Major delays to Rio 2016 Olympic Games projects leave no room for further hold-ups, while responsibilities and funding for projects must be clarified to avoid problems in delivering the Games, the IOC said on Friday. 

The Organising Committee president Carlos Nuzman admitted there is “not a minute to lose”.

At the conclusion of the IOC’s Coordination Commission visit, chair Nawal El Moutawakel said “The Rio 2016 Olympic Games have a great potential for being a very exciting event which leaves many legacies. But although progress is being made, each decision that is postponed and each subsequent delay will have a negative impact on delivery – total focus and dedication are therefore required.”

In a strongly-worded public statement, the IOC said “Every second counts… The delivery timelines of some of the venues for test events and the Games have faced delays and now leave no margin for any further slippages.”

Nuzman said “We enter this crucial phase of our journey without a minute to lose, and certain that our partners in government share this vision”.

Rounding up a full day of site visits to the Barra and Deodoro clusters, the Coordination Commission made it clear that decisive action is required to avoid setbacks, saying “A number of important decisions remain to be made.”

A crucial meeting between the federal authorities and key Games stakeholders has been called on 27th March in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, where “it is expected that the responsibilities for each Games related project will be clarified along with the associated funding in order to avoid further significant delays in the delivery of the project.”

The Coordination Commission did, however, acknowledge that the organising committee has made progress in a number of areas since its last visit in September 2013 and IOC President Bach’s visit in February 2014. 

The overall venue masterplan has been finalised, the event’s “lifetime budget” has been validated and federal government efforts have been integrated under President Rousseff’s Chief of Staff, Aloizio Mercadante.

The commission also commended city authorities for rapid progress since taking over responsibility for the second Olympic Park in Deodoro, where construction work has yet to begin.

During its three day tour, the commission received updates from the organisers and their partners in areas such as athletes and National Olympic Committees (NOC) services, sport and international federations’ services, venues and infrastructure, accommodation, media operations, spectators, ticketing, transport, test events, marketing, and the Paralympic Games.

The IOC visit overlapped with a tour of World Cup venues by FIFA officials, who are currently in Brazil. Many 2014 World Cup projects are behind schedule.

The coordination commission’s next visit to Rio de Janeiro takes place in September 2014.

Delays and uncertainty over World Cup stadiums have motivated FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke to make a special visit to Rio de Janeiro  from 24 to 27 March, bringing an early end to a technical tour of host cities that began on Thursday 20 March.

“Any envisaged on-site host city visits will be rescheduled to the next tour planned for the end of April,” said FIFA in a statement. 

Concerned about overlay projects and three unfinished stadiums, Valcke is travelling to Rio de Janeiro for a series of meetings. The visit culminates in a board meeting of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and media briefing at the Maracana Stadium.

“This is the last occasion for the organizers to take stock of the operational preparations before the respective FIFA World Cup installations begin to be implemented in all 12 host cities,” said FIFA.

The LOC is currently taking FIFA’s technical experts on a tour of stadiums in Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Cuiaba, Manaus and Natal – the six venues that did not feature in last year’s Confederations Cup. The tour was due to conclude in Natal on 26th March after a visit to Manaus on 24th March, but these two site visits now look set to be postponed to April.

“This inspection tour will be fundamental to consolidate operational plans and for each area to confirm the operations they have planned over the last few years,” said LOC Stadiums Operations Manager Tiago Paes.

The tour involves LOC and FIFA representatives from the areas of competition, press operations, broadcasting, protocol, communications, IT, spectator services, security, medical services, transport, catering, volunteers, hospitality and stadiums operations.

FIFA had originally requested that all venues be finished by December 2013, but three remain under construction. Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo and Curitiba's Arena da Baixada are now unlikely to be finished until the middle of May – just a month before the opening match in Sao Paulo. Cuaiba’s Arena Pantanal is due to open in April. 

The pitch at Manaus is also undergoing emergency repairs after the turf was damaged by excessive use of fertilizer. Manaus hosts England and Italy’s first World Cup fixture.

Valcke has reportedly voiced concerns about responsibility for temporary infrastructure. Local newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo said Valcke is concerned that some cities are refusing to pay for temporary items such as security equipment and temporary structures for media, volunteers and sponsors, causing delays to overlay works.

A secret report by the Brazilian government specifies security risks in half of Brazil’s 12 host cities. 

The concerns outlined in the report, which is based on consultation with members of the public and was leaked to O Globo, include the risk of strikes and protest.

