National Federations from around the world voted for significant changes to the governance of Modern Pentathlon at the 67th UIPM Congress (November 7-8) in Taipei.

The Congress approved a number of motions designed to modernise the way the UIPM manages Modern Pentathlon and its sub-sports, including: 

• A comprehensive review and update of the entire structure of the UIPM, including changes to simplify and reduce the number of rules on internal organisations 

• Changes to the UIPM Biathle/ Triathle competition rules 

• Adoption of a code of ethics in line with the latest IOC requirements that provides for a clear and efficient procedure in cases of litigation 

• A simplification of election rules for all elective seats within the UIPM. 

“This Congress has been a big step forward for development with new member federations joining our global community and new innovations such as Laser Run making our sport even more accessible to the world,” said UIPM president Dr Klaus Schormann.

“The National Federations are very united in focusing on sport, education and the integration of society through sport. UIPM is committed to the IOC Agenda 2020 and to supporting the protection of the clean athletes.” 

Expansion was the main theme of the UIPM Congress 2015 as Dr Klaus Schormann, UIPM President, and Shiny Fang, Secretary General, reviewed another year of relentless progress and innovation and looked ahead to a bright future. 

“With a strong vision, with a clear understanding that change is a certainty, and with a total commitment by all the family, modern pentathlon can and will be successful in retaining and gaining on its position after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and, in fact, being considered as an essential part of the Olympic program and one of the International Federations that has adapted itself successfully to the challenges of these times,” said Secretary General Shiny Fang. 

“As we continuously improve our structures centrally and in every country, ‘expanding’ our reach is our real next frontier. The right choices in this area will make a huge difference in the lead up to Tokyo 2020, when the IOC will once again review the sports program, and in the long run, also beyond 2020.” 

UIPM delegates approved the membership of another six member nations: Bermuda, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Benin, Madagascar and Colombia. 

UIPM also became the first International Federation to express its backing for the Declaration of Support for the Olympic Charter, which was signed by Olympians representing all five continents at the inaugural World Olympians Forum organised by the World Olympians Association (WOA), in Moscow, Russia in October. 

The two-day conference also revealed the winners of the 2015 UIPM awards and named the venues for numerous future UIPM competitions.

Source: UIPM

The Macau International Marathon has been successfully hosted for thirty three years with the aim of developing local sports, strengthening friendship between people from different parts of the world and promoting sport tourism in Macau.

“With a long history rooted in the community of the city, the Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon has become one of the most popular sport events,” said Jose Tavares, President of Macau Sport Development Board of the Macau SAR Government.

“Through continuous enhancement, the event has been attracting long distance runners around the world, which raises the event profile and successfully attracts attention, locally and abroad.”

The 2015 Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon took place on the Sunday 6th December 2015, organised by the Macao Sport Development Board and the General Association of Athletics of Macau.

“As the host of the event, we are dedicated to conduct welI-rounded preparation to welcome each and every participant with warm hospitality, as we believe that ideal conditions will optimise opportunities of better results,” said Tavares.

2015 marked the tenth anniversary of the inscription of the historic centre of Macau on the World Heritage List. The Macau International Marathon once again traversed the UNESCO world heritage site, passing through the A-Ma Temple. 

The race started at the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Taipa and, for the first time, ran through the Hengqin campus of the University of Macau. 

The event coincided with the “Parade through Macau, Latin City”, creating synergistic effects between the marathon, local tourism and culture. 

“We are offering diversified programs and festive galas to sincerely welcome marathon lovers from different parts of the world,” said Alexis Tam Chon Weng, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government. 

“This year's international marathon will integrate more cultural and tourism elements and provide a diversity of choices and wonderful experiences to participants and tourists. 

“This not only demonstrates our friendliness and hospitality, but it also reflects the government's determination to establish Macau as a ‘World Centre of Tourism and Leisure’.”

Global popularity 

The Macau International Marathon continues to grow in size, with participants from 50 countries from around the world participating.  

“The number of this year's marathon runners has reached its new heights and this historical sport of long-distance running has been gaining more and more popularity around the world,” said Alexis Tam Chon Weng, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government.

“Marathon, which signifies limits, difficulties and challenges, also stands for endeavour, perseverance and triumph. And all because of the difficulties, people can fully experience the spirits of sportsmanship like righteousness, courage, honour and happiness.”

In 2015, 8,000 athletes from 50 countries and regions participated, up from a quota of 6000 the previous year. The quota for the half marathon was full on the first day of registration while the general marathon was full on the second day of registration. Managing this growth is no small task.

