Members of the Commission recently completed a visit to the country to check on progress ahead of the event. In addition to touring competition venues, the visiting party also observed presentations from a number of BEGOC representatives.

“There is a fantastic team here in Baku and this visit has given us an opportunity to meet many of the new members of staff who are all working hard to make the inaugural European Games a world-class event,” Commission chairman Spyros Capralos said.

“Significant work has been achieved over the past year and a half and the continued efforts to innovate, particularly with regards the sports programme, is very impressive.”

The programme for the Games has been wrapped up, with the martial art of sambo being added to complete the 20-sport schedule.

Capralos added: “The European Games will make history for European sport and it is vital that BEGOC continues its excellent progress in preparing for Europe’s first continental multi-sport Games.”

During the visit, BEGOC chief executive Azad Rahimov, who is also Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports, officially opened the new Baku 2015 headquarters.

“We can sense the growing levels of excitement and anticipation here in Baku,” he said. “We are confident that each and every venue at next year’s Games will host enthusiastic fans enjoying the experience of elite European sport.”

In June, the European Olympic Committees’ president, Patrick Hickey, described the “scale and pace of development” in Baku as “remarkable”.

The European Olympic Committees Coordination Commission will make its final visit to Baku to check on preparations in February 2015.

The Games will run from June 12 to June 28 next year.

UCI president Brian Cookson told French daily newspaper l’Equipe that the governing body would not renew the four-year contract with Global Cycling Promotion, which promotes the event, beyond this year’s season finale from October 10-14.

The newspaper said that the race is worth about €500,000 ($640,000) to the UCI every year, but Cookson added: “There are other opportunities for financial returns.

“The main thing is that we believe that we do not intend to be a major organiser of cycling races. It is the function of others. Ours is to grow the sport and help its components.”

Beijing became Asia’s first event on the WorldTour calendar in 2011.

Cookson added that the UCI had been in talks with Global Cycling Promotion “for some time”, but added: “They have other goals and want to do different things. We too want to do something different.”

In confirming the calendar for the 2015 WorldTour at its annual meeting in Ponferrada, Spain, the UCI announced that the series would once again start with the Tour Down Under in Australia in January before travelling to Europe in March, starting with Paris-Nice in France.

The schedule will conclude in early October with the Giro di Lombardia in Italy, with the absence of the Tour of Beijing being the only major change to the calendar in comparison with this year.

“As we are getting close to the last two events in the 2014 UCI WorldTour, Il Lombardia and the Tour of Beijing, we can all reflect on what has been a fantastic season which demonstrated some tangible proof of the global growth of the UCI WorldTour,” Cookson added.

“We are convinced that the UCI WorldTour has now entered a new and exciting era.”

The State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has joined Proctor and Gamble, Tissot, BP and Nar Mobile as the fifth official partner of the Baku 2015 European Games. 

The deal will see Baku 2015 European Games branding on every SOCAR forecourt and outlet across the country to raise awareness of the event.

“The majority of tickets will go to local people; that’s a big challenge,” said Charlie Wijeratna, commercial director at Baku 2015 in an exclusive interview that will be published in the autumn issue of HOST CITY magazine. 

“Shifting tickets to people for sports they’ve never historically paid to watch before, you need great local marketing partners.”

SOCAR, which employs more than 60,000 people, will also help to promote the Games through a marketing campaign in four other European countries, including Switzerland, Georgia, Romania and Ukraine.

Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports and CEO of Baku 2015, said “The European Games is an opportunity to promote Azerbaijan to the rest of the world and to have the backing of such a highly valued international company is of vital importance.”

SOCAR have a long standing association with major sporting bodies and events, including the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan. It is also sponsoring the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship in France.

Mr Rovnag Abdullayev, President of SOCAR, said “Sponsorships across sport are a very significant point for us, and SOCAR is honoured to be associated with such an exciting moment in the history of the country.”

The European Games takes place in Baku from 12 – 28 June 2015, featuring 20 sports and 6,000 athletes.

 “As we continue to count down the days until the beginning of the European Games, it gives us great confidence to know that many major Azerbaijani businesses are backing our efforts to create an innovative event that will unite Europe through sport,” said Simon Clegg, Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015.

“We are very pleased with how the sponsorship programme has gone,” Wijeratna told HOST CITY.

Rio 2016 said that the strategy would allow the event to be “open to everyone”, with a total of 7.5 million tickets set to go on sale covering 717 different competition sessions in 28 sports, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

About 3.8 million tickets will be priced at R70 or less, with the cheapest ticket costing R40.