Rio de Janeiro suffers from “a difficult relationship between public authorities and society”, the report says. And in Sao Paulo, a “potential problem” identified is a $25m budget cut for the military police.

The government is also concerned that civil servants could strike in Belo Horizonte, which might “fuel protests”.  In the northeast, unrest between farm workers and indigenous groups is mentioned as another area of concern. 

The report also says “opposition parties are attempting to wreck the image” of the Governor of Brasilia, Agnelo Queiroz. Concerns are also raised over the safety of teams and visitors, according to O Globo.

President Dilma Rousseff’s office described the report as preliminary and inconclusive, saying that the information published in O Globo was neither official nor verified. 

Brazil’s sports minister Aldo Rebelo has also played down such concerns. "The possibility of protest during the World Cup is very limited,” he told The Guardian on Monday. 

“People are more interested in celebrating the World Cup. Peaceful protests are protected by the constitution. Violent protests are forbidden by law and they are matters for the police to deal with."

Nonetheless, Brazilian authorities will be keen to pre-empt and avoid any potential for further civil unrest, in the wake of the striking and protesting that took place in several cities during last year’s Confederations Cup.

Security concerns are also highlighted by the announcement earlier this week that Brazil is to establish “no fly zones” of a 7km radius over each stadium on World Cup match days, despite major disruption to travel.

The Qatari government is set to sign up to $50bn in infrastructure contracts over the course of 2014, according to Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud al-Thani. This represents a massive escalation in construction activity as the 2022 FIFA World Cup draws nearer.

The contracts will include transport and energy projects. A tender for phase one of the Doha Metro has already been issued, according to unnamed sources speaking to Reuters, with a contract expected to be signed by the end of August. 

The $50bn figure, announced by Sheikh Al-Thani at the Qatar Projects 2014 show organised by Meed Events, significantly exceeds previous estimates. Speaking a month before the event, Edmund O’ Sullivan, the chairman of Meed Events said contract awards for big infrastructure projects in Qatar in 2014 were “likely to hit $24bn”.

The recent upturn in spending follows a slow start to the world’s biggest infrastructure project. 

According to Reuters, state spending rose by just 2.2 per cent in the year up to March 2013, while a government report projects state spending to rise by 11.6 per cent in 2014.

"Even with Qatar's means and ambitions, the resources of time, space and human capital are not endless, especially when concentrated on a mere 10 per cent of its soil,” Tilman Engel, managing director of Sport Business Consulting International told HOST CITY. 

Engel advised and directed the Qatar professional football league from 2007 to 2009, during their process of reorganisation and professionalisation in line with AFC and FIFA directives. “Given the enormity of both the World Cup and the National Vision 2030, it is no day too soon for Qatar to launch the projects key to make both visions work."

Infrastructure projects in Qatar accelerated over the course of 2013, overtaking the UAE midway through the year with $12.2bn of contracts awarded, said O’Sullivan. “The bulk… came from the multi-billion-dollar tunnelling packages awarded as part of the Doha metro project.”

On winning the host city election for the 2022 World Cup in 2010, Qatar stated that it would spend $140bn on civic and sporting infrastructure. This figure was soon upgraded, with a report by Deloitte in September 2013 stating that Qatar plans to spend $140bn over the next five years on transport alone.

$200bn is due to be spent over the next 10 years on construction. A further $20bn is to be spent on tourism infrastructure to prepare for the influx of football fans, the Deloitte report said. Since then, an investment of $45bn into tourism by 2030 has been announced.

Five cities have submitted their application files for the Winter Olympic Games by the deadline of Friday 14 March. The IOC Executive Board has until 9 July to select the successful candidate cities.

While safety concerns have exerted a major influence on recent hosting decisions, individuality will the critical factor for future host cities, IOC Executive Board member Prof. Dr. Ugur Erdener told HOST CITY.

The pool of applicants – Krakow, Oslo and Almaty, Lviv and Beijing – presents a strong emphasis on growth markets, with only one Western European city and none from America. This is particularly notable given that the 2022 Winter Olympic Games will be preceded by two editions in new territories.

“There was a very successful organisation in Sochi and everybody was very happy being there,” Erdener told HOST CITY. “It was one of the very best Olympic Games organised. The next Winter Games will be held in PyeongChang, and now we have potential candidates from Europe and Asia again.

“We will have to see their applicant files, their projects and some of their explanations and then we can have some ideas. At the moment we don’t have any idea of the projects details, budget et cetera.”

Under the new leadership of Dr Thomas Bach and his revitalised top table, the IOC is keen to uphold the value of its flagship events. “The Olympic Games is the top priority for the IOC and the Olympic Movement,” Erdener said.

