[Source: EventScotland] The Sprint World Orienteering Championships 2022 are coming to Scotland after Edinburgh was awarded the event by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF), beating Paris for the honour.

The Scottish capital was successful after an innovative joint bid was submitted by The Scottish Orienteering 6-Day Event Company, Scottish Orienteering Association, EventScotland, the City of Edinburgh Council, British Orienteering and the University of Edinburgh to host the event in the middle of July 2022.

The IOF Sprint World Orienteering Championships brings together the best teams from around the world to compete across three main disciplines – individual sprint, sprint relay and knock-out sprint.  An anticipated 250 athletes from 50 countries are expected to attend the Championships, bringing with them additional coaching staff and supporters. In addition to the main Championship races, there will also be a full programme of spectator races suitable for all levels of orienteering ability and competitive classes for all ages.

Scotland has a strong history of hosting the World Orienteering Championships having previously hosted the event three times over the last 40 years. However, unlike the previous occasions when the event took place in countryside of the Scottish Highlands, the 2022 event will use the fabric of Edinburgh’s city centre to create an exciting and unique sports arena.

Taking advantage of the medieval tenements, the narrow and intricate alleys and the sweeping landscapes surrounding the city, innovation will be at the core of the Championships to challenge the athletes as well as bring the best possible experience of this thrilling and fast-paced sport to spectators by creating an amazing spectacle for them in the heart of the city. Use of innovative broadcasting techniques, including drone footage, will also allow organisers to showcase Edinburgh to an international TV audience alongside the exciting sporting action.

Tom Hollowell, International Orienteering Federation CEO, said: “The IOF vision for the Sprint World Orienteering Championships, of bringing it to exciting international venues, is coming true.

“Scotland has extensive experience in organising high-level events. The World Orienteering Championships in Inverness in 2015 was the latest major IOF event held in the country. The bid was partly initiated by EventScotland, which is involved in delivering major sporting and cultural events in Scotland. 

“The support being provided by the City of Edinburgh Council and EventScotland was a key factor in awarding Sprint WOC 2022. We look forward to showing orienteering and Edinburgh to the world.”

He added: “Through their bid, we expect that Edinburgh will first and foremost provide exciting competitions where the world’s best sprint orienteers will be awarded their medals. But we also expect to increase the visibility of orienteering both locally and globally against the palette of the iconic landmarks of Edinburgh.”

Peter Hart, British Orienteering Chief Executive, said: “Being awarded the Sprint World Orienteering Championships 2022 is incredibly important to us. We have been working alongside our partners preparing our bid for a long time and I’d like to thank them all for their dedication to it, in particular, the Scottish Orienteering Association, for driving this exciting project forward.

“This win gives us the opportunity to further develop the sport throughout the United Kingdom by building on the success of 2015 when we last hosted a World Championships.

“We look forward to welcoming the world’s best orienteers with a warm Scottish welcome to Edinburgh in 2022 where they will battle it out in what is guaranteed to be a thrilling competition in a spectacular city.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “We are delighted Scotland has been awarded the right to host the Sprint World Orienteering Championships 2022. This is an excellent result following the hard work by the bid partners to secure this important international event for the Scottish capital.

“Over the years, Scotland has developed the capacity and capability to deliver a wide range of sporting and cultural events, and it is our globally recognised reputation along with our experience in event delivery that makes Scotland the perfect stage for events.”

Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener for City of Edinburgh Council, said: “With its narrow closes, steep stairways and winding streets, Edinburgh’s city centre will provide the ideal challenging location for the world’s top orienteers.

“Images of the competitors making their way down the Royal Mile will present an excellent opportunity for us to showcase Edinburgh’s beautiful and historic cityscape to a global audience.

“We’re looking forward to hosting this Sprint World Championship sporting event, and I’m sure the people of Edinburgh will warmly welcome the many competitors and supporters from all over the world.”

Anne Hickling, Chair of Scottish Orienteering Association, said: “The Scottish Orienteering Association is delighted by this exciting news. Hosting a World Championship event in the heart of Edinburgh will give us the opportunity to present orienteering to a wide audience and allow people to see at close quarters what an exciting sport it is.

