Host City: In the current climate, what kind of events do you think cities and sponsors are most interested in investing in?

Nenad Lalovic: The current climate demands an event that can deliver in a variety of areas that match with a cities or regions current agenda. Promotion of sport as means to a healthy lifestyle, sustainable which is not a burden to a city in the years following an event and a legacy that provides more options and programmes for youth development.

Host City: How does UWW maximise the impact of its own events for stakeholders – the IOC, host cities, sponsors and fans?

Nenad Lalovic: With our new Host City Bidding process, we included a more direct dialogue with host cities while maintaining the existing relationships we have with our National Federations. In doing so it allows us to have the city’s commitment right from the beginning, which creates synergies in finding more sponsors, engaging with fans as well as an event with a legacy.

Host City: Which regions around the world do you see as having the greatest potential for growing wrestling and how can you reach new fans there?

Nenad Lalovic: Asia has a tremendous growth potential for wrestling. Especially, China and India are two markets where we see strong viewership through our livestream and rights holders, and strong future athletes coming up. In addition, Africa and Eastern Europe are also in regions where we have seen steady increase in participation and viewership.

Nenad Lalovic is speaking at Host City 2017 on 28 and 29 November in Glasgow. For more information visit https://unitedworldwrestling.org and www.hostcity.com

New Zealand’s mighty All Blacks may have walked away with the Webb Ellis Cup after beating Australia 34-17 in the final at Twickenham, but there’s no doubting which nation stole the limelight during the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Japan sent shockwaves through the sporting world after a memorable 34-32 victory over South Africa in the Rugby World Cup Pool B encounter in Brighton.

Figures from the world of sport, the media and celebrities could not hide their excitement at Japan’s stunning performance on 19 September, 2015.

England’s World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward called it “the best game ever in World Cup history”. Japanese model and actress Risa Yoshiki tweeted: “And Japan won! I was transfixed from beginning to end! I can’t sleep now! Thank you to the Japanese players!”

Even J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, was locked to her TV screen when the “Brave Blossoms” secured the famous last-gasp victory. She tweeted to her 10 million followers: “#RSAvJPN #RugbyWorldCup You couldn't write this...”

After the 2015 tournament finished, Brett Gosper, the managing director of Rugby World Cup Limited, said: “Possibly the greatest story of 2015 has been the success of the Japanese team. The Japan-South Africa game, I’m sure they’ll make Hollywood films of that one day as they did with Miracle on Ice.

“This has been the most competitive World Cup ever and I think the performance of the Japanese inspired all the other tier two teams so we had the smallest winning margins in World Cup history.

“I’m sure 2019 will break records in some areas but it will be ground-breaking. It will look very different, feel very different and will sound different to any World Cup we have ever had.”

Japan’s victory over the Springboks was one of the most epic finishes in sport, let alone rugby, and it firmly placed Japan on the rugby map. Some might say it was fate, considering their destiny in taking over the Rugby World Cup hosting baton from England.

From Brighton to Yokohama

Two years on from that result in Brighton, Japan is busy preparing to host the Rugby World Cup in 2019 (RWC2019). Starting with the opening game at Tokyo Stadium on 20 September and finishing with the final on 2 November 2019 at Yokohama Stadium, the 2019 Rugby World Cup will feature 20 nations, 12 stadiums, 48 matches and will welcome 400,000 international fans.

As Gosper said, it’s going to be a huge moment in Japan and Asia’s rugby history. Japan will be the first Asian nation to host a Rugby World Cup and the tournament comes 10 years since 2009 when the World Rugby Council voted to award the hosting rights to the Japanese Rugby Football Union (JRFU).

There still may be two years to go until the opening kick-off on September 20, 2019, but this year is a huge one for the RWC2019 organising committee and the JRFU.

So far this year the HSBC Kitakyushu Sevens, the first ever HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series round to be played in Japan, was hosted from April 22-23 and the draw for the RWC2019 pools took place in Kyoto on May 10.

