[Source: ASOIF] At its first meeting of 2021, the Council of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) today agreed to organise its General Assembly virtually on 8 June, due to the ongoing global pandemic. This year’s annual gathering of the ASOIF member federations will feature the election of three Council members.

During its virtual meeting, the Council agreed on proposing to the General Assembly amendments to the ASOIF statues, aimed at improving gender balance within the representation of International Federation (IF) delegates at the General Assembly. The draft wording states that if any member federation intends to send the maximum number of three delegates to the ASOIF General Assembly, then both genders must be represented.

In another move to continuously enforce good governance, the ASOIF Council discussed arrangements for the fourth ASOIF review of IF governance and endorsed the launch of a pilot study on organisational culture within IFs.

ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said on this occasion: “It’s important to have rules and regulations in place, but we all know that the behaviour and actions of people play a large role in how an organisation really functions. Our new pilot study on organisational culture is a complex exercise but we are convinced that the outcomes will be highly beneficial to our member federations.”

The Council also reviewed the latest developments in the final preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and welcomed the COVID-19 countermeasures “Playbooks”, which also lay out the framework for IF operations at Games-time. ASOIF and its member IFs remain fully committed to delivering successful and safe Games in Tokyo. Everybody is working hard to find practical and fair solutions regarding the Olympic qualification process.

With the pandemic having accelerated the interest and participation in virtual simulations of IF sports and disciplines, the Council endorsed an esports project to explore strategic and business options for all IFs to engage with gaming/esports.

Finally, the Council welcomed the recent views expressed by the European Commission in support of the European Model of Sport. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted sport’s important contribution to society in social, health and economic terms as well as the need for solidarity within the sports movement. The Council stressed that the fundamental elements of the European Model of Sport – solidarity, revenue redistribution and sport autonomy – should be protected and that the public authorities should be mindful of the third-party sport event promoters’ impact on the European Model of Sport.

[Source: FIFA] Following their initial appointment last year to lead the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ office in their respective host countries, Jane Fernandez has now been named as the COO for Australia, with Jane Patterson being officially appointed as the COO for New Zealand.

Jane Fernandez led Football Australia’s successful joint bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and was subsequently appointed as Head of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Office (Australia). In addition, she was Head of Sport for the Australian Olympic Committee and Tournament Director of the AFC Asian Cup 2015.

Jane Patterson has worked on sports events across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and the UK, including a wide range of world championships in netball, BMX, para-swimming and taekwondo and major events including the Ironman Triathlon and the New Zealand Open golf tournament. She was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016 in recognition of her achievements in service to sport and worked for New Zealand Football as Project Director for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

Speaking about the announcement FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said: “Today’s announcement adds to the excitement around the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. We are delighted to welcome Jane Patterson and Jane Fernandez on board as Chief Operating Officers for the competition. Their skill, experience in leading multi-talented teams and passion for football will be key to ensuring the delivery of the FIFA Women’s World Cup at the highest level.”

James Johnson, Football Australia Chief Executive Officer, added: “We are delighted that Jane Fernandez has been appointed to this prestigious and important position, and that her vast knowledge and skillset will continue to be utilised by FIFA for the biggest sporting event to be held on Australian soil since Sydney 2000.”

Andrew Pragnell, CEO of New Zealand Football said: “New Zealand Football are thrilled to see Jane Patterson confirmed as Chief Operating Officer (New Zealand) for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. Jane has done a stellar job to date as Project Director for the Initial Operating Phase and we are delighted to see her continue to bring her wealth of knowledge and experience to the tournament.”

As part of their new roles, the newly-appointed COOs will oversee the operational aspects of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.

In 2023, the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be co-hosted for the first time in FIFA’s history across two confederations. In addition, the number of teams participating will increase from 24 at the eighth edition of the competition in France 2019, to 32 in 2023. 

Recruitment has also started for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role for the tournament. Details have been posted on the careers section of FIFA.com and on the Football Australia and New Zealand Football websites.

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships has appointed Susan Murrin, Pamela Brockett and Rob Arbuthnot to its team in the roles of Head of Operations, Head of Sport Delivery and Head of Marketing and Communications respectively.

Each will work alongside their respective Directors and the Championships Event Partners and stakeholders to design and deliver the event as well as its wider ambition of supporting meaningful societal change across Scotland.