“In order to cater to the needs of the rising number of running lovers, the organising committee has dedicated to create better conditions and overcome difficulties in increasing the registration quota,” said Ma Lao Hang, President of General Association of Athletics of Macau.

“All members from the General Association of Athletics of Macau, race judges and staff are committed to get every aspect of the event well prepared and provide the best conditions for all participants to create remarkable records.”

The Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon is a truly global event, with former winners from Belarus, China, North Korea, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Italy, Kenya, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. 

2015 was a good year for the Ukraine in Macau, with Vitaly Shafar and Olena Shurkhno winning the men’s and women’s general marathon respectively. The total prize money, awarded for the first ten finishing athletes in the different categories, amounts to US$187,000. 

“With the number of participants being increased annually, better and better results have been made,” said Ma Lao Hang. 

“The Macau International Marathon has always been an annual major event, we will move forward with all the participants to continue the long history of the Macau International Marathon and create legends for the sport development of Macau.”

The organising committee for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games has been established five months after the election of Beijing as host city, with Guo Jinlong confirmed as president of the newly formed body.

During the 2008 Olympic Games, Guo was mayor of Beijing and executive chairman of the organising committee.

Guo said the first duty would be to review Beijing's host city contract in light of the IOC's Olympic Agenda 2020.

"We will pore over the HCC and the Olympic Agenda 2020, and review our bid commitments before we work out the roadmap and timetable," Guo was reported as saying by Xinhua News Agency.

"We shall ensure every task is accomplished.”

The organising committee, created by the city and the National Olympic Committee, will be responsible for ensuring the Games are organised successfully. Its establishment follows an Orientation Seminar that was held in early November in Beijing. 

Guo’s appointment was welcomed by IOC president Thomas Bach.

“On behalf of the International Olympic Committee, it is my great pleasure to congratulate everyone on the inauguration of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022,” he said.

“Allow me to congratulate Mr Guo Jinlong, the President of the Organising Committee.

“Beijing is making history as the first city in the world to host both the Olympic Summer Games and the Olympic Winter Games.”

Reducing the cost and increasing the sustainability of hosting the Games is a key aim of Agenda 2020. 

Using infrastructure from the 2008 Olympic Games will help Beijing to keep costs down, with a projected budget of US$1.5bn.

“The formation of the Organising Committee represents the start of an exciting journey for the entire Olympic family,” said Bach.

“This milestone is the first step on our six-year journey together to deliver brilliant Olympic Winter Games in 2022 for Beijing, for China, and for the world.”

Beijing was selected as host of the 2022 ahead of Almaty, the only other city that progressed to the candidature stage. 

The host faces challenges in managing air pollution in the city and ensuring there is enough snow in the mountain resort of  Zhangjiakou. 

According to Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked the organizers to "work harder to host a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Games”, saying city management, environmental protection, budgetary control and the appeal of winter sports in China will all need to be heightened. 

A number of Chinese dignitaries atteneded the launch of the organising committee, including Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, Beijing 2022 President Guo Jinlong, Chinese Olympic Committee President Liu Peng, Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong, Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun and Hebei Governor Zhang Qingwei. 

European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen has announced a number of measures to bring about a “cultural revolution” in athletics.

These initiatives include a review of European records, in line with the UK Athletics proposal that world records should be reset in light of ongoing doping revelations. 

“Rebuilding the reputation of athletics is likely to be the biggest job we have ever undertaken,” Hansen wrote in a statement issued to stakeholders.

“Symbolic gestures and cosmetic measures will not be sufficient, this grave and unprecedented situation calls for fundamental reform.”

“We believe a cultural revolution will be required for athletics to rebuild its reputation and bring the sport’s governance to where it needs to be.”

The reform programme includes further development of good governance structures; investing in a new mandatory anti-doping education programme, pushing IAAF and WADA to implement tougher penalties for doping offenses, developing a national anti-doping system of assessment and monitoring, and reviewing the European records, in line with the British Athletics proposal for world records.

“The recent scandals have reopened the discussion about the legitimacy of certain records in our sport. These link us to a past in which neither we nor the public can have full confidence,” said Hansen.

“Over the years different approaches for addressing this question have been proposed but the issue is very complex and so far nothing has happened. It is clear that now the situation is different.

“We will set up a special project team in the coming months to look again at what is best for the sport and possibly a new approach to records in Europe that could be an example for the IAAF and our Member Federations. 

“We will also review the lists of all past award winners, like our European Athlete of the Year or our Coaching Awards, to see if action needs to be taken. Whatever changes we make will be clearly explained so that the public can see how European Athletics is coming to terms with the realities of our sport’s past.”