“Building on the experience of our successful hosting of the 2015 World Championships, we are confident that this event will promote growth in our sport locally and across the country.

“We look forward to working with our partners in the event and to welcoming the world's best orienteers to Scotland again.”

The decision to award Edinburgh the Sprint World Orienteering Championships 2022 follows the city being shortlisted by the IOF earlier this year and a visit by officials in May to see the city’s world-class venues and facilities that will make it the perfect host.

The IOF will now appoint a Senior Event Advisor to work closely with the Steering Group and Organisation Committee to oversee the delivery of the event including reviewing and agreeing race venues, TV rights and appointment of officials.

When the Austrian Olympic Committee abandoned the Graz 2026 Olympic campaign in early July, it came just weeks after voters in Switzerland rejected Sion’s bid in a referendum citing high costs – again raising concerns about the Olympic brand and bringing into question the IOC’s bidding procedure.

In April, the IOC was sitting pretty with a healthy field of seven candidates. But people power has now torpedoed two bids and some of the other five bidders are on shaky ground. Calgary in Canada, Erzurum in Turkey, Sapporo in Japan, Stockholm in Sweden and a possible Italian bid remain, with the IOC still to decide which of them to put through to the candidature phase in October – if they are all still standing.

Bidding issues

A series of withdrawals from the 2022 and 2024 Olympic bid contests triggered the IOC’s “Agenda 2020” revamp of its bidding procedure. But the messaging to potential Olympic cities around the globe about reducing Games costs – mainly by maximizing the use of existing and temporary facilities – is clearly still not getting through.

The demise of Graz 2026 underscored the issues. Failure to win public and political support for an Olympic project makes bidding a big financial gamble.

The Austrian Olympic Committee spelled out the problem. Despite proposing a Winter Games in line with Agenda 2020 and, latterly, the IOC’s ‘New Norm’ measures designed to further slash costs – along with a  Graz 2026 feasibility study that outlined multiple benefits for the region – the bid was halted.

“Because of the political arguments currently taking place, the ÖOC greatly regrets that there has to date been no clear political backing, nor any corresponding support from the Styrian state government – something which the ÖOC regarded as essential, right from the start,” the committee said.

“Under these circumstances, a project of this scale is not viable, and certainly not internationally justifiable.”

Graz’s defeat, eight months after Innsbruck’s 2026 campaign was derailed by a referendum, was another blow for the IOC hot on the heels of Sion’s exit.

The IOC could doubtless do with fewer referendums bringing negative headlines for the Olympic brand, but officials would prefer a bid to be sunk now rather than the middle of next year, causing even more damage.

“The IOC fully understands the decision taken by the Austrian National Olympic Committee and respects their view that they do not wish to become part of a local political dispute since the Olympic Games should always be a unifying force,” the IOC commented on the collapse of Graz 2026.

Staying alive

By this time next year, it seems unlikely there will be five bids left battling for 2026 hosting rights. While the IOC would like a European 2026 host, IOC president Thomas Bach said recently he had no problem with a third Winter Games heading to Asia after PyeongChang and Beijing.  

Sapporo, host of the 1972 Winter Olympics, is seen as a safe pair of hands if the other 2026 bidders fall by the wayside. Sapporo officials have wavered over whether to bid for the next winter edition or wait until 2030, but Bach’s remarks may persuade the city to stay in the contest.

Calgary’s 2026 campaign, on thin ice a few months ago due to political concerns, received a boost in June when the Canadian Olympic Committee voted unanimously to support the bid from the 1988 Winter Games host city.

“This represents a very important and positive next step towards Calgary’s candidature for 2026,” said Canadian Olympic Committee president Tricia Smith. “We will continue to work with all the relevant stakeholders to build momentum to ensure an inspiring and responsible Olympic bid.”

In the coming months, the bid will launch a public engagement effort to convince city residents and the wider population of the benefits. But the Olympic bid may face a referendum in November, which could scupper Calgary’s aspirations.

