Gilbert Felli, the IOC Olympic Games executive director and Jérôme Valcke, the General Secretary of FIFA, are to share the stage with other major figures in sports events to discuss the legacy of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. 

The conference, which is hosted by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), takes place in French on 6 May at the Expo Beaulieu Lausanne. Other speakers include CIES director and IOC member Denis Oswald, lawyer and former IOC executive director François Carrard and sports architect Miranda Kiuri. 

The meeting comes at a time when both Valcke and Felli have been closely scrutinising the progress of the FIFA 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Both events are experiencing serious delays that have threatened to impact the successful delivery of Brazil’s mega-sports events. Any problems in event delivery would reflect badly on the host nation and have a knock-on effect on legacy plans. 

“The results of such major sporting events are never guaranteed and therefore the legacy is always a theme of discussion, notably because of the costs incurred,” the CIES said in a news release on Thursday. 

“It is true that some countries have been able to deal with legacy better than others and for this reason CIES has decided to host this round table and gather experts just before the FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. This conference will allow everyone to better understand this challenge and its related issues, as well as the real legacy to these two major Brazilian competitions.

More information about the event  is available at http://www.cies.ch/cies/agenda/

Moscow’s urban systems could cope with hosting an event on the scale of the FIFA World Cup “tomorrow”,  Sergei Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow said on Saturday in an interview with TV channel Moscow 24. He also said that football infrastructure will need to be fully modernised before the city is ready to host.

The Mayor’s comments come just a few days after the revelation from his office, City Hall, that Moscow will spend US$8.1bn on preparing for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This figure was four times as much as the US$2bn that the city’s top sports official Alexey Vorobyov said earlier in April would be spent on sporting and transport infrastructure.

The largest proportion of City Hall’s revised budget will be allocated to urban infrastructure indirectly associated with the event. Two thirds of the budget will go towards transport upgrades in Moscow, which currently experiences some of the heaviest traffic in the world. 

Eleven per cent of the spending will be spent on sports facilities, including the major task of redeveloping Luzhniki Stadium, which is Moscow’s biggest sporting infrastructure project. 

"The works are fully under way," said Sobyanin. “At the same time, training fields are being built and football infrastructure will become modern by then."

Sobyanin confirmed that the new Otkrytie, or Spartak stadium will open this year, along with a new Spartak metro station. He also said the number of hotel rooms in Moscow is growing by 1,000 each year.

The successful hosting of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2013 is evidence of Moscow’s capacity to host mega events, he said. “In terms of number of teams this is the second most spectacular event after the Olympics."

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has confirmed that the size of the host nation is a factor in the decision to consider reducing the number of host venues to as few as eight.

“The process of selecting the final proposed line-up of host venues is ongoing in consultation with FIFA,” the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy said in a statement. 

“Given the size of our country, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee decided to look into reducing the originally proposed 12 venues to fit the country’s specifications while ensuring best playing conditions for all 64 matches. "

The statement reiterated the fact that eight is the minimum of number of stadiums generally requested by FIFA for a World Cup.

“The 2022 Local Organising Committee will submit by December 2014 a proposal for an appropriate number of host venues, whilst ensuring a suitable legacy for the country and the national league after the tournament. The approval of the final number of stadiums is envisaged by the FIFA Executive Committee by March 2015.”

Fans holding tickets for the World Cup in Brazil are being encouraged to offset the carbon emissions caused by their travel to the tournament.

A programme launched by FIFA on Thursday allows successful ticket applicants to sign up on a carbon offsetting page on FIFA.com, where they can enter a prize draw to win two tickets for the World Cup final.

FIFA is bearing the cost of the carbon offsetting; all that is required is a FIFA.com Club account and a successful ticket request reference ID.

The owner of the flagship event of the world's most popular sport will be keen to generate a positive legacy, given the problems Brazil is encountering in the construction and delivery phases.