Tickets for the ‘super final’ athletics events and the men’s volleyball final at the historic Maracana stadium (pictured), as well as the beach volleyball finals at the Copacabana and the men’s basketball final at the Barra complex, will be available from a starting price of R350, rising to R1,200.

Opening ceremony tickets will cost between R200 and R4,600.

The full ticketing programme will be disclosed alongside the competition schedule in November, when fans will be able to register their interest in particular sports and receive tailored news updates via email.

The first of two ticketing draws for Brazilian residents will take place in March 2015 before non-Brazilian residents will be able to buy tickets from later in the year before a second worldwide phase in January 2016 is conducted on a first-come-first-served basis online.

Earlier this month, Eventim was selected as Rio 2016’s ticketing services provider following an international tender process.

The company has previous Olympic experience having served the 2006 and 2014 winter Games, in Turin, Italy and Sochi, Russia, respectively. 

Eventim said: “In its partnership with Rio 2016, Eventim will continue to contribute to the Olympic and Paralympic movement by providing a robust, state-of-the-art ticketing platform, building on those which have been delivered for Torino 2006 and Sochi 2014 and embracing technological and operational know-how.”

A group of 40 female footballers, including some of the biggest names in the women’s game such as the US’s Abby Wambach, Germany’s Nadine Angerer and Brazil’s Fabiana Da Silva Simoes, will file a lawsuit against Fifa and the Canadian Soccer Association on the decision to stage the tournament on the surface.

The players have claimed that the decision to force the teams to play on artificial turf is discriminatory as the men’s World Cup has always been played on grass. The complainants have also suggested that artificial turf can increase the risk of injuries and, on a basic playing level, can alter the traditional bounce and trajectory of the football.

Hampton Dellinger, the US law firm representing the group of players, set a deadline of September 26 for Fifa to open a dialogue with the complainants on the issue, but the governing body appears to be determined to press ahead with its plans.

“We play on artificial turf and there's no Plan B,” Tatjana Haenni, Fifa’s deputy director of the competitions division and head of women's competitions, told the Associated Press news agency.

“(There are) no plans to change that decision. I can't answer if that is fair but that is the way it is going to be. It is according to the competition regulations. It is according to laws of the game so all matches will be on artificial turf.”

Haenni is part of a Fifa delegation on a tour of the host cities of Ottawa, Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Moncton.

Hampton Dellinger said earlier this week: “A lawsuit is a last resort but one that unfortunately appears necessary and will be initiated in coming days. As the already drafted legal papers demonstrate, the players and their attorneys are prepared to put before a judge what we believe is a clear - and very unfortunate - case of gender discrimination.

“The discriminatory proposal of Fifa and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) to stage the 2015 Women’s World Cup on artificial turf, coupled with their refusal to discuss ways to fix the mistake, have left the players with no choice. It is now time to ask the courts to stop Fifa and CSA from forcing elite athletes to compete under game-changing, dangerous and demeaning conditions. World-class games cannot take place on second-class surfaces.”

Speaking at last month’s Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester, Fifa Executive Committee members acknowledged that the governing body must become more communicative, to help improve its reputation.

Canada will host an expanded Women’s World Cup next year, with the number of teams growing from 16 to 24, increasing the number of matches from 32 to 52.

In a marked contrast to its previous assessment, the IOC coordination commission has left Rio de Janeiro confident that Games preparations are back on track. 

Over three days, the monitoring authority noted crucial improvements to venue works, public engagement and the support and coordination of the government. However, the timeframes for finishing construction and accommodation are particularly pressing, the commission observed. 

“We leave Rio satisfied with the progress that has been made since our visit last March,” said Nawal El Moutawakel, chair of the commission. “We remain confident that, despite a very tight schedule, our Brazilian partners will deliver successful Games.” 

The commission scrutinised the construction of venues and hotels particularly closely during the visit. “Although the schedule remains tight, the Rio team clearly demonstrated that they had the situation under control, with good progress being made,” the IOC said in a statement.

“Accommodation was always going to be a challenge with the large number of hotels that have to be built ahead of the Games, but very clear and reassuring information was provided to the Commission that the 68 new hotels under construction were on track.”

Moutawakel said “As we enter the final two years of preparations, we are able to see that the core works are progressing at full speed, particularly in venue construction, where we have been receiving solid development reports. We were also able to see first-hand the advancements being made, during our venue tour on Tuesday.”

The commission visited the Olympic Golf Course, the Olympic Village, the Deodoro Olympic Park, and the Barra Olympic Park, where they were joined by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. 

“The strong commitment of the Brazilian authorities to the success of the Rio 2016 Games has been underlined to us by the presence of President Rousseff during our visit to the Olympic Park yesterday,” said Moutawakel. 