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) is not rushing its decision on a candidate city. On 11 July, CONI’s executive board decided to submit a bid to the IOC – but it delayed the announcement on whether the city will be Milan, Turin, Cortina d’Ampezzo or a joint effort. An evaluation committee will assess the Olympic feasibility studies of the three contenders before presenting a report to CONI’s National Council. Italy’s candidate city will be chosen in August or September. The Italian government said in early July that it would support a 2026 bid under certain conditions. But political infighting may prove the bid’s undoing in the long run.

The eastern Turkish city of Erzurum is an unknown quantity. After a handful of failed attempts by Istanbul to host the Summer Olympics, it’s the country’s first push to land the winter version. Although largely unknown outside Olympic circles, the host of the 2011 World Universiade Winter Games and 2017 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival has some traction within the Olympic movement.

Back to Europe?

Stockholm appears favourite to secure the 2026 Olympics. The
Swedish bid has joined the other cities at IOC workshops and video conferences over recent months to enhance its Olympic plans. Bid officials say they’ve received good feedback from IOC executives and experts during the dialogue phase of the bidding process.

And Stockholm has struck a deal to use the Sigulda sliding track in Latvia for bobsleigh, skeleton and luge events, addressing one of the IOC’s biggest concerns about the bid.

Despite being on a firm footing, Sweden’s national elections in September may impact Stockholm’s bid. Government backing is necessary to pursue the city’s Olympic quest.

An October decision by the IOC executive board will determine which bids enter the one-year candidature phase, which concludes with the host city vote in September 2019.

Host City: What is the main aim of Thailand’s event hosting strategy – is it direct economic impact or wider societal benefits?

Weerasak Kowsurat: We never draw any international games to the country for economic purpose. This happens afterwards, when you see people coming to the city and spending money, but it is never placed there as the main objective of why we bid.

Every time we bid it is because we think that it is time to generate a spiritual atmosphere for the locals to attend and understand better about sports. It’s more on the social side.

It is not a stadium that makes the city that looks lively; it is the population, the people who, after the sports events happen, are inspired to do more activities – either economically, socially or culturally. And we find we have been very successful in that direction.

We don’t intend to always see people packing in a big major stadium somewhere – it happens naturally.

Host City: Do you have plans to build any major new venues?

Weerasak Kowsurat: We have decided to think a lot more seriously about whether there are requirements to build more sporting facilities, because we think that unless we have a better plan of how we are going to use those facilities after the mega event, then we would prefer to make use of what god gives. And you see that in the Tri-league – swimming, biking, running – this is happening more and more in Thailand and we are getting more international participants who want to come here, not only because they want to be at the championship but part of our society.

See, Thailand has been voted internationally as the friendliest country in the world for around ten consecutive years. It pleased a lot of people, including ourselves, that the scenery is nice but the better part is that the people are nice. They may not all be able to communicate in international languages, but the body language is so friendly that it absorbs almost any activity, either sports or non-sports.

Also the weather is so amenable to almost any kind of sport – except winter sports! Then we have all year round sporting activities happening all the time. We have been working with at least 600 run and ride events annually around the country. With a population of 70 million population, this means we have at least 1,000 attending each event around the country.

See, sporting is not about winning or losing. It is an activity that you do with others. That will help to mix diverse people, regionally, domestically and internationally.

Thailand received 35 million international visitors last year, including a million Americans. We have a great variety of people coming into the country. Sport events can be looked at as a way in the modern society for different people to mix together.

When you mix these kind of things together it will bring harmony: harmony for the guest and harmony for the host.

Host City: What kind of events are most important to Thailand – sports, business or cultural events?

Weerasak Kowsurat: We have 1.2 million MICE travellers coming to the country every year. But that is not the biggest portion of activities we have – the largest is people travelling for tourism generally.

Host City: Thailand has not hosted a major multisport event since the Asian Games in 1998. Are you still focusing on smaller championships or will you bid for mega events in the future?

Weerasak Kowsurat: We have been talking about the Youth Olympics, but it depends more on what we would like to achieve; and we need to consult more with our people and find out what they are most interested in.

Having all the big sport leaders coming into town at SportAccord gives us a chance to see the whole list of all sports available on the planet. Maybe it’s time for our generation to pick and choose what to try.