“FIFA takes its environmental responsibility very seriously," said Federico Addiechi, FIFA’s head of corporate social responsibility.

"As part of our two-fold strategy with the non-profit carbon management programme BP Target Neutral, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee will offset 100 per cent of their own operational emissions and through the campaign launched today, we are encouraging fans to neutralise the carbon emissions resulting from their travel to Brazil.

“At the same time we use the FIFA World Cup as an opportunity to engage with millions of people and raise awareness of the environmental impact of our journeys and the ways to mitigate it.”

In a press release, FIFA acknowledged that “staging a tournament of this scale inevitably has an impact on the environment. Offsetting is one way of limiting this impact.”

The programme is supported by Cafu, the world’s only player to have appeared in three World Cup finals. “It just makes sense”, he said. “Supporting your team and supporting low carbon development in Brazil at the same time is a win-win for all. I am offsetting my travels related to the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 and encouraging everyone to do the same. It’s really easy to do and only takes a minute”.

The emissions will be offset through a portfolio of low carbon projects in Brazil, chosen by BP Target Neutral. 

“Each project is selected through a rigorous tender process and adhering to the standards set by the International Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Alliance with final selection made by an independent panel of environmental NGOs. The list of the exact offsetting projects selected, all of which result in social and economic benefits to local Brazilian communities, will be announced in June,” says FIFA.

As Qatar’s preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup enter the construction phase, the World Stadium Congress brings architects, solutions providers and stadium operations consultants to Doha on 19th May 2014. 

This year’s World Stadium Congress, organised by IQPC, will focus on stadium design, sustainability and construction challenges. 

ASTAD Project Management's H.E. Ali Bin Nasser Al Khalifa and SPOR SANAYI's Yasar Meral will open the first day of the conference with keynotes on world-class sporting infrastructure. 

H.E. Ali Bin Nasser will provide an insight into the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup in Qatar in a session titled "Delivering world-class infrastructure to support Qatar 2022."

“Exceptional project management will play a critical role in the delivering a memorable mega-event," said H.E. Ali Bin Nasser. 

"We will draw from ASTAD's significant experience building sports facilities in Qatar, but it is also important for senior stakeholders within the industry to share their expertise and knowledge so that we may identify solutions to common challenges and ensure continuous improvement in design and construction."

Tariq Al Abudulla, General Manager of the Qatar Olympic Academy and Head of Technical Affairs at the Qatar Olympic Committee, will follow with a keynote address on Day Two, laying out the Qatar Olympic Academy's unique Sport Venue Management programme.

Other speakers include Jon Sellins, head of business development consultancy at Wembley Stadium, who will draw from the Champions League Final 2013 to convey best practices in hosting and facilitating major sporting events.

Sustainability is the keyword at this year's conference. "It is important to us that the lasting impact of our stadiums on the community is a positive one," said Diogo Taddei, architecture manager at AECOM, Brazil. 

"In designing the sporting and non-competition facilities for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, we took Rio's and Brazil's sporting ambitions into account and focused on the provision of a cost-efficient design for permanent and temporary venues. The legacy conversion plan cannot be overlooked."

Dan Meis, global director of sport at Woods Bagot, will also discuss stadium legacy and community integration, showcasing AS Roma's new €700m stadium as a mixed-use sports and entertainment destination.

"Given the number of stadiums that are being contemplated for the region, it is very important to discuss how we can ensure that these venues continue to benefit the community beyond the tournaments for which they were built," he said.

The congress will also feature panels, case studies and roundtable discussions. Meis, Taddei, Mark Fenwick of RFA Irribarren Architects, and Markus Pfisterer, director of GMP Architekten, will sit on a panel on trends in stadium design. 

J Parrish, Director of Global Sports, AECOM, UK, event chair Paul Hyett of HKS Architects will also feature in roundtable discussions, along with representatives from Honeywell and Grundfos.

