatar and the UK is valued at about GB£5.4bn (QAR30bn/US$8.2bn) annually. A British Chamber of Commerce was established in Qatar last month to boost cooperation between Qatari and British small to medium sized enterprises.

“There is a lot of Qatari investment in London and elsewhere in Britain, and we are busy building that up,” said Maude. 

“We want Britain to be the best place in the world for companies to do business and we want to work with our friends and colleagues in Qatar for the benefit of both countries.”

Luis Figo was the first of the candidates for the FIFA presidency to launch his manifesto today, proposing radical changes to an organisation that he says has deteriorated under the current leadership and suffers from a “negative reaction”.

The retired Portuguese footballer pledged to redistribute at least half of FIFA’s funds equally around the world to develop football at the grass roots level. 

With the aim of establishing good governance, Figo wants to establish a FIFA Football Council to advise the president and Executive Committee, as well as an independent governance, audit and compliance committee with powers to “control the actions of the president”.

He also announced a proposal to increase the number of members on the Executive Committee, with equal representation from each of the continental confederations.

In a bid to boost the global appeal of his candidacy, he also announced plans to increase the number of non-European teams competing in the World Cup.

Figo’s and FIFA’s funding

Drawing on his own life story, Figo revealed that his campaign is entirely self-funded. “I grew up in working class of Lisbon, playing on streets,” said Figo. “My life changed through the power of football and I am lucky to be an independent man. I don’t owe anyone anything; this means I can serve FIFA in the interest of football, for football.

“Thank God I’ve had a long and successful career. When you retire, you need to have a balance – it’s on a smaller scale than FIFA’s budget but the way I’ve managed my finances shows that I can stand on my own two feet. I have enough money to pay for my candidature.”

Figo plans to redistribute FIFA’s revenues to enable children all over the world to get a chance to become professional footballers. 

“I was very lucky and fortunate to play and get training from an early age but I know this opportunity does not exist for many children across the world,” he said.

“This is why I propose radical changes to the way FIFA redistributes its membership payments.

“I want to see at least 50 per cent of FIFA funds spent on grass roots football and to increase the size of the funds available.”

This amounts to US$ 2.5 bn. He also wants to distribute an additional US$1bn directly to the member associations over a four year period. 

Currently, the member associations receive less than US$ 4m per four years.

He questioned FIFA’s current approach of setting aside a US$1.5bn reserve pool to cover the possibility of the World Cup being cancelled. “This money is not FIFA money – it is the member associations’,” he said. 

“US $5m is enough to cover the operational cost of FIFA.”

This offer of cash may help Figo to gain backing for his campaign from the 205 member associations around the world that elect FIFA’s president on 29th May. 

In another bid to boost the appeal of his campaign outside Europe, Figo also said he would like to increase the number of teams competing in the World Cup, without increasing Europe’s participation. 

"I believe we should consider proposals to expand the competition to a 40 or even 48-team World Cup," he said. "Both these options are feasible with an extra three to four days of tournament play."

Structural changes to restore trust

Central to his campaign is rebuilding trust in FIFA. 

“In the last few months and years we’ve come to realise that the FIFA image has deteriorated. 

In Brazil, during the most important sport competition the World Cup, I could see protests against the organisation – and this was in a country that loves football deeply. 

“I could see the reaction to the president of the organisation – I could see quite a negative reaction. This is not an appropriate image.

“When I started to look at all the news about scandals I decided that something needed to change.”

The changes that Figo proposes are major and structural. 

“There must be transparency. My proposal is to change structures, so there will be a wider consultation with members. 

“In the different confederations, we will organise meetings between 10 and 15 member associations... and the summaries of those strategic meetings will be distributed and passed on to the board.”

He also announced plans to establish a new FIFA Football Council to advise the FIFA president and the Executive Committee on issues including the calendar and format of events as well as the laws of the game and football development. 

This council would have a moderating role over hosting decisions.