It’s not about competing to be the host city; it’s about what the people in the city want to do.

In Thailand, the sports facilities that already exist have room to grow; we don’t want them to sit idle. At the same time, we also have what god makes: we have very nice scenery, we have two oceans, we have mountains and plains; and the weather outside is so amenable to sport. So instead of throwing away billions of dollars building something in concrete, why don’t we get people to go out and be friendly in the local atmosphere.

Host City is Event Development Partner of SportAccord

[Source: SportAccord] It is the first time SportAccord will take place in Thailand providing a prestigious platform, as well as easy-access for Thai organisations and those in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, to become involved in the business of sport and take advantage of the many opportunities the event has to offer.

SportAccord is the only annual sports business event attended by all the international sports federations within GAISF, and provides unique access to numerous networking events and high-profile attendees throughout the week. These include around 1,500 delegates representing industry, cities/regions, legal and health teams, inventors, sports sponsors, providers and rights holders, subject matter experts, as well as newsmakers, to name a few.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director of SportAccord said: “Final preparations are well underway ahead of SportAccord in April. We have just returned from another series of very successful coordination meetings with the Thai Ministry and their teams in Bangkok. There is a lot of focused and dedicated work going on behind the scenes to ensure that the next SportAccord will be an outstanding success for everyone involved.”

Hatt went on to say: “If you have not already done so, I would encourage anyone involved in the business of sport, to register and take part.”

Speaking of the great honour in hosting SportAccord, Col. Ruj of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) revealed to news channels: “Thailand has gained confidence from SportAccord. This also comes from the hard work undertaken by the Thai team over the last 6 months, with a bit left to do over the next 2 months to achieve where we would like to be.”

As part of the Official Schedule, SportAccord will host well over 20 networking events, a 3-day Exhibition as well as an extensive Conference programme to include: the Summit (Plenary), CityAccord, LawAccord, MediaAccord and HealthAccord.

Other key features include: Speakers’ Corner, the Thai Pavilion, the Opening Ceremony and Closing Event.

Organisations looking for opportunities to increase their visibility at the World Sport & Business Summit can become an Exhibitor or Partner by contacting the sales team: sales@sportaccord.com or phone +41 (0)79 126 08 42.

Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord using #sportaccord, as well as LinkedIn and on Facebook.

[Source: IOC] The International Olympic Committee has approved plans to target African National Olympic Committees (NOCs) as potential host cities of the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2022. The decision was made by members at the IOC Session, following the recommendation of the IOC’s Executive Board earlier this week.

A targeted approach based on the principle adopted by the IOC Session in 2016 will replace the competitive stage seen for previous YOG host city selections, making the process more streamlined, simpler and shorter.

Part of this evolution is to ensure the event is accessible to a greater number of cities, which will be encouraged to make full use of existing and temporary venues. The goal is to elect the host city at the next IOC Session, to be held in October 2018 in Buenos Aires, ahead of the YOG.

This approach has been taken in line with a recent YOG review, to ensure a more impactful and effective concept for young elite athletes, and for host cities.

IOC President Thomas Bach said, “Africa is the home of so many very successful Olympic athletes. Africa is a continent of youth.  That is why we want to take the Youth Olympic Games 2022 to Africa. The IOC will proactively approach a number of African NOCs to evaluate the feasibility of such a project.”

The next few weeks will see the IOC engaging with selected African NOCs to establish the feasibility of staging the Youth Olympic Games 2022. This will be based on the criteria established by the revised YOG model, including use of existing infrastructure and affordable temporary fields of play, enhanced flexibility and adaptation to the local context, with the event to be used as a catalyst for wider youth and sport engagement programmes.

Significant work has already been undertaken by the IOC on the African continent to use sport to protect and invest in young people and drive social transformation, starting with the Youth Olympic Development Centre in Zambia, a facility which supports over 10,000 young athletes, from grass roots through to the international level.

This is supported throughout the continent with the Olympic Solidarity programme that offers assistance to NOCs for athlete development, training of coaches and sports administrators.