Susan joins the team with 15 years of major event experience having worked across the full range of operational requirements at events including at the World Rowing Championships, FIS Snowboard World Cups, London 2017 World Athletics Championships and the Glasgow 2018 European Championships. Most recently, Susan led the Championships Services team at the Yorkshire 2019 UCI Road Cycling World Championships.

For more than 10 years, Pamela has played a key role in developing Glasgow’s reputation as a world-leading event city as part of the Glasgow Life team, using her exceptional event management skills to deliver an annual portfolio of events and one-off major projects. This includes a roster of national, European and UCI Cycling World Championships and over six years’ experience of operating at a leadership level within a major multi-sport event environment, including the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the inaugural 2018 European Championships. 

Having spent the last 10 years at Red Bull, Rob will bring a wealth of experience in leading world-class marketing activations across consumer goods, media and live experiences. Whilst in the Brand Team, he was responsible for leading and delivering some of Red Bull's most successful cycling event campaigns and activations, including Red Bull Hardline, Red Bull Timelaps and Red Bull Million Mile commute campaign, which encouraged the nation to get on their bike and, through pedal power, commute 1 Million Miles.

Trudy Lindblade, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships CEO, said: “I’m delighted to have Susan, Pamela and Rob joining the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships team. The appointment of the three Heads of Department is another key step forward as we look to deliver this historic event and build a blueprint for future editions. 

“The Championships is more than just an event. In addition to delivering a great event for athletes and spectators our aim is for it to also be a catalyst for change across Scotland by supporting ideas and opportunities that help more people to ride bikes more often. Alongside the rest of the team, Susan, Pamela and Rob will ensure this ambition for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships is realised.”  

Susan will take up her role on 1 March while start dates for Pamela and Rob are currently being finalised.

Taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland in August 2023, the UCI Cycling World Championships will be the single biggest cycling event in history bringing together thousands of cyclists around 13 of cycling's existing UCI World Championships into one mega event for the first time.

The Championships is more than just an event. It will celebrate the unique power of the bike and all it can bring to our everyday lives, whether it’s physical and mental health benefits, easing congestion on the road to help the environment, or simply making it easier for people to get around.

The Championships is being delivered in collaboration between cycling’s governing body the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), Scottish Government, Glasgow Life, UK Sport, British Cycling and VisitScotland with its EventScotland team, with the partnership creating a blueprint for future editions by ensuring the inaugural event is authentic, innovative and distinctive.

[Source: Interkultur] The 12th World Choir Games 2022 in Gangneung, Republic of Korea, are making us dream of a bright future: Singing and celebrating at a wonderful destination surrounded by beautiful coast and mountains with a treat of real Olympic air through the Olympic Park and ICE Arena, which tell us about the time of Winter Olympics in 2018.

In order to help you making this dream reality we have recently published a new loyalty package which grants you additional discounts for registrations until May 5, 2021: the more World Choir Games participations you had since 2012, the greater benefits you’ll receive. But that’s not all: On top of this we will give you a free city sightseeing tour, a voucher for your scores and even professional pictures from your choir on stage.

You didn’t join a World Choir Games with your choir yet? No problem, also new choirs will receive a little discount, if they register for the World Choir Games 2022 until May 5.

And no worries, we don’t need the full registration documents until that date. All you have to send to us is the

• Full Registration forms , except repertoire (this can be submitted later with sheet music)*
• Registration fee
• Photo of your choir*
• Short biography of your choir
• Recording of your choir in mp3 format

(*the number of participants and final travel dates in the registration form as well as your official choir photo can of course be updated at a later stage)

What are you waiting for? Check out all the details at www.wcg2022.com! You will find the specific information in the section “Registration” after you have chosen your country from the list.

[Source: Commonwealth Games Federation] David Grevemberg will be leaving his role as Chief Executive Officer at the Commonwealth Games Federation on 5 March.

David has served in this position since November 2014 following his tenure at the helm of the successful Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

During this time, David worked to help transform the Federation’s focus from quadrennial oversight of its major Games to a dynamic, strategic Movement focused on legacy, impact and community benefit.

In 2015, David oversaw the development and launch of the organisation’s strategic plan, Transformation 2022, as well as its refresh in 2019, following extensive consultations across the Federation’s governance, management and global network of members and stakeholders.

This ambitious plan has informed and directed the priorities and activities of the Federation over a period of significant evolution, and David has worked diligently to deliver on this vision.