Another major milestone in 2017 was in March when a World Rugby delegation held a week of meetings in Tokyo for its third official review of Rugby World Cup 2019 hosting preparations.

Topics of discussion and plans for 2017 included the pool draw, the launch of the IMPACT Beyond 2019 legacy programme, the selection of the team camps, finalisation of the match schedule, and the announcement of ticketing programme details.

Gosper, who led the World Rugby delegation in March, said: “This is an exciting and important year in the tournament’s lifecycle. Milestones in 2017 will lay the foundation for the successful delivery of RWC2019, including the pool draw, the match schedule announcement and launch of the ticketing programme – these are all major moments that will bring the tournament to life for the teams and fans around the world.

“With an accessible ticketing programme set to be announced later this year, it is important that our friends at the Japan Rugby 2019 organising committee continue to ignite excitement throughout the host cities, who will be central to inspiring people to be a part of a once-in-a-lifetime event that has fan-experience at its core.”

Akira Shimazu, CEO of the 2019 Rugby World Cup organising committee, said: “Hosting this first tournament review meeting of 2017 marks an important phase as we begin to move from planning to delivery. The meetings were detailed, constructive and provided us with an opportunity to outline progress and be guided by World Rugby’s knowledge.

“We are doing our best to deliver a ground-breaking tournament for teams and fans in partnership with our colleagues in the host cities and the Japanese government, who fully support us.”

Refitting of FIFA World Cup venues

From the Sapporo Dome in the north to the Oita Stadium in the south, some venues chosen for the 2019 Rugby World Cup were previously used when Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

“Match venues are being refitted to be suitable for RWC performance,” a spokesperson from the organising committee told Host City. “Some venues have previous experience as FIFA 2002 sites. Others are being renovated or being newly built for the purpose.

“As for the transport links, plans are being made from this fiscal year working with local governments. With regard to the accommodations, we have already secured the necessary capacity for the teams, guests and officials.”

Legacy plans for venues and host cities will also be confirmed later this year. “JRFU and host cities feature in the legacy plan of RWC2019 and they are in the planning process targeting late 2017,” added the spokesperson. “JRFU lead rugby development across the nation with particular focus on the cities and towns that provide a match venues and/or team bases. Twelve host cities aim at making a positive impact on the society in their own context.”

Japan’s biggest event this decade

With rugby in Asia growing year on year, the Rugby World Cup organisers are optimistic that Japan 2019 can emulate the 2015 tournament held in England.

More than 400,000 international visitors are anticipated for the first Rugby World Cup to be held in Asia and strong demand is expected for the 48 matches in the 12 host venues.

Another milestone being achieved this year will be the appointment of the tournament’s official travel agents. The official travel programme for the 2019 Rugby World Cup is aiming to be more successful than England’s 2015 Rugby World Cup where more than 185,000 ticket-inclusive travel packages were sold across 48 matches.

For the 400,000 international rugby fans predicted to visit Japan, plans are in place for the creation of city activities, fan-zones and festivals throughout the tournament.

It’s not just international visitors though that Japan is hoping to attract to the 2019 tournament. With the 12 venues located throughout the length of the country it means that 75% of the Japanese population will live within one hour of a match venue.

According to the organising committee’s tournament vision the impact of hosting Japan’s biggest sporting event this decade will have a major impact for both rugby and the country’s economy. The 2019 nationwide festival of rugby activities will “further the reach and popularity of a sport that has seen an 11 million person increase in its fan-base since Rugby World Cup 2015” and the tournament is expected to deliver an estimated JP¥420 billion (US$3.82 billion) economic impact across the 12 host cities.

Huge IMPACT in Asia

It’s also at the grassroots level where rugby is gearing up to grow across Asia. Launched in May by the JRFU, Asia Rugby and World Rugby, the “IMPACT Beyond” programme pledges to attract, inspire and retain one million new players across the world’s most populous region.

Despite already having 300 million fans and 8.5 million participants in Asia, the IMPACT Beyond programme will aim to make rugby accessible and inclusive to all across Asia and convert a new generation of rugby participants in the region.