Furthermore, in partnership with UNHCR, the IOC also established the Olympic Refuge Foundation in 2017, which aims to create safe, basic and accessible sports facilities in areas where there are refugees, a displaced migrant population and internally displaced people. The IOC has established projects in Rwanda and Ethiopia to ensure the safety and security of young refugees.

IOC Member from Ethiopia, Dagmawit Berhane said,  “Our youth has been hoping and always dreaming to have the world come to Africa and experience the African nations. It’s a pleasure to hear our colleagues in the IOC have the faith and belief in an African nation to host the [Youth Olympic] Games.”

Nawal El Moutawakel, IOC Member and Moroccan Olympic hurdling champion, also commented: “I would like to express my joy at finally seeing such a project being implemented on a continent which has for so long been on the margin of our Olympic Movement. This is going to be a great glimmer of hope for Africa.”

A future Youth Olympic Games edition in Africa will go one step further to build on the sports development work, youth sport events and programmes that are already gaining momentum, such as the African Youth Games, and to further engage with the largest continental youth population.

“There are two different pathways to develop sport. One is to create successful heroes – athletes like Yang Yang, who you had the honour of interviewing just now – and they will inspire youngsters, kids, the media, sponsors to create a lot of interest in the sport.

“The other way is mass participation, through activity. We are working on both solutions, both opportunities at FIS. On the one side organising competitions here in China, which will continue right through with the big progression plan to the 2022 Olympic winter games and long afterwards. This is having a great effort from the Chinese sports authorities to build up new champions to have a lot of success. That will inspire more youngsters, activity and participants.

“On the other side we have developed programmes to get into snow sports. For nearly 10 years the ‘Bring Children to the Snow’ programme has created a lot of interest in China, as well and “Snow Kids” activity and with the annual ‘Snow Day’ since 2012. And now here together with the WWSE in Beijing we will launch the ‘Get Into Snow Sport China’. This is an entrants level course designed to for people to be able to really begin being familiar with snow, learning the basics, enjoying having fun and making friends with snow sports. That’s what it’s all about.

“We are working with the Chinese Ski Association, with Beijing Sport University, with the institutions here in China and commercial partner Alisports to be able to market a course all over the country and create a lot of interest and really make it happen. So there are two ways; champions and getting kids started who have perhaps never seen snow before.

“The goal for the next generation is to have many happy and health new sports participants and, we hope, champions at future events.”

New events at Beijing 2022

“There are many opportunities to include new events. The philosophy of the IOC however is to ensure that the Games remain manageable, that there is not an over-explosion of new facilities required, so that can be many different countries and regions that are capable of hosting the Olympic Winter Games also in the future. So within the six FIS disciplines, we have an excellent blend of traditional sports and young sports and we are able to develop and adapt the disciplines and the events on the programme as society changes, as also the different opportunities – technology, skill, equipment, facilities – and this is exactly what we are doing.

“For Beijing 2022 we are looking at different opportunities. In ski jumping for example, like “friends from Biathlon”, we have a mixed team event for the ski jumping with ladies and men in one team – it’s part of the World Championships since many years. We are also proposing the inclusion of Nordic combined for ladies, which is also an activity we have within FIS, not yet at Olympic level. It will be on the programme of the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne in 2020.

“We are looking to add to the Big Air competition for snowboards, which will be at this fantastic new venue in Shougang in Beijing. Not only snowboard but also to have Ski Big Air, like we have in the World Cup. And, on proposal of Chinese Ski Association and Chinese Olympic Committee, they will also submit a bid to have mixed team aerials.

“So there are some interesting opportunities across the difference disciplines within FIS that the IOC will be asked to evaluate and to consider if they will bring additional value to the Olympic Winter Games.”

This article, composed of statements Sarah Lewis OBE made to the press at World Winter Sports Expo in Beijing, first appeared in the Winter 2017 issue of Host City magazine

Host City, the world’s largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, took another major step forward this week, recording its greatest participation yet and with the announcement that the event will be returning to Glasgow in 2018 with a greatly increased exhibition.

