Beijing - Host City

New President Raffaele Chiulli underlines the value of SportAccord as crucial platform for sport

Raffaele Chiulli is President of: GAISF; SportAccord; the International Powerboating Federation (UIM); and the Association of IOC Recognised International Sport Federations (ARISF). (Photo: GAISF)

[Source: SportAccord] New President Raffaele Chiulli of SportAccord and GAISF hailed the successful Gold Coast edition of SportAccord and the many accomplishments achieved during an action-packed week, was down to the ‘energetic participation’ of everyone involved in the 17th edition of SportAccord. President Chiulli went on to say:

“The success of SportAccord 2019 proves the importance and commitment of our organisation to our stakeholders and members, delegates, exhibitors and partners involved in the sport landscape. SportAccord will continue to adapt to the needs of our delegates and provide a platform that allows us to gather and move forward on the activities and collaborations crucial to the development of our sports, athletes and fans, ensuring a voice for everyone.”

Held in the Oceania region for the first time, SportAccord 2019 followed hot on the heels of the XXI Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast – billed as the Games of Firsts.

The SportAccord Review magazine looks back at some of the many highlights that took place across the event.

Delegates were treated to a traditional Aussie welcome when SportAccord 2019 was officially launched with an Opening Ceremony welcoming a global gathering to include: 1700 delegates from 830+ organisations, including 109 international sports federations, 176 cities and regions, and over 80 nationalities present.

At the annual General Assembly Raffaele Chiulli was unanimously elected as President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) at SportAccord. President Chiulli’s ‘Work Programme’ for GAISF comprises 4 pillars, aimed at addressing the needs of its members and the wider sports movement, and building on the services it offers.

H. E. Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary General of the United Nations, Chairman of the IOC Ethics Commission and Honorary President of 2019 Chungju World Martial Arts Masterships, delivered the Welcome Address at the SportAccord Summit conference, and highlighted the ‘transformative power of sport’ as well as the importance of big data and analytics. Commenting to The Daily, Mr Ban said: “SportAccord can play an important role in solving the problems and developing and promoting a sporting community through Conferences, Summits, Sports Festivals and other events, helping to disseminate the values of sport and a healthy community to people worldwide.”

The SportAccord Summit theme focused on ‘The Future of Big Data and Analytics’ with technology and learning being the key focus this year. Delegates heard how technology can influence ‘the spirit of sport’, and IFs were encouraged to forge brand partnerships and collaborate on big data, this being instrumental in helping to drive fan engagement.

The SportAccord Conference programme saw nearly 100 speakers participating in the event across: the Summit, LawAccord, HealthAccord, CityAccord, and MediaAccord.

Following its debut in Bangkok, the 3-day SportAccord United Through Sports Festival took place in Kurrawa Park in the Gold Coast, and enabled 5,000 children to try around 60 different sports with federations. The United Through Sports Youth Conference highlighted the need to continue to build on the outstanding legacy from Bangkok, with several projects being identified during the SportAccord Sports Festival in the Gold Coast.

The SportAccord event platform was used by World Lacrosse, the global governing body, to unveil its new name, logo and brand. Other exclusives at SportAccord came from: UK Sport confirming London will host the World Skate Street League Skateboarding World Championships and Birmingham will host The World Trampoline Championships in 2023; Gracenote offered its first look at the virtual medal table forecast for Tokyo 2020; and the Commonwealth Games Federation returned to meet representatives from the 2018 Games, to continue to learn from their experiences, in preparation for the best possible Games for Birmingham and the West Midlands.

The organisers of the Gold Coast’s biennial Pan Pacific Masters Games used the SportAccord platform to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the team behind the Kansai 2021 World Masters Games in Japan.

The World Academy of Sport released research findings on the challenges for student-athletes maintaining a dual career; and the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) announced Moscow will host the first University World Powerlifting Championship. IPF also attracted many delegates to their exhibition stand to test their strength, including IF Presidents and dignitaries including H. E. Ban Ki-moon.

At the International World Games Association’s (IWGA) General Assembly during SportAccord, the Chinese city of Chengdu was confirmed as host of The World Games 2025. “By signing a contract with one of the most forward-looking and dynamic cities in China, we have signalled our arrival as a major power in international sport,” IWGA President José Perurena told The Daily.

At other General Assemblies, AIOWF praised the 2026 presentations given by both city candidates, Stockholm-Åre (Sweden) and Milan-Cortina (Italy) via video at SportAccord 2019, and acknowledged the progress being made for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

ASOIF took the opportunity to discuss their recently published report, ‘Vision for the Future of Sports 2019 to 2040’, which sets out 10 recommendations under the themes of governance and entrepreneurialism. ASOIF’s President Francesco Ricci Bitti also advised IFs to use the SportAccord platform to continue discussions with the Tokyo 2020 delegation.