“It is also important to maintain decisions within the council in terms of which countries go on to organise the World Cup,” he said.

On the issue of the controversy and investigations surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, he acknowledged that there are reports of “irregularities that have taken place, reports not made public.”

But indicative of his aim to achieve global appeal, he did not support any of these claims, saying “If there are no irregularities, I don’t think Qatar should be prejudiced [against].”

He also proposes to merge the existing ethics and disciplinary committees to create a new governance, audit and compliance committee.

“For there to be transparency, the governance committee would have to be a fully independent committee from the council and also from the executive committee, and therefore that they could control the actions of the president.

“With these measures defining the different responsibilities and powers of each body, I think we would have the right measures for transparency within the organisation.”

The composition of the Executive Committee would also become a more level playing field with equal representation internationally. Each continental confederation would have one seat per ten member associations, with an additional seat for member associations that have won the World Cup, with a limit of eight seats per confederation.

With six confederations each bringing up to eight members, this would represents a major increase on the current Executive Committee membership of just 27. 

Can he win it?

Figo chose to launch his bid in London, with the venue for the press conference switched from Stamford Bridge to Wembley Stadium at 24 hours’ notice. 

"London is a global city and Wembley is an emblematic football space. There is no better place to present my ideas to the world,” he said.

Figo’s candidacy was nominated by six European associations. Whether he will be able to gain support from the 205 member associations, the vast majority of whom are said to have unwavering support for the incumbent president Sepp Blatter, remains to be seen. 

“Mr Blatter, well I respect him, he has been leading the organisation for many years. He has had many positive achievements for football and for the organisation but a point has reached where change has needed.”

 Figo’s other competitors in the presidential race are Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan and Michael Van Praag of the Netherlands. 

“Looking at the other candidates, we have some good ideas, someone who is in the Executive Committee and who knows how the organisation works internally. Also the Dutch FA president I know and respect very much; he has a lot of experience.”

He denied suggestions that he might step aside to support a single challenger to Blatter. 

“My idea is right now is to run to the end, to see as many people as possible regarding the presidency and to convince them with my ideas.

The president of FIFA will be elected at the FIFA Congress on 29th May.

HBK Contracting Company has laid the first concrete above ground at Al Wakrah stadium, the first of five new venues being built to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

“We have started laying the foundation of 168 m3 of structural concrete in our east slab,” said Abdulla Al-Marri, senior project engineer at the Al Wakrah Precinct. 

“This is an important achievement, being the first above-ground casting of concrete at the site which will incorporate the structural elements to begin vertical construction.”

To lay the concrete slab at double the usual speed, HBK is using two pumps that work simultaneously.

The foundations of the stadium will feature 84 concrete piles, measuring 19 m by 1.2 m. Enabling works contractor HBK has poured 55 of these so far, the first pile being cast in December 2014, a year after the designs and location of the first new venue for the 2022 World Cup were made public.

According to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the organisation responsible for hosting the World Cup, a top priority now for the enabling works contractor is to cast the remaining foundations to allow the Main Work Contractor to start building the stadium on these foundations. 

The Supreme Committee also identified completing drainage works and excavations around the stadium as a priority for HBK.

According to the Supreme Committee, HBK has completed over one million Lost Time Accident (LTA) free man-hours. 

“We observe that all safety measures are in place before works starts and we reward safety practices every month,” said Al-Marri. 

The Al Wakrah site is to hold a “safety fair” in March as part of regular safety training across all Supreme Committee sites. 

The stadium will have 40,000 seats during the World Cup, with 20,000 seats on the upper tiers to be removed after 2022 and sent to developing countries in need of sporting infrastructure.

The stadium will be the future home of Al Wakrah Sports Club. It will be surrounded by approximately 560,000 m2 (60 ha) of legacy precinct with a new sports centre and community facilities including a park, mosque, school, hotel, wedding hall, vocational training centre and retail outlets.