More cities, event owners and organisers than ever joined the fourth Host City conference and exhibition in Glasgow to hear VIP speakers from international sports federations, cultural events, large scale congresses and mega event organising committees speak on the theme of “High Impact Events in the Current Climate”.

Attendees included more than 50 city representatives, 30 event owners, 20 organising committees, 15 media and two hundred delegates.

Around the two-day conference, Host City’s sponsors presented the event’s biggest exhibition yet, with a 500 square metre exhibition area filled with 10 large stands from organising committees, sports federations, architects and suppliers.

Host City 2017 was opened by the event’s Chairmen, Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland and Sir Craig Reedie CBE, IOC Member and President of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Paul Bush OBE said: “It is great to see so many city representatives, event owners, organising committees and events practitioners in Glasgow for this fantastic conference. While it is an exciting time for the industry with all the technological advancements and the rise in social media allowing events and audiences to be more engaged, it is also a very challenging time. The current security climate, the transparency and governance around the bid process, as well doping and corruption in sport, are all adversely affecting the confidence the public has in bidding for and delivering of major events. This year’s Host City programme has provided the ideal opportunity to tackle these challenges head on and ensure we maintain public support for high impact events around the world.

“That said, I’m delighted Host City will be returning to Glasgow in 2018 and shows the continued positive impact hosting high impact events can have when you have a strong legacy plan in place to build on the success. The return of Host City for a fourth consecutive year is a real endorsement and clearly shows the legacy that’s been built from hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the work Glasgow has done to re-positioned itself as an events and tourism city.”

Sir Craig Reedie said: “Host City 2017’s debate on High Impact Events, with panels and discussions on practically every aspect – the size of the city, safety, technology, entertainment and others – is interesting in the extreme.

“When Host City comes back to Glasgow in 2018 we can expect even more interest and attendance than this year, which is this best attended yet.”

Participants in Host City 2017 included: Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games Executive Director, International Olympic Committee; Patrick Baumann, President, General Association of International Sports Federations; Sarah Lewis, Secretary General, Association of International Olympic Winter Federations; David Grevemberg CBE, Chief Executive, Commonwealth Games Federation; Hiromi Kawamura, Public Relations Secretary, Tokyo 2020; Jooho Kim, Executive Vice President of Games Planning and Operations, PyeongChang 2018; Alexandra Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Deputy Mayor of Budapest and senior figures from non-sports events including Cirque du Soleil and World Expos.

Conference Director Ben Avison said “We are delighted to be returning next November to Glasgow and Scotland, where Host City has developed so rapidly over the last three years. With the incredibly high standard of participation this year, we look forward to a great flourishing of the exhibition space in 2018 around this peerless, world class conference of cities and cross-sector events.”

For further information on the panel sessions and other world class speakers for Host City 2017, please visit: www.hostcity.com

The reasons behind the evolving event hosting landscape can be debated: better informed government officials; a new point of view from the public; PR-sensitive executives thinking about impact on sponsors – but there is no disputing that a major shift has occurred in the global event hosting landscape. The referendums and political hand-wringing taking place before major event bidding are prime examples of this evolution.

This “new normal” provides a unique opportunity for government and rightsholders to align on mutually-beneficial outcomes, with both sides required to come to the bargaining table with current and accurate data to develop a plan that has meaningful results for the host community.

Government can, and should, take responsibility for the pre-event work. Through online surveys, social listening and in-person attendance at community meetings, government officials can develop a firm understanding of the outcomes a host community would find most useful. This informed perspective will allow government officials to have direct conversations with rightsholders – a critical portion of the conversation that is often not addressed. Rightsholders are often willing to consider working with a government to provide them what they need, but typically, the government simply responds with “what are you offering” instead of leveraging this opportunity to create a meaningful impact. To create a meaningful environment of partnership and collaboration, government officials must approach this moment with specific deliverables the host community seeks.

