[Source: Super League Triathlon] London and Rotterdam will play host to two cutting edge professional triathlon events as the SLT Arena Games Powered by Zwift heads to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on March 27 before a spectacular return to the Netherlands on April 18.

British Olympic medal hopefuls Jonathan Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee are already confirmed to take on the unique blend of real life and virtual racing in London, with more star names to be announced for both events in the coming weeks.

The SLT Arena Games Powered by Zwift took the triathlon world by storm on its debut in Rotterdam last year, drawing a huge audience thanks to its innovative and exciting indoor race concept, and leading to the 2021 events securing global broadcast deals that cover more than 100 territories.

Athletes complete three rounds of fast and furious action. The swim takes place in an Olympic sized pool and the bike and run legs on static equipment with the racing realised in the virtual world of Zwift, the world’s leading online training and racing platform, providing detailed data insights and up close and personal emotions of the competitors.

Super League Triathlon CEO, Michael D’hulst, said: “We are continuing to grow the SLT Arena Games Powered by Zwift and make it part of Super League’s yearly offering of exciting professional triathlon. Bringing an event to London is a big step for Super League and in line with our objectives for 2021 as we look to grow rapidly into key triathlon markets. We are also delighted to return to Rotterdam, which is where the SLT Arena Games Powered by Zwift started with a spectacular debut event.

“Broadcasters have recognised the success of the concept and the partnership between Super League Triathlon and Zwift, which has led to a major expansion of our global distribution so sport fans can watch live wherever they are in the world.

“We will make a few small tweaks to the format to improve the events further and have put together some fantastic line-ups. I can’t wait to see so many Olympic hopefuls racing at full throttle.”

“The first SLT Arena games was a true spectacle, and an ideal broadcast and spectator event,” says Eric Min, CEO & Co-Founder of Zwift.

“It’s great that the series will return, supported by Zwift. As a resident of London for many years, I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the next round in March in the beautiful Olympic pool in Stratford.

“Super League is today announcing the first athletes that will be competing in London, with a further eleven, plus the field for Rotterdam, to be released in the coming weeks.”

The  announcement focusses on a wave of British stars taking part in a home event, with World Champion Georgia Taylor-Brown and double Olympic medallist Jonathan Brownlee taking on a host of big names, including stars of longer distance triathlon such as Ruth Astle and George Goodwin.

The first edition of the SLT Arena Games was held in Rotterdam in August 2020 with more than 600,000 fans watching across Super League’s digital channels alone as Jessica Learmonth and Justus Nieschlag secured the inaugural titles.

The athletes face three stages of swim, bike and run, with the order of the legs shuffled every round. Each swim is 200m, bike 4km and run 1km.

The events will also be supported by Garmin, who will integrate the use of the Forerunner 945, HRM Pro and Tacx NEO 2T smart trainer to deliver even more data and insight to fans.

[Source: Riot Games] Riot Games today reveals the economic impact the first League of Legends European Championship (LEC) Finals had on the host city of Rotterdam. In association with Burson Cohn & Wolfe Sports, the leading firm within host city partnerships, Riot Games developed a programme inspired by traditional sports structures that saw over 40 cities bid to host the first LEC Finals. Analysis of the LEC Spring Finals held at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam on April 13th and 14th shows impressive economic impact that outperforms other sports events of similar size and length, in hockey, soccer and basketball.

This economic impact analysis concludes that the LEC Spring Finals contributed €2,358,417 to the local economy of Rotterdam. The study combines personal on-site surveys with Riot Games' verified accounts and ticket-sale data from the event and found the average guest spent €52.6 per day and 87.13% of the event's guests were non-local visitors. Alongside the measurable impact, the study also found additional impacts such as the future potential of tourism with visitors stating they would be willing to travel long distances to visit the LEC. The Spring Finals hosted visitors from China, South Korea, Peru and 37.83% of international visitors stated they would consider moving to Rotterdam if the right job opportunity became available.

The Riot Games host city process, which was the first of its kind in esports, has been in development since 2018 and the high demand from host cities has resulted in Riot Games expanding their programme with cities being invited to bid two years in advance with applications for 2021 now open.   

"Esports is maturing. We're establishing processes based on long-standing sports to elevate the industry and to develop the ecosystem further," said Alban Dechelotte, Head of Business Development and Sponsorships for the LEC. "At the same time we're offering something traditional sports doesn't have, a younger tech-oriented audience, and this provides tremendous value for cities looking to attract a hard to reach demographic. Whilst the broadcast potential of esports means we're able to promote a city on an international scale. Streaming knows no borders."   