This year’s World Stadium Congress will host a financial perspective for the first time. Nermine Nassif Girgis Ishak, Head of Corporate Banking at Al Khaliji Commercial Bank will deliver a talk entitled "Financing growth and capitalising on development opportunities," an examination of opportunities in the Qatar projects market for local and international players.

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy has awarded HBK Contracting Company the enabling works contract for Al Wakrah stadium, the first proposed host venue to be delivered ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The contract was awarded through a tender process designed to attract Qatari contractors with local knowledge and proven capability in delivering the required services, as part of the Supreme Committee’s legacy initiative to develop the private sector.

The enabling works phase begins in May and is due for completion by around March 2015. During this period, HBK will deliver bulk earthworks including site clearance, excavation and disposal, fill, as well as underground services and stadium foundations. The foundation works will be marked by a ceremony in September.

The main construction company for the stadium will be announced at the end of 2014. The successful candidate for this tender will partner with a local business, in line with the Supreme Committee’s effort to boost the expansion of the Qatar economy.

“We are excited to announce the next stage of works for Al Wakrah Stadium and look forward to continued progress on the ground this year,” said Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. “The stadium and surrounding precinct will leave a social legacy in Al Wakrah and by appointing HBK, a Qatari company, we aim to also contribute to the economic legacy of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.”

H.E. Sheikh Ali Bin Hamad K. Al-Thani, President of HBK, said: “We are honoured and excited to be appointed by the Supreme Committee as the contractor for this critical first phase of works on the road to the FIFA World Cup in 2022, and look forward to working closely with all stakeholders to help build the first World Cup in the Middle East and achieve our country’s ambitions.  We thank the Supreme Committee for giving us this opportunity to be involved in this most celebrated journey.”

The 40,000-seat stadium, future home of Al Wakrah Sports Club, was the first of Qatar’s FIFA World Cup proposed venues to be revealed. The stadium will be surrounded by approximately 560,000 m2 (60-hectare) of legacy precinct with a new sports centre and community hub. The precinct will deliver a range of community facilities, including a park, mosque, school, hotel, wedding hall, vocational training centre and retail outlets. 

Following the tournament, the stadium’s capacity will be reduced to 20,000 with the extra modular seats removed, re-configured and donated to countries in need of sporting infrastructure, in consultation with FIFA and the continental football confederations.

After an initial inspection during the tendering process of the facility where the HBK workers on the Al Wakrah project will be housed, HBK confirmed their commitment to adhere to the Supreme Committee's Workers’ Welfare Standards, working closely with representatives of the Workers’ Welfare Committee to ensure that the health, safety and dignity of workers on the project are further protected.

Farah Al-Muftah, Chairwoman of the Workers’ Welfare Committee, said: “We started a dialogue with HBK on our expectation for workers welfare during the tendering process and we are encouraged by the company’s commitment to creating a healthy and safe environment for workers on the Al Wakrah Stadium project.”

FIFA has sent bidding documents to 31 member associations that have declared their interest in hosting eight tournaments. 

The relevant member associations now have to sign and return the documents before the FIFA Executive Committee begins the process of assigning the hosting rights.

The available events include the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup, the 2018 U-17 Women’s World Cup and the 2015-2019 Club World Cups. An unprecedented 12 countries have put themselves forward for the 2017 Beach Soccer World Cup.

FIFA has made it clear that it would prefer the 2019 Women’s World Cup and the 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup to take place in the same country. Four countries have put themselves forward for these two events, namely England, France, Korea Republic, New Zealand and South Africa. 

South Africa has also declared an interest in the 2019 Women’s World Cup, hopeful that its hosting of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2016 will enable it to qualify to host the 2019 Women’s World Cup. 

For the 2018 U-17 Women’s World Cup, FIFA has received five declarations of interest, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Finland, Northern Ireland and Sweden. 

The deadline for submitting the hosting agreement together with all the signed bidding documents for all of the women’s events is 31 October 2014. The election of the host nations is scheduled to take place at the first FIFA Executive Committee meeting in 2015.