Other government partners that met with the IOC commission included Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo, Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão, and General Fernando Azevedo E Silva from the Olympic Public Authority (APO). 

The commission heard that five times more was being invested in city development projects than in venue construction, with three bus rapid transit lines, a new metro, improved sanitation system coverage, better flood control, a city operations centre, and the regeneration of the city’s port area underway.

Despite the country’s descent into recession this year, the coordination commission was told that a large part of Games and civic infrastructure projects are being financed by private funds. 

"With the IOC's guidance and the help of our sponsors, we have the confidence we need,” said Carlos Nuzman, president of the Rio 2016 organising committee. “It is very rewarding when we look around and see our partners from the city, state and federal governments, building the Games with us."

The commission was also encouraged by marketing activities. “Rio 2016 has begun to engage in earnest with the public this winter and we were able to take stock of what has already been done,” said Moutawakel. “We were pleased to hear that this engagement will continue with upcoming events like ticket sign-up, mascot launch, the Cultural Olympiad and test events.”

The IOC statement described the test event schedule, which will feature more than 40 events in 2015 and early 2016, as “ambitious”, noting that the organising committee is “advancing full speed ahead towards these events”.

The first visit of the IOC Coordination Commission - headed by four-time Olympian and IOC member Frank Fredericks - concluded on Sunday with the local organising committee (BAYOGOC) presenting its plans to bring sport to the inner city, in particular the 2.6 million young people residing in Buenos Aires.

Fredericks said: “Under the expert guidance of CEO Leandro Larrosa, the organisers have really understood the true spirit of the Youth Olympic Games – to put young people at its heart. Thanks to the close cooperation Buenos Aires 2018 has with the all levels of government and the Argentinian Olympic Committee (AOC), the organisation has made impressive headway with strong foundation plans already underway. With its world-famous passion for sport and culture, we truly believe that Buenos Aires will deliver a phenomenal Youth Olympic Games.”

The IOC said “significant progress” has been made on the venue masterplan with a proposed four-cluster concept grouping the sports in a compact framework. In a bid to reflect the culture and spirit of the city, Buenos Aires 2018 has put forward a festival-style concept to feature in each cluster.

Taking inspiration from the ‘Sports Lab’ inaugurated at this year’s edition of the Games in the Chinese city of Nanjing, these festivals will not only showcase and offer sporting experiences to the visitors, but will also provide family entertainment and cultural activities.

Three major development projects will get underway in 2015 including tenders out for the athletics and aquatic venues and the construction of the Youth Olympic Village (YOV) which will begin early next year.

The YOV will be situated in the south of the city, an area of Buenos Aires targeted by the local government in need of urban development. From the YOV, 65 per cent of the athletes will be able to walk to their competition venues. In addition, with the recent launch of the city’s metro-bus link, the IOC said that “excellent” transport links are already in place.

The IOC also said Buenos Aires 2018 has already made “fast progress” by not only discussing the project with the national federations, but using their time in Nanjing this summer to meet with almost all of the international federations to present their preliminary proposals for sport competitions. 

Larrosa added: “This is a life-changing project, not only for young athletes, but for future generations in Argentina and we are happy in the knowledge that the IOC Coordination Commission will be by our side to guide us throughout this exciting process. There is a great social legacy we want to achieve with this Games, we want to get all our kids into sport and inspire kids around the world to do the same.”

Buenos Aires was awarded the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in July 2013. The city beat Colombian city Medellin by 49 to 39 in the second round of voting by IOC members. In the first round, Scottish city Glasgow was eliminated after getting only 13 votes, compared to 40 for Buenos Aires and 32 for Medellin.

At Securing Sport 2014 on Monday, the International Centre for Sports Security (ICSS) hosted a special closed doors meeting attended by sports ministers and leaders of international organisations, who agreed to take steps to prevent the growing threat of corruption in sports.

The ICSS also announced a partnership with UNESCO the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to safeguard sport against the “unprecedented threat” from corruption, match-fixing and sport betting fraud. 

Ministers at the private meeting came from Portugal, Singapore, Cape Verde and Angola, joined by representatives of UNESCO, the Council of Europe, WADA, Commonwealth Secretariat and OECD.

The participants agreed on the importance of following up on and implementing international conventions and instruments such as the Declaration of Berlin and the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.

“Sport is now under threat in a way unprecedented in its history and the response to these threats must be united, international, and bold,” said ICSS president Mohammed Hanzab. 

“This special ministerial forum was another important step in engaging key countries and regions, international experts and sport ministers and ensuring that protecting the integrity of sport continues to stay high on the agenda.

“Securing Sport 2014 has today gathered individuals with the power, will, and determination to see that international sport moves in the right direction in the future.”