Shimazu said: “Japan is preparing to welcome the world. We are committed to Rugby World Cup and we’re aiming to deliver the best yet. It will be a celebration of rugby and of Japanese culture as we will show off the best of our country and our hospitality on a global stage.”

World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont added: “With 75 per cent of the population within an hour of a match venue or host city, everyone is welcome to be a part of what promises to be the biggest-ever festival of rugby in Asia and it is great to see so much interest from cities and prefectures as preparation accelerates within this big year for Rugby World Cup 2019.”

With big plans in place off the pitch in preparation for the 2019 spectacle, the JRFU will also be working hard to make sure the team again gets the results on the pitch when the action starts.

It’s going to take a lot of work to emulate the heroics of 2015, but the Brave Blossoms can take inspiration from the team they spectacular beat in Brighton, South Africa.

“A very inspiring movie called Invictus was made based on South Africa’s winning the 1995 World Cup,” said Shimazu, chief executive of the RWC 2019 organising committee. “Hopefully we can do similarly in 2019 to inspire Invictus II: the Japanese version.”

This article first appeared in the summer 2017 issue of Host City magazine

Host City, the world leading event hosting conference, returns to Glasgow for a third consecutive year on 28 to 29 November 2017.

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at EventScotland and Chairman of Host City 2017, said: “I’m delighted Host City is returning to Glasgow for the third year running.

“I’ve always enjoyed attending the conference and exhibition and not just because they keep choosing to come to one of Scotland’s great cities. 

“I’m always impressed with the high-quality delegates and excellent speakers that attend Host City. The combination of exciting and relevant content means you can really delve into the issues facing the sector, while also creating more meaningful debate. It also allows for greater opportunities to network and make those all-important industry contacts.

“My expectations for this year is an exciting programme of interesting panel discussions, keynote speeches and networking opportunities with high quality delegates from the sporting, cultural and business events sector.”

The conference theme this year is High Impact Events in the Current Climate.

Paul Bush OBE said: “It is an exciting but also a challenging time for hosts of High Impact Events. The recent events in London, Manchester and the rest of the world have again brought security to the fore.

“The current security climate and the rising costs this brings is a major issue for events for all sizes, especially ones of High Impact that attract wide-spread attention and large crowds, so the session on ‘Strategies for hosting safe and accessible events’ is especially pertinent.

“Alongside the challenges there are also great opportunities. The rise in technology means that audiences engage with an event in a whole new and exciting way. The session on ‘How technology can enhance the live experience’ will be particularly apt for events adjusting to this new way of engagement and delivery.

“For High Impact Events in the current climate, dealing with these challenges while harnessing these new opportunities is vital and it’s great to see the conference programme reflecting these current issues.”

There are many benefits to staging Host City conference and exhibition, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events.

Paul Bush said: “The economic impact of any event like this is significant. It is also a fantastic opportunity to showcase Scotland as the perfect stage for events, and for delegates to see first-hand what Glasgow has to offer.

“For us at EventScotland it is also a wonderful opportunity to welcome the international family of the events industry. We have a packed programme of major events taking place in the coming years, including the Glasgow 2018 European Championships, the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships and The 2019 Solheim Cup so it will be great to have some of the world’s foremost event practitioners coming to Glasgow for Host City where we’ll be able to swap ideas and discuss how we manage some of the current challenges whilst making the most of the upcoming opportunities together.

“My other expectation for this year is for a greater opportunity for delegate cross-over between Host City and our own National Events Conference, which takes place the day before Host City.”

The full transcript of a wide-ranging interview with Paul Bush will be published in the Autumn issue of Host City magazine.

The membership of the IOC on Tuesday unanimously approved the proposal to award the hosting rights of both the 2024 and 2028 Games at the next IOC session in Lima in September.

The unprecedented decision means both cities currently bidding for the 2024 Games – Los Angeles and Paris – are set to become Olympic host cities, subject to agreement from the respective cities and national Olympic committees over which city will host which edition.