The 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup has attracted a particularly large pool of associations, with 12 countries hoping to host the tournament: Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, UAE and USA. 

All bidding and hosting documents for the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup must be signed and submitted by 1 October 2014. The FIFA Executive Committee will appoint the host at its meeting in December 2014.

FIFA has also opened the bidding process for four editions of the FIFA Club World Cup. India and Japan have put themselves forward for the tournament in 2015 and 2016, while Brazil, Japan and UAE are aiming for 2017 and 2018. 

The deadline for submitting the bidding documents is 25 August 2014 and the host will be selected by the Executive Committee in September 2014.

“FIFA is delighted to see the impressive interest from its member associations in hosting a FIFA competition,” football’s world governing body said in a statement.

The number of stadiums that will feature in the 2022 World Cup still hangs in the balance and will not be finalised until next year, according to Nasser Al Khater, executive director for marketing at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

It has been widely reported that Qatar plans to drastically scale down its ambitious venue plans for the 2022 World Cup. These reports were sparked by comments made by the Supreme Committee’s senior manager for projects at a conference on 23rd April, who stated that only eight stadiums would be used. 

With the Supreme Committee having neither discounted this possibility nor given reasons why cutting back to eight stadiums might be an option, the international sports event community has come up with its own suggestions, with cost control being considered to be a possible motivation.

Addressing such “speculation”, Al Khater said “That’s not true actually.”

Speaking to delegates at Soccerex Asian Forum on Tuesday, he said “In our bid, as FIFA stipulates, we proposed a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 18.”

The minimum number of stadiums required by FIFA is eight and this figure remains a possibility. 

“In 2015, will decide alongside FIFA how many need for the World Cup,” he said.

Al Khater was speaking in place of Hasan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, who was unable to attend the event.

Al Khater also took the opportunity to set the record straight on reports of poor workers’ welfare on World Cup construction projects. 

“Contrary to what international media says, there is no single injury or death on World Cup projects,” he said.

“However, from the very beginning we have taken the issue of workers’ welfare very seriously,”

Although civic infrastructure developments are progressing rapidly in Qatar, construction has not started on World Cup sites. Only one of the new stadiums, Al Wakrah, is under construction.

By the end of 2014, five World Cup stadiums will be under construction, Al Khater told delegates.

Russia, with a population of just over 140 million, spans continents. Its sheer scale, coupled with some harsh weather conditions and very large cities, provides plenty of challenges for transportation.

As Igor Levitin, Russian Minister of Transport put it, “Due to the geographical peculiarities of the Russian Federation and those of the territorial location of its production forces, transport has always been considered in Russia as a key economic sector providing for the country’s economic and political integrity.

“In some major cities such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod, which are in a critical situation with regard to road congestion, a range of measures is underway aimed at increasing the capacity of the cities’ road network, limiting the use of personal vehicles and motivating the population to use public passenger transport.”

According to Vladimir Kryuchkov, CEO of ITS Russia, “The understanding is growing gradually that the limited access of personal and cargo vehicles to central parts of the cities and more tough parking policy are inevitable.”

In Moscow, the average traffic jam lasts 2.5 hours – the longest in the world. With 2.6 million cars in the city on a daily basis, a lack of parking space is also on the list of problems.

Speaking to the ITS Moscow conference in 2013, the city’s deputy head of transport, Tatiana Malashenkova announced plans to reduce the length of average journey times in the city to 50 minutes. This is to be achieved by reducing car journeys by 30 per cent and increasing public transport journeys by 40 per cent.

Malashenkova also highlighted the introduction of two park and ride schemes: one on the approach to the outer ring road for 80,000 cars and one between the outer ring road and the third ring road for 30,000 cars.

Global positioning

NIS, a Russian public-private company, has been tasked with developing and deploying a ERA-GLONASS GPS system throughout the Russia, which involves fitting GLONASS satellite navigation communication devices, or terminals, into all new vehicles sold in the country.

