At the opening of SportAccord Convention on Monday, professional services firm PwC have revealed research that shows that the event will bring a major increase in the economy of the host city, Belek / Antalya.

PwC, a Gold Partner of the event, estimates that the local economy will benefit to the tune of US$3.85 million from hosting the sports industry gathering, which will also help Antalya and Turkey to achieve longer-term development goals. 

The organisers anticipate that the 12th annual edition of the Convention will bring more than 1,500 delegates, most of whom will stay in the city for the entire week.

Non-resident participants in the event are expected to spend around US$2.25m, much of which will benefit local companies. The biggest proportion of this direct spending – 83.6 per cent – will go to hotels and restaurants. 

The transport, retail, social and cultural services industries are also expected to benefit from the direct impacts of SportAccord Convention. Indirect economic impacts throughout the value chain are estimated at US$1.59 million.

“SportAccord Convention has become an important vehicle for popularizing sport and healthy lifestyles worldwide,” said Bob Gruman, Managing Partner of PwC’s Global Sports Mega-Events Centre of Excellence. 

“Hosting 1500 delegates from global sports associations and media for a full week also provides an excellent opportunity to promote Antalya’s beautiful landscape and rich cultural heritage, while encouraging delegates and guests to visit the city again for personal or business reasons.”

According to PwC, SportAccord Convention will support the Turkish government’s 2023 Strategic Plan and the region of Antalya’s development plan by encouraging business activity in areas related to the event through the development of social and intercultural networks. Demonstrating the region’s ability to host such events will attract further major events to Antalya. 

Hosting a significant number of delegates from all over the world and publicizing the event through global media will promote Antalya as an important global destination for sporting and cultural activities.  Promoting sports and the hosting of sports events will also inspiring healthy lifestyles, the PwC reports states. 

SportAccord Convention’s managing director Nis Hatt said “We are extremely pleased to know that our event will deliver real economic benefit to Belek and Antalya. To be validated by PwC’s authoritative research means a great deal to our organisation and to our stakeholders.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s coordination commission concluded its first visit to Tokyo on Friday, leaving with positive impressions of planning, personnel and infrastructure.

John Coates, chairman of the commission, said at the close of the meeting: “We have been very impressed with what we have seen this week during our visit. 

“The current level of planning; the venue layout; the involvement and integration of the Government authorities at all levels; and the experience and diversity of the new Executive Board all leave us confident in Tokyo’s ability to deliver great Games for the athletes in 2020.”

The IOC delegation also included Vice-Chair Alex Gilady, IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli, and Deputy Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi.

From 2 to 4 April, the group participated in the first IOC project review of the Games preparations and were updated on progress made since Tokyo was elected as the host city of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in September 2013.

The IOC executives were introduced to members of the new Tokyo 2020 executive board. The Commission was particularly pleased to see that a number of athletes and women are on the Board, representing the culture and diversity of Japan, the IOC said in a statement.

Coates said: “Since my last visit to Tokyo with IOC president Thomas Bach in November 2013, Tokyo 2020 has successfully undertaken a number of important steps on its seven-year Olympic journey. The establishment of the organising committee, the constitution of its executive board, the creation of a high-level advisory committee, and its participation in the observer programme for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will all enable Tokyo to face the coming six and a half years with a high level of confidence thanks to this quick start.”

The Games organisers presented on a number of topics, including governance, legacy, sustainability, accommodation, finance, commercial matters, engagement, medical, athlete preparation, venues and infrastructure. 

Venue visits

The delegation visited a number of the venue sites, including Yoyogi National Stadium, the Olympic Stadium, Nippon Budokan, Imperial Palace Garden, Tokyo International Forum, Kokugikan Arena, Odaiba Marine Park, Tokyo Big Sight, and viewed the sites of all the other future venues of the Tokyo Bay Zone. 

The venue visit also included a trip to the site of the future Olympic Village, where the delegation was joined by Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe, Olympic champion Koji Murofushi, and a number of young Japanese rowers, including Olympian Haruna Sakakibara, who took part in the London 2012 Games.