As part of Transformation 2022, David has passionately led on the recognition of the role of human rights in sport and tirelessly championed initiatives focused on social justice, impact, equality, diversity and inclusion.

Leading a dedicated team, he has successfully supported the Host Cities and Organising Committees of the Samoa 2015 and Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, and Australia’s 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

The Federation will now begin the process of recruiting for a new CEO.

Dame Louise Martin said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank David for his work, energetic advocacy, and strong commitment to our Movement and leaving the Federation well positioned for Birmingham 2022.

David is a visionary and energetic advocate of the power of sport and its ability to enhance and transform lives.”

David Grevemberg said: “I have had the privilege of working in the Commonwealth Sport Movement for over a decade; including six years as CEO of the Federation.

I am enormously proud of the work that we have achieved and continue to drive through our strategy, Transformation 2022, which has always been delivered in ambitious partnership with our team, our leadership and our passionate global network of members and Commonwealth athletes.

Together we have transformed the vision, mission and impact of our Movement, and it has been an honour to play my small part in building peaceful, sustainable and prosperous communities across the Commonwealth through sport.

The upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham are tracking positively and I am confident will be another milestone event for the movement.

After much reflection, I feel that now is the right moment to pass the baton. This will give a successor time to support and experience next year’s Games in Birmingham and plan and oversee the next significant phase of the Federation’s history, post-Transformation 2022.”

Host City wishes David and the CGF well. Watch David Grevemberg chairing the discussion on The Impact of the Black Lives Matter with Densign White and Brian Lewis at Host City 2020

Host City 2021, the world’s largest meeting of cities and sports business events, will take place on 7-8 December in Glasgow with a global, hybrid format that will maximise participation from all regions of the world.

Scotland and Glasgow will host the global event for the 7th consecutive year. Host City 2021 will build on the phenomenal success of last year’s first digital edition, combining face-to-face action at Glasgow’s Technology & Innovation Centre with online connectivity.

The global, hybrid Host City 2021 will be preceded by two regional, digital events: Host City Americas and Host City Asia, set for 30 June and 14 April respectively.

Host City 2021 will also feature online sessions timed for Asian and American participation. The combination of physical and digital elements over an expanded timeframe will take Host City to more of the world than ever before, while enabling the physical content and networking in Glasgow for which Host City is renowned.

Host City 2021 is supported by EventScotland, Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council.

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland Director of Events, said: "EventScotland has a strong connection with Host City, having been a supporter of the conference since its inception in 2014, and we are delighted to be welcoming it back to Scotland and Glasgow for the 7th consecutive year.

"Host City is always a great opportunity for the major events sector to come together and share best practice, and the global hybrid format for this year's conference will ensure attendees, whether they are there in person or online, are able to learn and share knowledge as we continue to navigate through the new normal.

"Events are a force for good and we look forward to working with the Host City team to deliver a conference that ensures a bright future for all events."

Councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life and Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “As a proud supporter of Host City, we’re delighted to welcome the event back to Glasgow for the seventh year in a row.

“As a leading host city for festivals and events, Glasgow has keenly felt the impact of Covid-19, and seeing how well last year’s Host City event was delivered on a digital platform was hugely encouraging and the global feedback was fantastic.

“We look forward to working with the Host City team once again to ensure that 2021’s event is even bigger and better than previous iterations, and to share best practice with our colleagues across the world as we all work to create the best possible future for events.”

Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director of Host City said: “Since the first Host City event in 2014, we have staged continually growing physical events, two Asian editions, and last December we reached our biggest ever audience by going online for the first time.

“2021 represents a tremendous opportunity to combine all these elements and present the greatest platform for of cities and sports, business and cultural events to participate in a way that works best for them, whether that is meeting in person in Glasgow or participating online on the other side of the world.

“The digital regional events – the third Host City Asia and the first Host City Americas – will also play a huge part in bringing our community together, enabling stakeholders in major events the world over to share best practice and set the global agenda.”

For more information contact ben.avison@hostcity.com or adam.soroka@cavendishgroup.co.uk

It might not feel like it right now, but sport event rights holders are extremely fortunate. They have access to a wide range of revenue streams: broadcasting and city hosting rights, ticket sales, sponsorship and public funding. For the last twenty years these streams flowed ever faster, until the age of social distancing and staying at home blocked many of these lifelines.