However, this does not necessarily give an established, known host like Oslo an advantage. The IOC will always be interested in something new to promote.

“It should be a unique activity; it is very important that all Winter, Summer and Youth Olympic Games should be unique – this is very important for the IOC,” said Erdener. 

“We have to be more attractive, especially for TV – because TV is the most important factor for all kinds of sports facilities, especially for the Olympic Games.”

As President of the Turkish Olympic Committee, Erdener led Istanbul’s bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. “I congratulated my friends in the Tokyo team; it was a very fair competition and there was only one place for the winner for 2020.

“After having seen some delays in Rio 2016 project, probably some of our colleagues thought that a safe city would be better. As we all know, still there are some discussions about Rio project.”

IOC members will vote for the host city of the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games during the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur on 31 July 2015.

Prof. Dr. Erdener is also president of the World Archery Federation and president of the Organising Committee for SportAccord Convention, which takes place in Belek, Turkey from 6-10 April.

For the full exclusive interview with Prof. Dr. Erdener, register for HOST CITY and make sure you get the next issue.

Team SA is hoping to make a historic impact at Glasgow 2014. 

“As a nation, we are proud that on the five occasions that South Africa has competed to the Commonwealth Games since democracy, the medal tally has been very impressive,” said Tubby Reddy CEO of South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC).

“The 2014 Commonwealth Games are no exception; we hope to win more medals as our athletes compete with the spirit of Tata Madiba in mind, that of a winning nation and empowering themselves through sport.”

2014 is a big year for Glasgow and also for South Africa, which is celebrating 20 years since the end of apartheid and its return to the Commonwealth Games in 1994.

South Africa competed at 11 of the 19 Commonwealth Games, from the original Games in 1930 to 1958. South Africa then withdrew from the British Commonwealth because of apartheid, but was later re-admitted and participated in the Games in 1994 – the year of Nelson Mandela’s election.

“We would like firstly to take part in the Commonwealth Games,” Mandela said shortly after his inauguration, and Team SA did indeed attend the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games and each edition thereafter.

“All credit goes to the late Madiba’s uniting spirit who believed sports can unite the world and redefine a country’s international image,” said SASCOC in a statement. “Sport’s power to change lives and move nations is often overstated and whilst imprisoned, Madiba supported international sports.”

Freedom of Glasgow

Nelson Mandela had a strong connection with Glasgow. In 1981, during his long period of imprisonment, Glasgow Council awarded Mandela the Freedom of the City. Some years after his release Mandela travelled to Glasgow to thank the city, saying "While we were physically denied our freedom in the country of our birth, a city 6,000 miles away, and as renowned as Glasgow, refused to accept the legitimacy of the apartheid system, and declared us to be free."

Speaking to HOST CITY on Friday, Glasgow's Lord Provost Sadie Docherty said: "Glasgow is extremely proud to be part of the Nelson Mandela story. We were proud to be the first city in the world to honour him with a Freedom of the City award Nelson Mandela was a true political and moral icon. His lifelong quest to bring freedom, justice and equality to the people of South Africa cost him his own freedom for many years. The participation of the South African team in the Commonwealth Games is part of his legacy and I have no doubt the South African team will want to dedicate their performance to his memory."

The Commonwealth Games South Africa Chef De Mission, Patience Shikwambana attended the Chef De Mission Seminar in Glasgow from 28 January – 01 February. “The Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) is on track in their preparations for the Games. We visited some of the training facilities and competition venue facilities and they are of world class standard and it’s pleasing to note that our athletes should be happy to participate in such top of the range facilities.”

At the conclusion of SPORTELAsia on Wednesday, the organisers announced a 12 per cent increase in the number of registered participants as compared to 2013. A total of 603 participants, representing 299 companies of 42 countries, participated in the 2014 Asian Convention.

Ms. Amparo Di Fede, General Manager of SPORTEL said “All participants are extremely satisfied of the high quality and number of exhibitors, especially Asian. Among the new ones were SMIT, Kosmogo, LETV, PPTV, Super Sport Media and Slam Ball.

“The loyalty of the global sports media community has grown strongly over the years and shows that SPORTEL continues to be their ‘must attend’ event".

The conference and panel programme was organised in collaboration with Sports Video Group and TV Sports Markets. A symposium was hosted in partnership with local agency Oceans Marketing entitled "Insight into the Chinese Sports Media Industry".