According to the ICSS, the ministerial meeting highlighted a desire to implement education programs and capacity building initiatives, to support countries and regions to assist them in creating national integrity platforms, and to work together to create programmes to preserve the integrity of sport.

Under the agreement with UNESCO, ICSS will host around around 100 government officials, technical experts and leaders in sport at a “special technical meeting” in Doha in the first half of 2015. This will be the first time international experts have met to implement the detailed recommendations on the manipulation of sport competitions outlined within the ‘Declaration of Berlin’.

“This meeting of international experts will play an important part in the ICSS’s drive to mobilise international efforts and enhance the integrity and credibility of sport,” said Hanzab.

Hailed as a ‘beacon for future national and international sports policy’, the Declaration of Berlin was adopted by 600 participants from 121 countries at the 5th UNESCO World Sport Ministers Conference (MINEPS V) in May 2013. It seeks to improve and enhance international cooperation between governments and all other sport stakeholders on issues of access, investment and integrity of sport.

In particular, the Declaration of Berlin calls for better sports governance and a zero-tolerance policy against doping and the manipulation of sports competitions, as well as greater collaboration to detect, prevent and monitor such manipulation.

“We are all custodians of sport and we owe it to every athlete and sport fan to protect its integrity and credibility so we can nurture the next generation of sports leaders,” said Hanzab.

Security and good governance are key themes of HOST CITY Bid to Win conference. To find out more about best practice in major events, register for HOST CITY Bid to Win and join ICSS director general Helmut Spahn and many more experts on 28th October.

Morocco, which is scheduled to hold the tournament from January 17 to February 8, had asked CAF for a postponement due to the increasingly critical situation, particularly in Western Africa.

Several countries have imposed restrictions or monitoring systems for flights arriving from countries affected by the virus, with more than 4,000 people having died since the start of the year.

Hamid Faridi, an adviser to Moroccan Sports Minister Mohammed Ouzzine, told Atlantic Radio on Saturday that Ebola was “a major health problem” and added: “The overall interest of Morocco, Moroccan and African citizens, counts above all.

“Morocco drew up its request on the basis of very serious health recommendations. We cannot, in any case, move towards taking a risk. The principle of precaution must prevail.”

CAF said: “CAF has registered the request and wishes to state that there are no changes of the schedules of its competitions and events. It must be noted that since the first edition in 1957, the Africa Cup of Nations has never witnessed a deferral or a change in schedule.

“CAF has also been cautious since the commencement of the final round qualifiers of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2015 on the health risks posed by the Ebola virus and has consistently applied precautionary principles, taking into account the recommendations of the World Health Organisation and various medical experts.”

CAF did say that the matter would be discussed at its next executive committee meeting on November 2, with further talks planned with the local organisers in Rabat, one of the tournament’s host cities, on the following day. CAF has placed an indefinite ban on Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea from hosting games.

In September, Guinea was one of three countries to be awarded hosting rights for future editions of the competition. In July, the Seychelles forfeited a home qualifier against Sierra Leone due to Ebola fears.

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said that the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) is considering the Oceanian country as a destination for at least one game during the next edition of its showpiece national team competition as it seeks to expand into new markets. 

In February, the RLIF confirmed that Australia and New Zealand would co-host the 2017 World Cup, choosing the joint bid over a rival pitch from South Africa, which has never hosted the tournament.

The RLIF said that the Australia/New Zealand bid was selected as the one with the greatest chance of success in providing more compelling games in front of large crowds.

Four pools will make up the tournament with the Australia and New Zealand national teams being based in their home countries. Negotiations are taking place to have Papua New Guinea as a third host but the RLIF is also said to be considering Fiji for this role in a bid to further the development of the sport in the region.

Andrew Hill, general manager of league integration and game development for Australian league the NRL, said: “Part of our bid to the international federation was to look at how we could assist the broader rugby league strategy in the Pacific. Papua New Guinea have expressed an interest in hosting a game or games. 

“We've begun discussions with the Sports Minister of Papua New Guinea and over the next couple of months we'll get into more detail. We've had a couple of preliminary discussions. It's got past general chat. It's now about the logistics and the contribution Papua New Guinea would need to make to hosting a match of that status.”

Papua New Guinea competed in the 2013 World Cup, but failed to win any of its three group games. However, there is a significant interest in the sport in the country and Hill believes the infrastructure is suitable for involvement in the 2017 tournament.

“Teams who have come here have been very complimentary with the way in which everything has worked,” Hill added. “At the back of the Pacific Games and the Papua New Guinea Games being held this year and next year, there will be infrastructure built that would be appropriate to host World Cup games.”