Government officials should come to the table with key pieces of data in-hand:

• Preferred sport or cultural activity of your constituents, by neighborhood, would allow government and rightsholders to focus on specific areas of a city that could be more receptive and supportive of hosting the event
• Education, arts, and health and wellness needs, by neighborhood, would allow government and rightsholders to consider short-term impact and long-term legacy plans that result in locally meaningful outcomes
• Planned infrastructure development would allow government and rightsholders to accurately involve event-necessary works to be integrated into already planned and funded projects
• Economic development goals, by neighborhood, would allow government and rightsholders to understand which local businesses can be event partners
• Tourism data that explains hotel occupancy, visitors by market, interest and spend, in addition to plans for growth into future markets

Throughout the lead-up to the event, during the event and post-event, rightsholders should evolve beyond event producer to community partner. With the understanding that taking any free minute away from event preparation is difficult, elevating the needs of the host community into the day-to-day decision-making process has many benefits. This mindset has the potential to result in a host community that:

• Strives for a positive event experience for participants, staff and partners
• Understands and appreciates the event’s tangible and intangible outcomes
• Attends the main event and supports ancillary events
• Enthusiastically welcomes the event’s return

Rightsholders also have the opportunity to significantly increase their positive impact on the host community by organizing their partners, sponsors, participants, fans and investors. Each one of these stakeholder groups has a vested interest in the success of the event, and therefore, has a vested interested in the host community. The greater understanding the rightsholder has of the social responsibility and financial goals of each stakeholder group, the better alignment they can foster with an informed government and interested host community.

This approach may require rightsholders to reconsider which members of their organization have influence in their strategic planning. Specifically, rightsholders will need to examine if the most significant decisions their organization undertakes are weighed fully against commercial and community benefits. The rightsholders that can maximize commercial returns around community-focused decisions are the organizations that are most well-prepared for this moment in time.

Lastly, rightsholders must understand government. There are many factors that influence the government decision-making process and pace. For instance, your event may align with all of the goals of the government, but it may not be an ideal time for a government leader to commit to your event from a political perspective. This is just one example of the difficult and frustrating process of working with government. In these situations, try and help your government partner get to “yes”. If there’s a groundswell of support from the community for hosting your event, then committing to the event just became a lot easier.

Improved and informed dialogue between government and rightsholders has the potential to deliver results to host communities that they find meaningful and transformational, while keeping rightsholders commercially successful. With data-driven insights and measured outcomes at the center of these negotiations, plans and work, this moment of event hosting evolution can result in events driving meaningful transformation in neighborhoods, cities and countries.

About the Author

Mike Hopper has spent his career at the intersection of sports, government and community relations, while working side-by-side with Mike Bloomberg and George Steinbrenner. 

Prior to establishing Advance Brand Consulting, Mike held senior positions with SPORTS195, Teneo Consulting, NYC & Company – NYC’s Official Tourism & Marketing Bureau, the New York City Mayor’s Office, and the New York Yankees. He now leads Advance Brand Consulting, which focuses on cultivating the relationship between sports leagues and teams, governments and communities, to ensure each party achieves their goals while understanding the goals of the others.

Mike Hopper spoke at Host City 2015, the largest meeting of sports, business and cultural events.