At the AIMS General Assembly, President Stephan Fox’s continuing role as the Alliance’s representative on the GAISF Council was confirmed. Stephan Fox is also the Vice President of GAISF, and a leading supporter of the SportAccord United Through Sports Festival – one of the key highlights of SportAccord.

More high-level meetings took place including the ARISF General Assembly, where President Raffaele Chiulli confirmed the presence of President Bach from the IOC was ‘a very strong sign of his appreciation for what ARISF members are doing’.

Raffaele Chiulli was also confirmed President of SportAccord at its General Assembly.

Looking forwards to future events, in an exclusive interview with iSportconnect, Raffaele Chiulli shared his vision for the expansion of SportAccord into regional saying ‘relevance is the aim’. Regional SportAccord Pan America will take place for the first time, from 10 to 12 December 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

The Pan American sports business event will bring together around 500 delegates from 400 organisations, representing over 30 cities and regions, over 15 industry sectors and more than 40 international and regional sports federations. Event accreditation is priced at USD $1,500 and organisations who would like to take part can register here for Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019.

The 18th edition of SportAccord will return to Beijing, China from 19 – 24 April 2020. The key decision makers in sport will gather at the China National Convention Center for a week of networking and meetings. Organisations can register and take advantage of the myriad opportunities, high-profile events and social occasions being organised for SportAccord Beijing.

To take part in either event, organisations can register online or contact the sales team to become an exhibitor or partner. 

Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord, or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook.

Olympic hosts and global events line up to speak at Host City Asia 2019

Host City Asia takes place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beijing on 11th April

Olympic Games organising committees, Asian cities, international rightsholders and experts are all lining up to speak at the second Host City Asia conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beijing on 11th April.

The conference will once again open with the Beijing Olympic welcome. Other great speakers confirmed so far include:

  • Hiromi Kawamura, Public Relations Secretary, Tokyo Organising Committee of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games
  • Laszlo Vajda, Senior Operations Advisor, Minsk 2019 European Games; Senior Expert, Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
  • Zhao Xiaochun, Director-General of Shanxi Provincial Sports Bureau
  • Kate Han, Producer, Riot Games
  • Li Yidong, Director, Tanggangzi New Town Conference and Exhibition Centre, Anshan
  • Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General, International Association of Horticultural Producers
    (The International Horticultural Expo is set to attract 16 million visitors to Beijing this year)
  • Kelvin Fang, Senior Media & Marketing Manager, FIBA China
  • David De Behr, Head of Global Events, Aggreko
  • James Patterson, Director, MI Associates
  • Li Jiang, Executive Director, Yutang Sports
  • Hailiang Chen, Principal Architect, Wanda Cultural Tourism Planning & Research Institute
  • Daniel Cordey, Chairman, Association of Global Event Suppliers
    ...and many more.

The first Host City Asia conference last May was hailed as a “complete success” and its return to Beijing in 2019 is set to surpass all expectations.

View the agenda and speakers' biographies and register your participation here.

Host City Asia gets faster and stronger in Beijing on 11th April 2019

Host City Asia returns to the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel (Photo: Four Seasons)

Host City Asia returns to Beijing’s luxurious Four Seasons Hotel on 11th April 2019 for an even greater gathering of stakeholders in hosting major sporting and cultural events.

Host City Asia is building on the “complete success” of its 2018 launch, with 200 event owners, hosts, organising committees and experts set to participate under the 2019 conference theme “Faster, Higher, Stronger: Growth through Event Hosting”.

Who attends?

  • International event rights owners
  • Asian event hosts
  • Local Organising Committees
  • Investors, sponsors, suppliers, marketers etc.

Agenda topics include:

  • Impact of AI, big data and blockchain on the events sector
  • Integrating event infrastructure planning into city plans
  • Nurturing your city culture
  • Growing engagement
  • Creating healthier cities
  • Growth through brands

View the full agenda and register your participation here.

Beijing Confirmed as Host City for SportAccord 2020

[Source: SportAccord] SportAccord is delighted to announce Beijing, capital of the People’s Republic of China, as Host City for the 18th edition of SportAccord which is set to take place from 19 – 24 April 2020. One of the six ancient cities in China, Beijing is the nation’s economic, political and cultural centre. It serves as the main transportation hub for Northern China with frequent flights and an excellent infrastructure, making it easy for delegates to reach Beijing.

Mr. Chen Jining, Mayor of Beijing and Executive President of Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games said: “Hosting the 2020 SportAccord Convention will promote the sports development in Beijing and China at large, further Beijing’s exchanges and cooperation with the international sports community, boost the preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and contribute to the development of world sports.

“SportAccord shows its trust for my city by hosting 2020 SportAccord Convention in Beijing. We will fully explore the strengths of the city and deepen cooperation with the SportAccord and International Sports Federations to ensure the Convention is a fruitful event.”