With loyal customers and packed calendars of events, sports organisations rarely felt the need to save up for a rainy day. Few could have envisaged a black swan like Covid-19 preventing them from serving their loyal customers or paying their bills.

While some organisations have been able to stage events through the pandemic, they have tended to lack audiences to sell tickets to – and not all sports have a level of broadcast reach that can make up for this shortfall. This means most rights holders are now under intense pressure. And one person’s loss is another’s gain.

“Private equity companies are circling due to Covid,” says Andy Westlake, Chairman of the European Sponsorship Association. “A lot of rights holders will go over the cliff if they don’t get investment.”

The most popular sports have attracted ownership from high net worth individuals for decades, but institutional investment in teams is a relatively new phenomenon. “They were once seen as risky ventures that wouldn’t get past an investment committee – this has changed,” says Nic Couchman, Head of Sport at international law practice Charles Russell Speechlys (CRS).

Private equity investment in sports federations

Private investment in international sports federations is also on the rise. One of the earliest adopters was the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), which set up World Snooker in 2002 as a self-perpetuating commercial model to fund the not-for-profit WPBSA. 

“Private equity is very interesting to sport right now," says Jason Ferguson, Chairman of the WPBSA and Director of World Snooker Ltd. "International federations can do things differently; many are not running as proper businesses.”

Much more recently, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) set up World Table Tennis as a new commercial arm. “Establishing World Table Tennis as the rights holder has enabled us to get equity, which has positioned us well through the pandemic,” says Matt Pound, Director of World Table Tennis.

The latest federation to buoy its governance function with a commercial arm is the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), which at the start of February 2021 announced the launch of Volleyball World with backing from private equity giant CVC Capital Partners.

Rugby is also attracting a wave of private investment. CVC, having invested £200m in a 27% share of Premiership Rugby in 2018, is now closing in on a major investment into the Six Nations. Meanwhile, Silver Lake have reportedly offered US$330m for 15% stake in New Zealand Rugby.

The sport’s international federation, World Rugby, has been relatively fortunate in that the cycle of its World Cup events have so far avoided being impacted by Covid. The men’s event in Japan in 2019 broke attendance and viewing records despite Typhoon Hagibis, while the largely Covid-free New Zealand hosts are expected to fill stadiums in 2021.

But financial challenges remain. “With Covid, many of our Union members are struggling due to a lack of crowds and matches,” says Mihir Warty, Director of Strategy at World Rugby. “We have drawn down on our reserves to actively support several in managing their cashflow issues’.

“We are conscious that some organisations within the sport have attracted external investment. This appetite from investors points to the potential of rugby to continue growing as a global sport.”

Sport gets serious

“Investors normally look for strong commercial fundamentals – predictable, annual revenues, strong brand loyalty and market share –  and the ability to use cash and expertise to increase market share and accelerate growth,” adds Robert Datnow, Managing Director of The Sports Consultancy. “For decades, sport has been seen as a complex and impenetrable investment – with a few notable exceptions – but now, the right opportunities, at the right price, and with the right execution plans are serious business.”

Recent years have also seen the rise of strong challenger brands within the sport event space. Super League Triathlon was set up with venture capital funding from triathlon fan and co-founder Leonid Boguslavsky – a model that CEO and co-founder Michael Dhulst says is others will no doubt replicate. “There will be growth of new events with passion-driven investors. Private investment is going to become more important for rights holders.”

It’s not just immediate financial concerns that are driving the trend towards private investment: the media landscape is shifting the foundations of the industry. The sport event industry is reliant on broadcasting revenues, which has become increasingly problematic as the internet draws audiences away from TV.

“Sport at its core is a media enterprise. It was inevitable that it would confront forces of changes due to new technologies and evolving consumer habits. The pandemic accelerated all of that,” says Scott Novak, Head of Global Communications for Bruin Sports Capital.

As Giles Morgan, global sports industry veteran and executive vice president of Pumpjack Dataworks puts it, “Sports has reached a perfect storm. The sports industry was created around the eyeball; TV ratings were the gold standard. Sponsorship is the most valuable form of marketing, but it’s quick to fall in a downturn – and it relies on TV.”

Future growth of sports events 

All this disruption brings an opportunity for private equity. But investors are not only looking for distressed assets; they are looking for future growth.

“We have been approached by investors from a variety of sources. There’s clearly a lot of interest in investing in sport," says Mihir Warty. "However, the crucial thing is to identify properly what the money is needed for. All federations and rightsholders need to ensure that investment is seen as just that – a way of growing the entity and driving sustainable revenues. Not as a windfall.”