Scotland is celebrating becoming the next host nation of The Solheim Cup following the official handover to Gleneagles at the culmination of the 2017 event at Des Moines Golf & Country Club in Iowa.
The American team triumphed over Europe in a thrilling contest which showcased the very best of women’s golf and now the responsibility for staging the biggest event in the women’s game rests with Scotland when Team USA will look to defend the title at Gleneagles in 2019.
The official handover was recognised at the closing ceremony of The 2017 Solheim Cup during which junior golfers Anna Mackay and Eilidh Henderson accepted the honour of hosting the 2019 event on behalf of Scotland.
Anna and Eilidh were chosen to represent Scotland as part of the #Project19 initiative which saw six junior girls attend The 2017 Solheim Cup as part of Scotland’s delegation to experience a major event and inspire them looking ahead to 2019.
The closing ceremony, which was broadcast worldwide, also featured a performance from up-and-coming Dundee band BeCharlotte to showcase the very best of young Scottish talent in both sport and music.
The 2019 Solheim Cup will take place at Gleneagles from 13-15 September 2019 with the PING Junior Solheim Cup played at the same venue earlier in the week. The event underlines Scotland’s commitment to supporting women’s golf and growing junior and female participation as well as showcasing Scotland as a world-class golf tourism and events destination.
Scotland’s staging of The 2019 Solheim Cup is being led by the EventScotland team within VisitScotland’s events directorate. Paul Bush, Director of Events with VisitScotland, said: “We have witnessed a truly world-class exhibition of golf in Des Moines for The 2017 Solheim Cup with huge crowds supporting both teams and a massive worldwide TV audience.  I hope this success has whetted the appetite of spectators for Gleneagles and demonstrated the sheer scale of the event coming to Scotland in 2019.
“It was a great experience for our junior golfers Anna and Eilidh, and an up-and-coming band in BeCharlotte, to represent Scotland in the handover and demonstrates our commitment to using The Solheim Cup as a vehicle to supporting young Scottish talent.”
Tickets for The 2019 Solheim Cup will be going on sale from Thursday 24th August on www.solheimcup2019.com with daily, weekly and family packages available. As well as attracting a strong golfing audience in Scotland, the event will also be aimed at families with a host of family-orientated activities available on site.
It is also a key event in Scotland’s goal of growing golf tourism with a number of Authorised Tour Operators already promoting travel packages to The 2019 Solheim Cup. Currently 12 per cent of golf visitors to Scotland are women but The Solheim Cup offers the opportunity to promote Scotland, the Home of Golf, to many more female golfers.
Golf tourism is currently worth £286 million annually to Scotland with a target to grow that to £300 million by 2020.

The IOC and the bid committees of Los Angeles and Paris have agreed to work together on what the IOC President and LA Mayor have both described as the “golden opportunity” of awarding 2024 and 2028 Games simultaneously.

However, there is no guarantee of securing a host for 2028 before the next IOC session in Lima in September.

Speaking from the Extraordinary IOC Session in Lausanne, former IOC Vice President Sir Craig Reedie told Host City: “The IOC, having had issues with a shortage of candidates for previous Winter Games, now find themselves in a situation of having two outstanding candidates for the Summer Games of 2024.

“The Session decided that it would allow the creation of a tripartite solution involving the IOC and both of the cities, LA and Paris, to see if an agreement could be reached whereby one would agree to organise 2024 and a different city to organise 2028.

“This tripartite agreement is likely to take some time. If not successful, there will be a contest in Lima to award the 2024 Games. This solution was unanimously accepted by the IOC Session.”

The LA2024 bid committee welcomed the IOC decision with this statement: “This is a proud day for Los Angeles and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in America.

“We're thrilled with the IOC's decision today, which is a major step forward in making LA's Olympic dream a reality.

“Today, two of the world's greatest cities, with outstanding but different proposals, stand ready to serve and advance the Olympic and Paralympic movements and their values. We look forward to working with the IOC and Paris in the weeks ahead to turn this golden opportunity into a golden future together.”

Paris mayor Anne Hildago tweeted: “#Lausanne marks the beginning of a great story between Olympic family, #Paris and #LosAngeles. Thanks to the members of the IOC.”

IOC member and co-president of Paris 2024 bid committee Tony Estanguet tweeted: “Today is day one of a new chapter. Three partners working together to strengthen Olympism.”

But not everyone is convinced that the IOC’s move is a result of positive factors. One delegate at Major Events International Summit on the Olympic park on Wednesday told Host City: “This is not a sign of strength but of weakness. They only have two candidates.”

In a wide-ranging interview to be published in the next issue of Host City magazine, Sir Craig Reedie gave an upbeat assessment of the bidding process for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

“Looking at the Winter Games that’s where there may be an indication of reason for hope. There is a potential bid from Stockholm, which is hopeful because if ever a country deserved a Winter Olympic Games it’s Sweden. They are a leading Winter sports country that have never hosted the Games.

"There is a good candidate in Switzerland from Sion and potential Innsbruck from Austria. Calgary are looking at it again, so perhaps we are moving out of the phase that the IOC had where, particularly in Europe, politicians seemed to be very loath to take on the major multisport Olympic events on the basis of their inability to control costs.”

Sir Craig Reedie is speaking at Host City 2017 in Glasgow on 28 and 29 November.