Yoshiro Mori, chairman of Tokyo 2020 said: “We have just completed three days of meetings, and I am very pleased that we were able to hold a range of productive discussions. We now have a much clearer understanding of the direction required for us to take to deliver successful Games.”

The first full IOC coordination commission visit to Tokyo will be held from 25 to 27 June 2014. This will be the first of 10 Commission visits to the 2020 host city over its seven-year lifecycle. 

“We will now work towards implementing the action plan that we have formulated together over the past three days, and we look forward to welcoming the members of the IOC Coordination Commission back to Tokyo this summer,” said Mori.

The bidding process for the 2023 Rugby World Cup has yet to be announced but several countries have already expressed an interest, with key figures in Ireland and Argentina speaking out on the subject over the course of the week. 

Leo Varadkar, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport said in an interview with Newstalk that hosting the World Cup would be an achievable target for Ireland, with “at least 50/50” chance of winning a bid.

“It’s probably the biggest thing that Ireland can do, as a small country. You could never really have the Olympics in Dublin; we wouldn’t be able to do the Euros, but we could do the Rugby World Cup.

“New Zealand, which has inferior infrastructure, fewer people and is further away from the big rugby markets did really well.”

Varadkar also stressed that an Irish Rugby World Cup would be a profitable one. “There is a cost of upgrading some of the stadiums… and you do have to pay the IRB a big fee to host it – somewhere in the region of EUR 120m. If we can get more people than came to New Zealand then we can bring in the region of EUR 200m in tax revenues.”

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has not yet set its fees and the bid process is not expected to be launched until later in the year. Nonetheless, countries are positioning themselves early to bid for the event. 

Argentina’s IRB Council Representative Agustin Pichot confirmed in December 2013 that his country would bid for the 2023 event. England player Paul Tait is another longstanding proponent of an Argentinian Rugby World Cup as a way of internationalising the sport.

“With growth comes progress and for international rugby this has seen an increased awareness outside of the traditional strongholds,” Tait wrote on his blog this week. “The landscape will continue to evolve and having Argentina host Rugby World Cup 2023 would contribute to this by directly rewarding excellence and encouraging progress.”

Recent editions of the Rugby World Cup have loosely alternated between Southern and Northern hemispheres. The 2023 edition will follow two northern editions: England 2015 and Japan 2019. 

Whether the IRB will consider a FIFA-style continental rotation policy remains to be seen. The Rugby World Cup is the IRB’s main breadwinner, accounting for more than 90 per cent of revenues. 

And with the IRB investing more than £330m worldwide between 2009 and 2016, a solid financial return from the World Cup will be seen as a major priority to enable the development of the sport internationally – wherever the event is hosted.

Other nations interested in hosting the 2023 World Cup include South Africa, France, Australia and Italy. 

"Enormous prestige"

Speaking to HOST CITY from the IRB’s Dublin headquarters, head of communications Dominic Rumbles said “We are delighted that there is such a strong level of initial interest in hosting Rugby World Cup 2023.”

“To see such interest before the tender process has been launched further underscores the enormous prestige of the Rugby World Cup brand in the global marketplace.”

Explaining why there is such interest, he said: “Increasingly, governments and local agencies are seeing the event as a strong economic, trade, tourism, profile and feel-good platform and a means to inspire young people to get active, which is great.”

This view is backed up by Varadkar. “The most important thing from a government point of view is participation,” he said.

“More people are participating in sport than in the past – it’s around 47 per cent now, which is a big improvement. There are health benefits, psychological benefits and there are social benefits, and that’s why governments get involved in sports.”

Speaking to delegates at a Bandon Rugby Football Club event on Thursday, MEP Sean Kelly said a Rugby World Cup bid is “an opportunity for Ireland and we should do all we can to seize it.

“It could be a hugely historical all-island event, with massive economic and tourism benefits.”

The former president of the Gaelic Athletic Association emphasised the strength of the country’s infrastructure – a key consideration in evaluating bids for major sports events. 