"We've assisted many sports rights holders in their host city partnerships, but the interest for esports is at a level we have never experienced before," said Ronnie Hansen, Director of Sports Practice for Burson Cohn & Wolfe Sports. "Our study shows an impressive economic impact, outperforming other sport events of similar size and lengths. The reason is very simple; the share of non-local guests is substantial and the spend from a young, well-educated demography is high."

"We were thrilled to host Riot Games in our venue (2016 for the EU LCS and 2019 for the LEC Spring Finals). Our indoor arena is made for big and exciting sporting events and is the perfect location in Rotterdam, and even in the Netherlands, for esports tournaments. Amazing atmosphere, great audience and we would love to host more esports events in the future!", according to CEO of Rotterdam Ahoy, Jolanda Jansen.

The LEC launched in January 2019 and quickly became the most viewed esport league in Europe with a 25% increase in average viewers per minute for the final weekend from 2018. The league has also signed a significant number of mainstream sponsors including Shell, Kia, Beko and Footlocker and the number continues to rise with more sponsors being revealed this Summer.  

The LEC Summer Finals heads to Athens on September 7th and 8th for more information please visit eu.lolesports.com.

The bidding process for 2020 is already closed by applications are open for 2021.To find out more about the host city bidding process please visit: https://bcw-sport.com/league-of-legends-host/

Alban Dechelotte is speaking at Host City 2019, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. Register here

Over the course of last year, over 1.5 million people visited the forty different elite sports events happening in the city. These numbers say a lot about the attractive force sports have in Rotterdam, a sports city with ambition. This has not gone unnoticed: Rotterdam is ranked eleventh in the world ranking for sports cities.

A pier in the middle of the Port of Rotterdam was once the location of a prestigious Davis Cup tennis court; and on the gangways in front of the monumental SS Rotterdam cruise ship rose a beach volleyball stadium. Both were unexpected spots to experience sports, but the locations were enthusiastically received by both athletes and visitors alike.

Out of the stadium and into the city has been Rotterdam’s philosophy for years. This tradition of placing the sports arenas in the city centre and involving the public with the event has been wildly successful in the city on the banks of the Meuse. These events come with great practical challenges, but those challenges are faced head-on in Rotterdam.

Take the Rotterdam Marathon for example: the center is locked-down for an entire day, but every single person in the city sees it not as a disruption, but as cause for celebration. On such days every resident is inspired by sports.

It should be clear: Rotterdam and sports go hand in hand.  This is a city where three clubs play in the Dutch premier league: Feyenoord, Sparta, and Excelsior. A city with three football stadiums, a hockey stadium, an internationally acclaimed rowing course, a baseball stadium and a large indoor events arena (Ahoy Rotterdam), Rotterdam offers elite athletes a world-class stage.

A full calendar

Every year the city aims to attract one or two European or World Championships, but for the following two years we have already added a third to the agenda. Next year Rotterdam is the backdrop for the World Short Track Championships in Ahoy, EURO2017 for Women in Sparta Stadium, and the World Triathlon Grand Final. Rotterdam is exceptionally happy with such a packed agenda, with events that yield benefits for both the city and its residents.

These positive benefits resonate through the results of the impact research done after each major event. Who visited? How much was spent? The city uses these results to learn, grow, and become better with each event.

Participate!

Engaging events do not stand alone. In the months leading up to the “main event” the city gets a taste of what is to come through various side-events. This way, everyone is abuzz when the next event hits the city. Posters, flags, even massive billboards brighten up the streets and bring attention to the event: city dressing is key.

Elite sports inspire the city to get up and be active. With different activities in each neighborhood the local residents are inspired to exercise. Recreational sports teams flourish, as do the professional ones; special attention is paid to young talents with great potential.

Rotterdam is a very young city, and the sports on offer highlight that. Next to more conventional sports such as football, basketball and hockey, increasing attention is being paid to urban sports like skateboarding and BMX. These spectacular sports can always count on much attention from the public. Behind the scenes the city is already planning for urban sport’s inevitable rise.

But first: 2017. With two World Championships and one European Championships the city has an incredible year to look forward to.

For more information, please contact Rotterdam Topsport info@rotterdamtopsport.nl tel. +31 10 497 1212