IOC President Thomas Bach described the IOC decision a "golden opportunity" for all involved.

"We are ready to work with them on this 'win-win-win' approach," said Emmanuel Macron, President of France who attended the IOC session in Lausanne.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said: "I am fully committed with the Paris team to putting all my energy, our creativity and my resolve into reaching an agreement for Paris to experience once again this Olympic adventure that it has been longing for for 100 years."

Prior to this decision, Paris has ruled out hosting the Games in 2028, while Los Angeles had not dismissed this possibility. The city that hosts the 2028 Games is expected to ask for concessions from the IOC.

"In Olympic history there's only been 37 times in which there has been a tie for a gold medal. Maybe today is the 38th," Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti said. "For Los Angeles, it's a golden opportunity, one that we don’t take lightly."

The IOC proposal approved by the IOC membership is as follows: "Recognising the exceptional circumstances and unique opportunities presented by the candidatures of Los Angeles and Paris for the Olympic Games 2024, the International Olympic Committee takes the following decision:

1. To authorise the IOC Executive Board to conclude a tripartite agreement with Los Angeles and Paris and their respective NOCs for the simultaneous election of the host cities of the Olympic Games 2024 and 2028 during the 131st IOC Session in Lima;

2. Should such tripartite agreement be concluded, the 131st IOC Session will ratify the tripartite agreement, thereby electing one city for the Olympic Games 2024 and the other city for the Olympic Games 2028. To that effect, the 130th IOC Session hereby waives the seven-year deadline set out in Rule 33.2 of the Olympic Charter; and

3. Should such tripartite agreement not be concluded, the 131st IOC Session will proceed with the election of the host city 2024 in accordance with the current election procedure."

Earlier in the day, the delegations of Los Angeles 2024, led by Mayor Garcetti, and Paris 2024, led by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, made outstanding and emotional presentations at the 2024 Candidate City Briefing.

"Ensuring the stability of the Olympic Games for 11 years is something extraordinary," the IOC President said later at a press conference with the two mayors and leaders from the two candidatures.

"That is why we say this is a great day for the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement, and it's a great day also for these two wonderful cities, these two great Olympic cities."

“In my role as President of the Ligue Européenne de Natation, it has been a pleasure to enjoy two excellent major aquatics events so far this summer – the European Diving Championships in Kiev, Ukraine, and the European Junior Swimming Championships in Netanya, Israel. And still to come is the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

“It was fantastic to see Kiev host an elite European Championships in Aquatics for the first time. The event was a great success, with sold-out sessions and a great atmosphere.

“Of course, our diving continental showcase will be staged next year within the European Aquatics Championships – part of the Glasgow 2018 multisport European Championships. While co-chairing the most recent Glasgow-Berlin 2018 European Championships Board meeting in June, it was reassuring to hear from the Glasgow organisers that ticket sales are going very well for all sports – not least for our aquatics events.

“Indeed, one of the key objectives for LEN is to develop our disciplines such as swimming, synchronised swimming, open water swimming and diving by reaching out to as wide an audience as possible. Thus it was great to learn that there is such an appetite to watch these disciplines when they take place at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Scotstoun Sports Campus, Loch Lomond and Royal Commonwealth Pool.

“Of course, each stakeholder has some of their own individual objectives, but there is an overriding common vision that we all share: the European Championships as a new generation multisport event for European sports that will be an 11-day celebration staged every four years with a super-charging effect on our participating sports and our athletes.

“Together we are creating a must-watch and must-attend experience that elevates the Champions of Europe. We aspire to unite our sports, the public, athletes, nations; to be diverse in showcasing our sports and demonstrate that being a European Champion is a fantastic achievement; to inspire the next generation of champions and encourage the public to get involved in sport; and to continue the rich tradition of our sports so they have a long-lasting, positive impact on the sporting world-stage.

“In short, it is the ultimate multi-sport event to promote our sports on the continent.