“Ireland has excellent sporting facilities and proven ability to successfully host major sporting events, such as the Special Olympics,” said Kelly. 

“Ireland could easily accommodate the 377,000 or more visitors that the Rugby World Cup would bring to the country.”

The Emir of Qatar has approved the country’s biggest ever national budget, with expenditure on infrastructure scheduled to rise faster this year. 

An unprecedented total annual expenditure of US$60bn, based on projected national revenues of US$62bn, was endorsed on Sunday by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The spending plan for the 2014-2015 fiscal year is up 3.7 per cent on the previous year. 

The increase in expenditure is accounted for by a major ramp-up of infrastructure projects prioritised for national development, which include venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Minister of Finance, His Excellency Ali Sharif Al Emadi, announced that US$24bn has been allocated for key projects. This figure, 16 per cent higher than the US$20bn set aside for such works in the previous fiscal year, represents a major step change in the pace of infrastructure work.

Al Emadi also stated that spending on key projects would reach US$182.35bn over the next five years.

The investment is necessary to start construction of new stadiums for the 2022 World Cup, with work set to begin on stadiums in Al Khor, Al Rayyan, Al Whakra, Khalifa and Lusail. 

Other areas of development include education, health and transportation. Qatar’s new airport was originally due to open in December 2012 but is not expected to start operating until the middle of 2014. 

Manchester City Football Club announced on Monday that ground engineering work on the Etihad Stadium is to begin immediately, with Laing O’Rourke as the construction partner. 

The stadium, owned by Manchester City Council, was originally designed with 41,000 seats for the 2002 Commonwealth Games by ArupSport and built by Laing Construction. After the Games, the athletics track was removed and the seating reconfigured to 48,000 capacity for its tenants, Manchester City Football Club. 

The stadium has been redesigned by sport architecture specialists Populous. The phase of expansion that begins on the South Stand this week will see capacity rise to 54,000 by the summer of 2015.

After hosting matches in the Rugby World Cup, which takes place from 18 September to 31 October 2015, the venue’s North Stand is scheduled for expansion to bring total capacity to 60,000.

“Manchester City Football Club strives to provide its supporters and visiting fans with one of the best possible matchday experiences in the Premier League and European football,” said Tom Glick, Chief Commercial Officer for Manchester City FC. “The success of this is demonstrated by games being sold out and rising demand from supporters for more season tickets, matchday tickets and premium seating.

“Expanding the stadium allows us to grow that offering as we constantly work towards excellence for every supporter that visits the Etihad Stadium.”

Minimal disruption

Realising these ambitious plans through a packed event schedule will be a major challenge. "Our brief from MCFC sought to minimise disruption to supporters during the construction phase of the project," said Mike Trice, project director at Populous, the architectural firm overseeing the expansion. "Early engagement with Laing O'Rourke as MCFC's construction partner has allowed us to develop our strategy to limit disturbance to the fans and the ongoing stadium operation.

"Construction of the upper tier requires new columns to run through the existing structure and concourse areas.  The precise location of these columns was balanced against the size of plant that would be required to sink the foundation piles. Laing were able to quickly evaluate the space and program requirements and the availability of plant whilst we considered the spatial and layout implications.  Through coordination with Laing we have been able to use the same columns to provide temporary support for the existing roof, this will allow it to be kept in place whist the works proceed behind the scenes."

Laing O’Rourke, like Populous, worked on a number of venues for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Steve Coleby, Leader for Laing O’Rourke’s Construction UK business said: “Our team is known for delivering logistically complex engineering work, combining expertise from across the Laing O’Rourke Group and our specialist businesses.

“This, along with our use of the latest digital engineering technologies, will help us to deliver efficiently with minimal disruption during match days, concerts and other events hosted throughout the year.”

The organisers of last year’s World Games, which was held in the Colombian city of Cali, have announced that Rugby Sevens was the event’s most popular sport.

The news is a boost to Rugby Sevens as it prepares to feature in the Olympic Games for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. 