With many high-profile events on the horizon such as the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Beijing is the perfect host city for SportAccord at this time.

Returning to China, Francesco Ricci Bitti, Executive Committee Member of SportAccord commented: “Coming back to Beijing after a period of 12 years is a very exciting prospect for SportAccord and the international sports federations. The global sports landscape has experienced extraordinary change since 2007. Technologies and social media have helped to transform the business of sport and it has never been easier to reach billions of fans – in seconds.”

According to a recent Mintel Report (4 July 2018), China’s sports participation market is fast-growing and estimated to have reached RMB 109.8 billion in 2017, with a year-on-year growth rate of 14.2%. The market is forecast to reach RMB 207.5 billion in 2022.

Ricci Bitti went on to say: “Consumer interest for sport in China continues to grow rapidly. Needless to say, the commercial opportunities in every channel are vast – for stakeholders, fan engagement, media and much more. Hosting SportAccord 2020 in Beijing could not come at a better time.”

A 6-day event, the World Sport & Business Summit is the leading platform for key decision-makers in sport and industry to meet, network and strategically shape global, regional and national agendas.

SportAccord is also host to annual general meetings of key governing bodies including ASOIF, AOIWF, ARISF, AIMS, and GAISF providing unique opportunities for delegates.

SportAccord comprises: a 3-day exhibition; a varied conference programme to include the Summit, CityAccord, LawAccord, MediaAccord and HealthAccord; a Sports Festival; and over 20 key social events, which form part of the SportAccord Official Programme.

IOC approves venues for Tokyo 2020 additional events

Photo: IOC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Executive Board (EB) today approved the venues for the five sports - baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing – that had events approved during the IOC session in Rio de Janeiro this year for the Tokyo 2020 programme only.

These additional events were proposed by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee using the new flexibility given by Olympic Agenda 2020 for host cities to propose events only for their edition of the Games.

The IOC EB agreed to the following venue proposals from the Tokyo 2020 organisers:

The baseball/softball competitions will be held in the Yokohama Stadium (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture), which is one of Japan’s best-loved baseball venues.

Karate will take place at the Nippon Budokan (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), which is already hosting judo in 2020 and, as Japan’s mecca for martial arts, is a legacy venue from the 1964 Games.

Skateboarding and sport climbing will be hosted at the Aomi Urban Sports Venue, which will be a dynamic and innovative temporary facility situated in a spectacular location with Tokyo Bay as a backdrop.

Finally, surfing competitions will be located on Tsurigasaki Beach, which is situated at the southern end of the Kujukuri Beach in Chiba prefecture. The beach is a popular surfing destination and has hosted a number of international and national surfing competitions.

This brings the total number of venues for the Tokyo 2020 Games to 39, including 8 new permanent venues, 22 existing sites and 9 temporary venues, most of which are located in two zones of the city -the Heritage Zone and the Tokyo Bay Zone. These two zones will offer a unique look at Tokyo and Japan to spectators attending the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

In addition to updating the EB on operational matters and the new venues, the Tokyo delegation also spoke about the success of their participation in the Olympic Games Rio 2016, with 300 staff taking part in the observer programmes run by the IOC and IPC; Japan House with its 82,000 visitors; and an acclaimed handover segment. The homecoming parade of Japan’s 87 Rio medallists was also seen by a record 800,000 people on the streets of Tokyo, which underlined further the support of the Japanese people for the Games.

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee made its first presentation to the IOC EB since the “Marvellous Games” came to a close this August. In particular, they spoke about the legacy of the Games with 200,000 passengers per day now using Metro Line 4 and 450,000 being carried on the three new BRT lines built using the Games as a catalyst. In addition, according to reports published after the Games, Rio 2016 also delivered an economic impact of USD 21.66 billion, created 1.79 million jobs and had an important tourism impact with 1.2 million visitors during the Rio Olympic Games, who spent USD 304.1 million.

With 428 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the President of the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee (POCOG), Hee-beom Lee, presented the status of Games preparations in the next Olympic host city. President Lee reported about the large number of activities taking place in PyeongChang this winter, including the World Press Briefing, the World Broadcaster Meeting, the Chef de Mission meeting, the One-Year-to-Go celebrations, the numerous visits by the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs), and the 24 test events that will see some of the world’s best winter athletes take to the snow and ice already this season in the Republic of Korea.

Finally, Beijing 2022 gave an impressive report on their progress, as the Organising Committee takes shape with 176 staff now in place - 50 of whom participated in the Rio 2016 Observer Programme. The Committee underlined the efforts being made to develop winter sports in China and promote the Games. One example of this promotion was the figure shared by the Beijing organisers that last winter, the number of residents practising winter sports in Beijing and Zhangjiakou alone increased by over 30%, reaching 6.8 million people.

Source: International Olympic Committee

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