In the event of an accident, the terminal is automatically activated and transmits the vehicle location and other key information to an emergency response centre, allowing the swift intervention of the emergency services.

The ERA-GLONASS system will help to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on Russia's roads and boost the safety of both freight and passenger transport. In addition, NIS plans to develop commercial applications for GLONASS and create a mainstream market for navigation services and devices.

The communication carrier for the ERA-GLONASS system is 3G. This requires additional infrastructure to be provided to ensure that there is sufficient coverage, not only in cities but also across the Russian strategic road network. This will open up the possibility for additional ITS devices to be utilised in Russia.

Commercial vehicles are also being targeted for ITS deployment. A nationwide tolling system is in development for vehicles weighing more than 12 tonnes, again using the GLONASS GPS system.

In November 2013, NIS and Kapsch TrafficCom were among four companies that tendered for the project, which is being administered by the federal road agency, Rosavtodor and is scheduled to run for 13 years.

Russia and Europe

ERTICO and ITS Russia are working together to research, develop and deploy ITS technologies. A number of areas for cooperation have been highlighted, including a pilot of the “eCall” system, which enables crashed cars to call emergency services automatically.

Another area for cooperation is ITS for large events, particularly in the context of the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018. Another target is to improve traffic and traveller information for transport corridors, especially the Helsinki to St Petersburg corridor.

The “Smart Transport Corridor: Helsinki – St. Petersburg” project aims to create a continuous and interoperable intelligent transport service between Finland and Russia, while increasing the interoperability of services between the EU and Russia.

The aim is to improve commuter services, boost traffic safety and make traffic flow more smoothly, especially at the border. The project also aims to increase cooperation between Finnish and Russian private and public sector operators and facilitate the growth of business in the intelligent transport area.

Five pilot services are scheduled to get underway in 2014: a weather and road condition service; a traffic incident information service; traveller services in real-time; a public transport information service on the Allegro train; and automatic emergency calling using eCall/ERA Glonass.

These services are being implemented by a consortium founded by private companies and will be demonstrated in Helsinki at the ITS Europe Congress 2014.

Sustainable construction has not historically been a leading concern when developers confront the challenge of erecting an arena from scratch to a pressing deadline. But gradually the green agenda has gained ground in the list of key considerations for hosting sporting events, while some leading clubs have also developed environmental awareness.

The US has been the trailblazer, with many of the biggest names in American sport now belonging to the Green Sports Alliance, a non-profit organisation that helps members enhance their environmental performance.

Founded in 2011 by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s investment company Vulcan, the alliance now has 125 venues, 105 teams and seven leagues as members.

As identified in the NRDC’s “Game Changer” report, greener stadiums not only benefit the environment and cut utility bills but also have potential to improve community ties, attract corporate sponsors and can boost the local economy.

We can expect even greater commitment to sustainability from big sports clubs globally in the coming years. The current issue of HOST CITY magazine looks at three stadiums that set standards for other developers to aspire to.

1: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US

This is the only stadium in the National Football League (NFL) that is home to more than one club. But the energy savings it has achieved since opening in April 2010 go far beyond the benefits derived from the ground-sharing arrangement between the New York Giants and New York Jets.

Find out more in the current issue of HOST CITY magazine.

2: Estádio Nacional, Brasilia

Few stadiums globally have earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design [LEED] awards of any level from the US-based Green Building Council.

Now, this US$640m stadium in Brazil’s capital is ready not only to host seven matches in the World Cup but to seek the highest LEED rating available: platinum.

Find out more in the current issue of HOST CITY magazine.

3: Marlins Park, Miami

The 37,442 capacity stadium became the first in Major League Baseball to achieve LEED gold certification for new construction in 2012, surpassing Miami Marlins’ initial ambition of achieving silver.

Find out more in the current issue of HOST CITY magazine.