Cali 2013 was Rugby Sevens’ fourth and final appearance in the World Games. The multi-sport event, held in each year that follows the Summer Olympic Games, includes sports that are not currently on the Olympic Programme. 

The largest attendance out of all the sports events was recorded at the final of the Rugby Sevens tournament. 17,950 fans went to the Pascual Guerrero Stadium to watch South Africa and Argentina compete on 2 August. 

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Rugby is excited to be at the top of this list and we are proud that we helped to make the World Games such a popular success.

“As we prepare to introduce Sevens to the Olympic Games summer programme at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, it is encouraging for us that we are proving to be a hit at other multi-sport events, especially given this was also in South America.”

South America is an important growth market for rugby.

The largest crowds of all were recorded for the flagship non-sports events, the opening and closing ceremonies, which each attracted 31,000 spectators.

A total of 408,198 tickets were sold for World Games events, with crowds averaging 76 per cent of venue capacity. The majority of events were virtually sold out, with 64 out of a total 106 events selling more than 97 per cent of tickets.

The next World Games takes place in the Polish city of Wroclaw in 2017.

The first ever Tour Makers for the Tour de France in the UK have been selected, with 12,000 volunteers making it through the application process.

The Tour Makers will be the volunteer force that will welcome millions of visitors when the Tour de France Grand Départ begins in and races around Yorkshire for two days and a third stage from Cambridge to London. 

Official applications have been now completed and almost 12,000 people have been named as successful applicants and will become a Tour Maker. 

 The Tour Maker project is a first in the history of the Tour de France's Grand Départs.

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the agency who led the winning bid to bring the Tour de France to Yorkshire and devised the Tour Maker idea, said: "The response since day one to the Tour Maker project has been unbelievable, with so many people wanting to be directly involved with this historic event.”

Volunteers will be allocated roles by the TDFHub2014Ltd, who are delivering the Tour Maker programme. 

Nicky Roche, chief executive of TdFHUB2014 Ltd, which is managing the Tour Makers, said: “I’m delighted that we now have our 12,000 Tour Makers for Stages 1, 2 and 3. The team look forward to working with them and getting to know them over the next few months as they go through the training process. 

“The standard of applications was incredibly high, and I know that come July we will have a team of incredible, talented Tour Makers ready to welcome the world to the Tour de France in the UK.”

A ranking of cities under threat from natural disasters, “Mind the Risk” by reinsurance company Swiss Re, has placed Tokyo top of the list. 

The International Olympic Committee nonetheless told HOST CITY that it stands by the findings of its Evaluation Commission, which highlighted Tokyo’s “well thought-out proposals for the successful planning and delivery of security operations, which would deliver safe and secure Games.”

Tokyo successfully dispelled safety concerns during its bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Speaking to IOC members during the bid presentation in September, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described Tokyo as “one of the safest cities in the world.”

The IOC on Wednesday reaffirmed its confidence in Tokyo’s ability to respond to potential seismic events. “It goes without saying that we cannot predict natural disasters, but Tokyo is known for having some of the most comprehensive construction practices to help protect buildings against the effects of earthquakes,” an IOC spokesperson told HOST CITY.

“The local authorities are also very well prepared to handle these types of emergency situations and we have complete confidence in them, as the Evaluation Commission noted in its report.”

Matthias Weber, Swiss Re’s Group Chief Underwriting Officer said in the report: “We know from past events that physical prevention measures alone do not suffice to build a resilient city, since damage from the most severe catastrophes cannot be fully averted.

“An important part of resilience is how well urban societies are able to cope with the financial consequences of a disaster, which includes access to the requisite funding for relief, recovery and reconstruction.”

HOST CITY also contacted Tokyo 2020, which was unavailable for comment at time of writing.

Seven of the ten cities found to be at highest risk are in East Asia, due to their combination of high seismic activity and large populations. 

Los Angeles, which is taking steps towards a highly anticipated bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games, has the seventh largest number of people at risk of natural disaster, according to the Swiss Re report.

The AFC Asian Cup draw ceremony took place at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday, attended by His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmad Al Thani, president of the Qatar Football Association (QFA).