An independent WADA-commissioned report, published during HOST CITY 2015 on 9 November, revealed that officials at a WADA-accredited drug testing laboratory in Moscow destroyed samples and accepted bribes to cover up positive tests. 

“Like everyone in athletics, I am gravely concerned and saddened by the recent WADA report on systemic doping in Russia, the serious corruption allegations against some former IAAF officials and the other scandals that seem to surface on a daily basis,” said Hansen.

“Although European Athletics has not been implicated in any way and these issues are not unique to athletics, the public image and reputation of our sport have been tarnished and this, of course, touches all of us.”

Hansen said European Athletics would take work with IAAF to “help Russia come back into the sport on the right terms.”

“Our philosophy will be one of “tough love” – firm, fair and respectful – but our tolerance for doping and any form of corruption must remain at zero. 

“We will also support our Member Federations that have ideas to contribute to the discussion about our sport’s future now taking place, for example the ‘Manifesto for Clean Athletics’ published by UK Athletics.”

WADA is due to release another report later this week. 

“When the second WADA report is released, we will carefully study it and any recommendations it contains. If immediate comments are called for, we will make them. Then, in light of the report, we will take our time to review the projects and proposals we have put forward and make any adjustments or additions required,” said Hansen.

Hansen endorsed the current leadership of the IAAF. “We have full confidence that IAAF President Sebastian Coe is the right man for the current challenges, and European Athletics will give him the backing and support he needs.”

Atos, the Worldwide IT Partner of the Olympic Games since 1989, has signed a contract with the Finnish Olympic Committee (FOC) that includes IT services, sponsorship of local triathlete and joint marketing initiatives until 2018. 

The Olympic Games is one of the world’s biggest IT-projects, its scope bringing special challenges to IT management systems and infrastructure. Atos has been a key technology provider for the Olympic Movement since 1989, when it provided services to the Barcelona 1992 Organising Committee, and is now delivering IT for the upcoming Rio 2016 and PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games.

“It’s great to see how the international player Atos implements the IT during the Olympic Games in Rio. We will utilize this know-how also in Finland in our own IT-projects of the Finnish Olympic team,” said Ville Köngäs, Client Manager at the Finnish Olympic Committee.

“We pursue to reach a point where our own performance in IT-related issues will raise into a totally new level enabled by Atos.”

As part of the cooperation, audiences will be able to follow the sporting life and competition preparations of ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championship silver-medalist Kaisa Lehtonen through social media channels. She will also participate in the upcoming Olympic events.

“It is great to be part of the cooperation with the Finnish Olympic Committee and Atos,” said Lehoten.  

“Through the cooperation I can see from a vantage point the big role technology has also on our athletes’ work; and on the other hand let people follow my daily life as an athlete.

“The cooperation enables me to prepare determinedly to the upcoming competitions and helps me on my way to be part of the ultimate top of the world athletes.”

Atos provides consulting & systems integration services, managed services & BPO, cloud operations, big data & cyber-security solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry.

The Group works with clients across a number of other business sectors including defence, financial services, health, manufacturing, media, utilities, public sector, retail, telecommunications and transportation.

Harri Saikkonen, Managing Director of Atos in Finland said “It is fantastic to start a local cooperation with the Finnish Olympic Committee. Being successful in sports and business has many common elements. Gold-medal achievements and succeeding in international arenas requires from companies an unconditional work ethic, at the same level as top athletes when preparing for competitions. 

“Like FOC fosters the blue-and-white performance of the athletes, we at Atos commit ourselves to empower the performance of Finnish companies into internationally 

Multi-award-winning footballer, Lionel Messi has today been announced as the first Global Ambassador for Dubai’s World Expo, taking on an international role as a champion for Expo 2020 Dubai.

Messi, who yesterday won the coveted Ballon D’Or for a record fifth time, is one of the most widely known footballers in the world. With over 80 million followers on social media, and recognition levels above 85%, by international survey respondents, he is one of the most influential players in modern football.

“Expos are all about focusing attention on issues of global interest and global concern to help imagine a better future,” said Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, Director General of Expo 2020. “What better way to do this than by recruiting allies among people who are already working towards better future outcomes?”

Expo 2020 is guided by the belief that innovation and progress are the result of people and ideas combining in new ways. Under the theme ‘Connecting Minds Creating the Future’, the international event aims to bring together hundreds of countries and millions of people to celebrate human ingenuity.

“Lionel Messi’s performances on the football pitch bring people together, and as a result his influence reaches far beyond it. He is the ideal person to be our first global ambassador. He overcame youthful health challenges to achieve his dreams of international excellence through hard work; making him an inspiration. He is perfectly placed to reach out to young people around the world, bringing them together to join us as we work towards hosting our World Expo in 2020 ” H.E. Al Hashimy explained.