“During our recent aquatics events, I have been speaking with our Member Federations about what a special event the European Championships will be for the athletes, and I have been reassured by the positive response of the aquatics family.

“It is our job to work with the athletes who will be competing in Glasgow to ensure they are aware of the enormity of the event. Now that the Championships are starting to be recognised, I am sure many of our European participants in Budapest will be endorsing the European Championships and giving it their full support.

“Indeed, there are so many special qualities connected to the European Championships. We must remind our sports men and women (important to say we have an almost equal gender split!) that between the participating sports – aquatics, athletics, cycling, golf, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon – there are 450 years of history surrounding our respective European Championships. We need to remind them also that to be the best at something out of a continental population of 750 million people is a pretty special achievement!

“Their achievements will be celebrated not only by the fans attending the events in Glasgow and Berlin but also by those watching on television. Our seven major sports have joined forces based on their existing power to attract broadcast viewers which will be further enhanced by packaging them together.

“One of the most important benefits for our sports is that we will benefit from an enhanced offer from our Broadcast Partner, the European Broadcasting Union – up to 1.3 billion television viewers, with many more viewers across multiple digital platforms.

“With one year to go approaching, we are all working hard to promote the inaugural event in Glasgow and Berlin – two of the most iconic sporting and cultural cities in Europe. The European Federations, the Host Cities, and the EBU are fully focused on achieving collective success, pushing the ground-breaking concept and educating everyone within our own communities and beyond.

“We aim to create an awareness and engagement amongst sports and main eventers across Europe – and we see the enormous power of social media as presenting the biggest opportunity to engage these audiences. We want everyone to share in 'The Moment' – our tagline that celebrates an event that will be the defining moment for European Champions for 2018 and beyond."

Paolo Barelli, LEN (Ligue Européenne de Natation) President and co-chair of the 2018 European Championships Board

[Source: 2018 European Championships]

The owners, organisers and hosts of major events need to keep talking and Host City conferences are playing a crucial role in this process, according to Sir Craig Reedie CBE, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and former Vice President of the International Olympic Committee.

The fourth Host City conference and exhibition – Host City 2017 – takes place in Glasgow on 28 and 29 November. The first Host City Asia conference takes place in Beijing on 18 October.

Sir Craig Reedie said: “Host City is a really good conference involving cities that want to host events. Anything that can be done to put sport and cities together at an early stage is a good idea and I look forward to this happening in Glasgow and Beijing.

“The Glasgow event is getting bigger and bigger each year – that shows that there is a need for it.

“I expect Host City Asia in Beijing will show what a different market is like. China is full of large cities and there are lots of options within the country. For sports that are big in China – badminton for example – there is always a bidder for a major event.

“So, it will be interesting to see what lessons are learned from the Host City event in Beijing; because in the rest of the world it’s a question of encouraging cities to bid.

“Communication is vital in both the bidding phases and the delivery phase. The IOC appear to be looking at changing the Winter Games bidding process going forward, to make that process more comprehensive and start even earlier.

“On occasions costs ended up to be too high and that was the really limiting factor in terms of new bids. The IOC has to understand this and do something about it, to sit down with the cities who are interested well in advance and find out if we can work together.”

Event rights holders including international federations, national Olympic committees, bidding and organising committees comprise a substantial and growing part of the Host City audience.

Sir Craig Reedie has immense experience leading all these types of organisations, from bringing badminton into the Olympic Programme and presiding over the sport’s international federation to chairing the British Olympic Association and the London 2012 bidding and organising committees. Until 2016 he was Vice President of the International Olympic Committee and is currently President of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

A full transcript of the interview with Sir Craig Reedie will be published in the Autumn issue of Host City magazine.

For more information about Host City visit www.hostcity.com

On 28 to 30 June the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission met with the organising committee of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) to visit venues and discuss hosting plans.

The IOC gave a very positive appraisal of Tokyo’s budget, Games infrastructure and ability to reach new audiences.