Qatar was drawn with Iran, UAE and Bahrain in Group C, while hosts Australia face South Korea, Oman and Kuwait in Group A. 

China was drawn with North Korea, Saudia Arabia and Uzbekistan in Group B. Group D is comprised of Japan, Jordan, Iraq and the AFC Challenge Cup 2014 winners.

On the eve of the draw, Sheikh Hamad confirmed his attendance at the Soccerex Asian Forum.

Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said: “It’s a great honour to welcome Sheikh Hamad to the Asian Forum, with Qatar being an example of the rapid growth of football within Asia; we’re delighted to be able to offer our delegates the opportunity to network and do business with one of the most influential footballing administrators on the planet.”

Re-elected to another four-year term late last year, Sheikh Hamad was at the helm of the association when the country won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

One of the central figures behind the development of the commercial aspect of the game in Asia, Sheikh Hamad oversaw a number of major sponsorship deals for the association as well as the Q-League, including agreements with Qatar Airways, QNB Group and Aamal. 

Soccerex Asian Forum, organized in partnership with the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP), takes place on 13-14 May at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre, situated on the banks of The Dead Sea, Jordan.

For more information about AFC Asia Cup visit the www.afcasiancup.com

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

The official Overlay and Temporary Structures Provider to Glasgow 2014 has revealed that it is working closely with the Organising Committee to design and install more than 230 structures covering an area exceeding 20,800 m2.

As Glasgow 2014’s Exclusive Temporary Seating Provider, the Arena Seating team has been tasked with delivering every single temporary seat at the Games, around 22,000 in total across 10 venues. The seating team will also be installing camera platforms, wheelchair access platforms, press positions and commentator platforms.

Dave Withey, sales and marketing director, Arena UK & Europe, said “We’ve been collaborating closely with the Glasgow 2014 overlay team to design temporary solutions which make the most of each venue, providing the space and infrastructure they require, without permanent construction.”

The temporary infrastructure project that will be finished first is the official merchandise shop in a Glasgow City Centre location. Arena Group will start building this at the beginning of June.

At the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Arena Group will be supplementing the existing 2,000 seats within the venue with an additional 1,700.  Arena Group will face the challenge of creating perfect sight lines for a challenging sloped field of play, using its trademark "clearview" system.

Contours will also be a challenge at the new Cathkin Braes Mountain Bike Trails venue, where Arena Group will be providing VIP seating at the finish line and structures for athletes, officials and security, all designed to fit against the slopes of Cathkin Braes and provide stunning views of the city. 

The clearview system will also be deployed at the Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Centre, where Arena Group will create a temporary seating stadium and Arena Structures will provide the press, sponsor, security and doping tents.

At the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre Precinct (SECC) Arena Group will work with the venue and Glasgow 2014 supplying the seats for Gymnastics, Boxing, Judo, Netball, Wrestling and Weightlifting/Powerlifting.

On the East coast, Arena Group is solely responsible for all temporary seating and structures at the Barry Buddon Shooting Range. Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool, built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, will be kitted out with structures for the security, athletes and officials. 

Scotstoun Sports Campus will host both the Squash and Table Tennis competitions, with Arena Group providing structures to the venue and seating stands for the table tennis and existing squash courts.

Arena Group will also create temporary grandstands across three courts at the new Glasgow National Hockey Centre and provide grandstands and all supporting tentage for the triathlon events at Strathclyde Loch. 

For Glasgow’s Tollcross Swimming Pool, Arena Group has created a bespoke temporary seating system carefully designed to the fit the confines of the venue’s mezzanine level.

“We have a strong legacy of working within the city and neighbouring Edinburgh, and know many of the venues extremely well, such as the SECC where we have a relationship spanning over 20 years. This knowledge and experience has been extremely useful, enabling us to deliver designs quickly and to spec,” said Withey.

“These designs are now almost finalised and we’re looking forward to being back in Glasgow to start the installation. We’re one step closer to helping deliver one of the best Commonwealth Games in history.”