Expo 2020 Global Ambassadors will be recruited from leading figures in the sports, arts, music, culture and media, as well as international thought leaders in the fields of architecture & design, science & technology, business, economics, education, philanthropy and sustainability.

Ambassadors will travel the world, talking to stakeholders to explore connections between their work and that of Expo 2020, along with potential opportunities for collaboration and engagement.

The organisers of Expo 2020 Dubai will be making further ambassadorial appointments over the coming months.

Source: https://expo2020dubai.ae

HOST CITY 2015 Conference and Exhibition drew to a close in Glasgow on Tuesday following two days of open discussions exploring the challenges and benefits of bidding for and hosting major global events.

Now in its second year, Host City has firmly established itself as the leading EU-based meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. Under the theme ‘Creative Innovation’ HOST CITY 2015 brought together a unique collection of city leaders and cross-sector rights holders, event owners, suppliers and world class-speakers in the business of major international events.

High on the agenda on the final day of the conference was the issue of sustainability and how a multi-city approach to hosting could allow events of the future to remain viable and grow by increasing their reach.

Speaking on the UEFA EURO 2020 Championships, Stewart Regan, Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association, host of four matches within the tournament, said: “As you can imagine it’s a huge logistical exercise - trying to plan for one country and several stadia is a big exercise but imagine doing that across 13 countries. 

“Planning the security, planning the logistics of moving sponsors, fans, and broadcasters around Europe - it’s a massive exercise. But the benefits of involving 13 countries, including some of the smaller countries who couldn’t host an event on their own, outweigh the challenges that the logistics present.”

Hampden Park in Glasgow will stage three UEFA Euro 2020 group stage games and one last 16 match.

Paul Bristow, Director of European Sports Championships Management argued that a multi-city approach could have sustainability benefits for future events. 

“The key word here is sustainability. We have too many white elephants,” he said. 

“We can be smarter in the way that we use existing facilities but at the same time still use major events to promote investment in sustainable new facilities that cities need. And if we can combine existing facilities in cities that will work together in partnership then I think that is a sustainable model.”

Paul Dunphy, Major Events Consultant for SportBusiness Intelligence and former Manager Event Prospecting and Bidding at Auckland Tourism Events & Economic Development said: “I think it is a long-term innovative approach. We had the Cricket World Cup in New Zealand and Australia recently and when you’re a small nation with minimal resources you need to be innovative. The [2015] Cricket World Cup was a great example of how multi-city, multi-national events are the future.”

Also under discussion was the critical question of how transport and security strategies contribute to the success of bidding for and hosting major events, including creating positive post-event legacies for cities. Malcolm Tarbitt, Executive Director – Safety and Security for the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), said: “Major sporting events are short-term initiatives that have major long-term impact and they pose a tremendous challenge to host nations in terms of their image, sovereignty and integrity.

“In the past few years the cost of hosting major sporting events has increased astoundingly, including cost of security strategies and operations plans. The threat landscape is ever changing, ever evolving and the responsibility on bidding nations and organising committees is becoming ever greater to determine, manage and defend their security plans and budgets. To mitigate this you need to involve security upfront, as early as possible and apply a holistic and integrated approach to planning.”

Other leading speakers across the two-day conference included: Sir Craig Reedie CBE, Vice President, International Olympic Committee; Louise Martin CBE, President, Commonwealth Games Federation; David Grevemberg CBE, CEO, Commonwealth Games Federation; Brian Cookson OBE, President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI); Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the Association of International Winter Sports Federations; Alexander Koch, Corporate Communications Manager for FIFA; Hidetoshi Fujisawa, Executive Director of Communication and Engagement, Tokyo 2020; Simon Clegg CBE, former COO, Baku 2015 European Games; and Ali Russell, Director of Media and Strategic Partnerships, Formula E.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has appointed Philip French as its new Director of Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport Department (PASD), to start work on 1 March.

A British national, French is joining the IOC from the England and Wales Cricket Board where, as Director of Public Policy and International Relations, he was responsible for overseeing the organisation’s strategic development in public affairs and managing key external relationships.

The IOC says it has developed a comprehensive programme using sport as a tool for local socio-economic development and for humanitarian assistance. 

“The PASD is central in defining the strategies for the development and implementation of such grassroots and peace projects around the world, as well as for advocating for the integration of sport and physical activity in national and international policies and programmes,” the IOC said in a statement.

“It is also responsible for fostering partnerships with a wide range of organisations specialised in development and humanitarian aid, including the agencies of the United Nations (UN) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in a bid to build a better world through sport.”