Budget efficiencies

Earlier this year, Tokyo responded to pressure to minimise the cost of hosting the Games by reducing the budget from US$18.1bn to $12.9bn, comprising US$5.6bn for the organising committee and further expenditure by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Japanese National Government.

During meetings with the Coordination Commission, these organisations affirmed their commitment to work with the IOC to find further opportunities to reduce cost. The Coordination Commission also noted Tokyo’s 2020’s ability to generate revenue.

“Planning is going extremely well; it is exceptionally detailed and precise; and Tokyo’s commercial programme is remarkable,” said IOC Coordination Commission Chair John Coates. “We do not have any concerns about this.

“We continue to work with the Organising Committee, led by President Mori, and all of the local stakeholders to ensure that the Games are a force for good. We encourage our Japanese friends to engage with young people and inspire their citizens, while also identifying additional efficiencies to reduce the overall Games budget.”

New audiences

The IOC said in a statement the Coordination Commission was “impressed with the Japanese host city’s plans to bring the Games to new audiences.”

These efforts include projects to engage the whole country in the build up to the Games and a renewed focus on gender balance, youth and urban events in the sports programme.

“The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will not only inspire the world during 16 days of competition but will bring new audiences to the Games and their values in the lead-up”, said Coates.

“With the support of Tokyo 2020, we recently added 15 events to the Olympic programme, delivering greater gender equality and more of an urban and youth focus, while reducing the overall number of participants. Our discussions this week have highlighted several ways in which this significant step forward will benefit the athletes and allow Tokyo to involve people who might not necessarily have been interested in the Games before.

“The ongoing work on an urban feel in the waterfront zone, pre-Games engagement activities, and Tokyo 2020’s athletes first focus means that we leave Tokyo excited about what the future holds for these Olympic Games.”

Ways of involving Japanese citizens in preparing for the Games include donating old electronic devices to be used to create medals, and participating in a nationwide flag tour.

Games infrastructure

At the Olympic Village, the Coordination Commission members were briefed on the “uniquely Japanese experience” that the athletes will receive in 2020.

The IOC noted that planning and construction for the National Stadium are proceeding on budget and on track for completion in November 2019. At 72,400 sq m, this is Tokyo 2020’s largest competition venue construction project, set to have 3,000 workers on site at the height of construction.

The IOC said “Tokyo 2020 has been able to benefit significantly from the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020. This is reflected not only in the modernisation of the Olympic programme, but also in the ability to help it to invest as efficiently as possible in the organisation of the Games, such as the approximately USD 2.2 billion of savings from the revised construction budget.”

The itinerary included a stop at the downtown Aomi Sports Cluster, where by sport climbing, skateboarding, and Paralympic Football 5-a-side athletes hoping to compete in Tokyo 2020 expressed their excitement at being a part of the Games.

“It was my first visit to the venue site for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” said IFSC Climbing World Championship bronze medallist Akiyo Noguchi. “Today’s visit made me feel that this is becoming a reality, and I am now totally determined. I would love to climb the wall right here three years from now.”

“I have never taken part in a skateboarding contest in a venue this size – the audiences are going to be huge,” said 15 year-old skateboarder Nishimura. “I think it will be a good opportunity to show everyone what kind of sport skateboarding is. I am looking forward to it.”

Responsibility to athletes

Other areas of Games preparations discussed included services to athletes, National Olympic Committees, International Federations, the media and spectators; marketing; and the Paralympic Games.

“We had very productive discussions at the Coordination Commission meetings this week,” said Yoshiro Mori, President of the Tokyo Organising Committee. “I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to the members of the Commission for their valuable advice.

“The young rising athletes who came to meet us on Wednesday at the Aomi Sports Cluster, where their sports events will take place in three years, told us with such excitement about their dreams and expectations for Tokyo 2020. It reminded me of all the other young athletes around the world who are working very hard towards their dreams. I felt once again the importance of my responsibility to them. We will continue to strive to deliver successful Olympic Games, and display the value of sports to the world.”