The next SPORTEL spring convention will return to Miami, where it was hosted in 2011. "Our community has anticipated and clearly chosen America for their next spring convention. SPORTELAmerica will once again welcome the international sports media community from 17 to 19 March 2015, at the JW Marriott in Miami, Florida."

The next SPORTEL event will be the 25th anniversary of SPORTELMonaco.  “The constant success of SPORTELMonaco conventions looks back on 25 years of dedication to our industry and to you, the SPORTEL community that has shared the same dedication and loyalty to us. We very much look forward to welcoming you once again in Monaco from Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 october 2014.”

Registration for SPORTELMonaco opens on 2 April 2014.

[Source: Identity] Identity has established Australian operations, completing the global experience agency's major projects footprint across UK and Europe, the US, Middle East and Australia. The agency can now deliver major sporting events, expos, business conferences and cultural activations seamlessly east to west, with local expertise backed by global infrastructure in every market.

Identity has acquired EPG, the Queensland-based major projects specialists, to establish its Australian presence. Led by Andrew Sharp and Jake Benson, EPG brings an exceptional track record in major sporting events, expos, business conferences and cultural activations delivered globally.

EPG retains its name, brand identity and operational autonomy as "An Identity Company," operating from its Queensland headquarters. Andrew Sharp and Jake Benson join Simon Dunnell's major projects leadership team, bringing decades of experience delivering complex, high-stakes projects across sport, business, culture and expos worldwide.

The move strengthens Identity's capability in Australia, combining EPG's proven local expertise with Identity's global creative teams, operational infrastructure and specialist sub-brands. This enables the agency to deliver more ambitious, impactful major projects at scale across the region whilst enhancing Identity's capability globally.

"This represents a significant strengthening of our global major projects capability," said Simon Dunnell, Director of Major Projects at Identity. "Andrew and Jake have built an exceptional business with deep expertise in sporting events, expos, business activations and cultural projects delivered worldwide. Their capability enhances our delivery across existing operations in the UK, US and Middle East, whilst establishing our presence in Australia. This isn't about adding a logo to our portfolio - it's about genuine capability expansion backed by proven expertise."

"The Golden Age of Experience is happening on every continent, and we're delighted we can now deliver on four of them," said Michael Gietzen, Group CEO of Identity. "Our clients demand world-class experiences regardless of where they're activating. With major projects teams across Europe, North America, the Middle East and now Australia, we can deliver seamlessly around the world - local expertise backed by global resources, 24 hours a day."

"We're thrilled to join the Identity family," said Andrew Sharp, Director, EPG. "Our clients will continue working with the same EPG team they trust, whilst gaining access to significantly enhanced capabilities. Major projects deserve major resources and local expertise - now we can strengthen our delivery of both. Whether it's a major sporting event, an expo, a multinational business conference, or a large-scale cultural activation anywhere in the world, we can deliver even greater creative excellence and operational rigour."

Europe’s most innovative and impactful event partnerships took centre stage last night at the 2026 European Sponsorship Awards (ESA), where festivals, races, cultural spectacles, and sports events were among the winners celebrated for their ground-breaking collaborations. In front of a packed audience of 600 at London’s The Brewery, the awards recognised the power of partnerships - from music festivals and charity races to marathons, cultural celebrations, and sports spectacles.

Winning event partnerships The 2026 ESA Awards shone a spotlight on events of all kinds, proving that sponsorship can elevate experiences across every sector: Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon 2025 (Ireland) was crowned Event of the Year, proving that mass-participation events can drive both community engagement and commercial success. Gjensidige’s The Breathing Space (Norway) claimed the Festival Sponsorship award, demonstrating how brands can turn festivals into immersive, socially impactful experiences. The Pfizer Cycle 2025 (Ireland), co-organised by Titan Sports, won Best Employee Engagement, showcasing how a charity cycling event can drive internal engagement while supporting a global cause.

Sustainability and social purpose take centre stage The awards particularly celebrated partnerships that prioritise purpose and sustainability. The Irish Times Ireland’s Greenest Places, in partnership with Electric Ireland, won Environmentally Sustainable Sponsorship, setting a benchmark for eco-conscious events. This award was presented by Andrew Hodson of Wasserman Live. Sparebank 1 Østlandet and Retail Factory’s The Entry Room claimed Sponsorship with a Social Purpose, proving that events can drive meaningful change in their communities. Cairn Community Games won the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Sponsorship award, showing how local events can champion inclusivity. Canon & RNIB’s World Unseen took home ESA Sponsorship of the Year and Arts & Culture Sponsorship, making photography accessible to blind people and proving that event sponsorships can drive both business and social impact. Culture and entertainment shines RTÉ’s The Traitors dominated the TV and entertainment space, with sponsors Centra and Very winning awards for their creative activations, proving how TV events can become cultural phenomena through smart partnerships.