Before working at the England and Wales Cricket Board, Philip French held the position of Chief Adviser on Sport at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom government. With responsibilities ranging from grassroots and elite athlete funding ahead of the Olympic Games London 2012, the National Lottery, broadcasting and gambling, French led on drafting and delivering the government’s key strategic policies on behalf of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Mr French was previously Chief Executive of Supporter Trusts, a British non-profit organisation which aims to provide a platform for fans to influence the running of their clubs, and Director of Public Policy at Premier League, where he had responsibility for public affairs, corporate communications and community development. He previously wrote for the Guardian newspaper and was a consultant to UEFA in the UK.

A graduate in Economics with Government of the London School of Economics and Political Science, Philip French has acquired over his career extensive experience in public affairs, international relations, community development and stakeholder management. He is very well acquainted with the world of sport, from both the media and management sides, and will be a valuable addition to the IOC’s team of directors.

A fan of athletics, football, cricket and tennis, Mr French is also involved in a number of grassroots and charity projects.

A number of high profile figures have confirmed to speak at the Association of Global Event Management (AGES) 2016 annual event, which takes place in St. Augustine, Florida, USA on 29 February and 1 March. 

Internationally recognised figures speaking at the conference on day one of the event include: Gilbert Felli, IOC’s Senior Olympic Games Advisor; 

Jerry Anderson, founder and Senior Principal of Populous; John Baker, VP Games Overlay and Broadcast Integration, Toronto 2015, José Quiñones González, President of the Peruvian Olympic Committee and Member of the board COPAL 2019 (Pan Am and ParaPan Am Games 2019, Lima) and Patrick D. Sandusky, Chief External Affairs Officer, United States Olympic Committee. 

AGES has also announced that former Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli is now an Honorary Member of AGES. 

According to AGES, a large majority of its members, associate members and partners have confirmed their presence at our event. 

AGES also announced that its membership is growing, with two new members joining recently: Pro Construction, a market leader in Poland and that delivers event infrastructure works at international level, and Unitec Systems, a leading event supplier in Korea specialising in seating. 

The AGES 2016 event is hosted by CAT ES, an AGES member and leading supplier of temporary power.

The second day of the event will include presentations from AGES partners EY and SOS Global, as well as working group activities. 

One working group is developing a state-of-the art contract template for the delivery of overlay works while another is elaborating a table showing temporary import and export provisions for all major large events until 2020. 

AGES members ES Global, GL events, Nüssli and MTD have delegated experts to these working groups. AGES says it will focus on finding suitable industry partners in the area of technology and sustainability in 2016. 

For more information visit www.ages.international

The challenges for guaranteeing safety at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the biggest sporting event on the planet, are plentiful, with around 15,000 athletes representing 206 countries and the majority of action concentrated in just one city. 

However, certain aspects receive special attention from the Brazilian Federal Government, as revealed by Andrei Rodrigues, special safety secretary at the Ministry for Justice for major events.

“We have implemented the Integrated Anti-Terrorism Centre, a specific body of police, law enforcement and intelligence, to increase the exchange of information, training and knowledge,” he told rio2016.com. “Police from several countries are working with us, mutual cooperation between countries is vital.”

In 2015, Brazil sent around 100 police officers abroad to learn about the best practices at large international events, including the Boston and Berlin marathons, the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing, the Baku 2015 European Games, the Tour de France and the UN General Assembly.

“We’re going to bring 10,000 officers from the National Force to Rio. And we’ll have almost 5,000 federal police officers from other parts of Brazil,” he said.

Rodrigues is in charge of a body of over 47,000 Brazilian security professionals who will work intensely during August and September. Added to this will be 38,000 members of the armed services, meaning the security operations around the Rio 2016 Games will be the largest in Brazilian history. Thus, Rodrigues maintains full confidence in Rio de Janeiro remaining free from terrorist attacks.

“Brazil is prepared. We have hosted a series of events which have not taken place in any other place, which has allowed us to advance and progress with each step taken”

The vision of the Brazilian Government also involves efforts to make Rio de Janeiro safer as a whole, not only the areas surrounding the Olympic venues. “We cannot think about staging the Games if the city as a whole isn’t safe,” said Rodrigues. “A very large effort is underway to maintain safety on a daily basis.”

With attention focused on Rio de Janeiro, the government promises to be attentive to security in other cities and regions (and not only the football co-host cities). 

“There will probably be an increase in tourism in other places. The Games will signify reinforcement in security, wherever that may be,” Rodrigues said.

Source: rio2016.com