Tommy Hilfiger and F1: The Movie received the Chair’s Award for "disruptive brilliance", blending fashion, film, and motorsport in a way that redefined cross-sector collaboration. Guinness secured a triple win, including ESA Best of Europe for Lovely Summer for a Guinness, showing how beer brands can own both sports and cultural moments. “Heartfelt, spirited debate” Hosted by England rugby legend and diversity advocate Ugo Monye, the 18th annual ESA Awards celebrated 26 categories of sponsorship excellence. MSQ Sport + Entertainment was named Agency of the Year, while Oak View Group won Rights Holder of the Year for the first time. “The standard was higher than ever,” said ESA Awards Chair of Judges, Matthew Leopold. “More than a few categories came down to the sort of margin that made the judges re-check their notes and engage in heartfelt, spirited debate.”

When the Australian state of Victoria pulled out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games in 2023, citing cost concerns, the future of the mega multisport event was thrown into jeopardy – until Scotland and Glasgow intervened to keep it alive.

“The reason there was no host, frankly, was because the Games had become unaffordable,” said Ian Reid, Chair of Commonwealth Sport Scotland.

When considering stepping in to host the Games, the challenge – and opportunity – was to create a feasible model of delivery, he said, speaking at an exclusive event at Edinburgh Castle on 29 January 2026 to celebrate Scotland’s hosting of the Games.

“We thought not just about bring the Games to Scotland, but can we leave a legacy for Commonwealth Sport in terms of how the Games are delivered.”

“The world needs more partnership”
The Commonwealth Games in 2026 will feature an electrifying, but reduced, programme of sports events with participants from 74 nations and territories.

“Glasgow 2026 will be a different Games in terms of what we experienced in 2014, a revised and a developed model to make it sustainable for the future,” said John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland.

“It is about respecting what has come before and embracing the excitement of what lies ahead… but above all else, cherishing what is strong about the Commonwealth, which is friendship, partnership and shared ambition.

“The world needs an awful lot more partnership and cooperation at this moment, so let Glasgow be the focal point for so much of that in the course of this summer.”

For Commonwealth Sport, the rightsholder of the event, Scotland has not just saved the day but the future of the movement.

“We're deeply grateful because what Glasgow is delivering is not simply a plan for 2026; it's a signal for the Commonwealth, a signal that the Games can be reimagined, more flexible, more sustainable and more inclusive, without losing the ambition and meaning of the Games,” said Helen Phillips MBE, Vice President of Commonwealth Sport.

“And thanks to everybody's efforts, we now have a real momentum across the Commonwealth Sport movement, with Malta hosting the 2027 Youth Games, the city of Ahmedabad in India hosting our Centenary Games in 2030. And beyond that, there's an incredible strong interest emerging for 2034 and 2038 and other Youth Games.”

“On track to deliver”
Despite having to organise the Games in such a compressed timeframe – less than two years – the project remains on schedule.

“I am pleased to say we remain on track to deliver these Games on time and within the overall budget,” said George Black, Chair of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Company.

“But we're now 175 days to go, and the pace has picked up, and it needs to. We need to ensure the athlete and spectator experience are positive and be reassured that transport plans are robust and that C3 contingency arrangements proportionate.”

The success of the event delivery is very much a team effort, and there are still opportunities to play a part in making it a success.

“We are open arms to anyone who wants to help us make this event altogether brilliant,” said Phil Batty, CEO of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Company.

“Major events have a magical power to bring people together,” he said. “And the idea that we're going to have over the course of 11 days, one of those moments where you see smiles, you see joy, you see energy and you see electricity created by the act that one single athlete can do on the field of play is just phenomenal. It's exactly what we need right now.”

“We want to be trailblazers”
“The most important thing is that we have an event for our athletes,” said Reid. “The main reason we did this at Commonwealth Games Scotland is because we know how much it means to them.”

“Glasgow standing up and being brave matches the Scottish culture and how we play as athletes: we want to be trailblazers,” said netballer Emily Nichol.

Glasgow 2026 will have the largest parasport programme in the history of the Commonwealth Games.

“Growing up I was very inspired through Ellie Simmonds,” said Para powerlifter Finlay Davidson. “To feel like I'm slowly reaching that level, and now inspiring another generation, is just amazing.”