The loyalty of sports fans is an important, untapped asset. Although younger people are becoming more fluid about which teams they support, tending to follow the individual athlete as much as the team, there are still few industries that have as unique a hold on their customer’s hearts as sport.

“The reason that investors see potential returns in these properties is fundamentally because of the unrealised value in the fan bases,” says Charlie Greenwood of Sports Loft. “If the teams can start to know that fan base better, engage with them more through great content and sell them more products – all of which requires better technology than what has been previously used – then the investors can increase the value in the property.

“As investors are looking at investments into teams and leagues, there is much more appetite for investing in the technologies that support sports organisations - and in many cases there is an opportunity to use the sports property to help increase the value in their tech investment.”

A challenge for investors will be how to value companies coming out of the pandemic, and the rate at which fans will return – not only buying tickets to live sport, but also subscriptions and merchandise during what could be a prolonged economic downturn. A rapid rebound would represent a great opportunity for investors. According to Ian Clayden of BDO, “Private equity views sports as a sector that can mobilise quickly post-lockdown.”

Where future growth will come from is a question that applies not only to sport. Asia – particularly China – is emerging fast and strong from the pandemic. There are large, young populations with growing disposable incomes representing plenty of headroom for growth in the entertainment industries.

Sports are not the only events that have been hit by the pandemic. “Trade shows enable the discovery and furthering of commercial relationships and long-term partnerships in a way that no digital business has been able to replicate online so far. At the right entry price, this asset class could deliver quite attractive returns on the 2023-2025 horizon,” wrote Alfonso Marone of KPMG in a recent insight piece.

Music festivals have been equally badly hit, with no viable digital alternative to the real thing. Before the pandemic, private investment was growing in the live entertainment sector, which could enjoy a similar rebound to sports post-Covid.

“As the owner of Host City, the world’s largest meeting of sports, business and cultural events, we know these properties have perennial value to a variety of stakeholders,” said Matthew Astill, CEO of Cavendish Group, which also owns leading China-Europe investment forum International Capital Conference. “As the events industry opens up around the world, the opportunities are immense for anyone investing in these vital sectors.”

But private equity won’t go in with its eyes closed. Large, structured investors want detailed data on a business and its customers. Fan bases are a massive untapped resource of data – the sports and entertainment organisations that can show business acumen and a deep knowledge of their customer base will be the ones that are most attractive to investors. And in this area, sport and entertainment have a lot of homework to do.

Private investment will be a central theme of Host City Asia on 14 April and Host City Americas, set for 30 June (both virtual). Host City's global series of events climaxes in Glasgow with the hybrid Host City 2021 on 7-8 December 2021. For more information ask ben.avison@hostcity.com

[Source: Global Sports Week] A unique global-local event concept saw speakers gather in venues across four continents, with the action linked live to a central base at the heart of the Eiffel Tower.

More than 20,000 people from 153 countries visited the immersive digital platform, where they were able to participate virtually in more than 100 sessions.

With themes including the rise of athlete activism; the new sport-for-health agenda; the emergence of new digital sports formats and revenue streams; women’s sport; social justice; and the climate emergency, Global Sports Week demonstrated the massive on-going transformation happening across the world of sport.

Over 200 speakers made an appearance across six future host cities of the Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Olympic Games – Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, Milan, Dakar and Los Angeles.

The main GSWArena stage incorporated broadcasts from hub venues at the French Institute Tokyo, the Embassy of France in Beijing and the Museum of Black Civilisations in Dakar, as well as from ‘virtual hubs’ in Milan and Los Angeles. Each of the international lives opened with a message from the Mayors Anne Hidalgo (Paris), Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles), Soham El Wardini (Dakar), and Giuseppe Sala (Milan), Vice Mayor of Beijing Zhang Jiandong and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike, who each presented their vision for sport and the Games in the future of their cities.

As in 2020, the voice of the next generation was represented throughout the week by a group of 34 Young Sports Makers, under-25s drawn from 16 nations, who were tasked with challenging leaders and helping to shape discussions in line with their concerns.

Global Sports Week 2021 was also the stage for a number of significant announcements. These included:

> The launch of two new toolkits by Global Sports Week patron UNESCO, unveiled by Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences Gabriela Ramos, and designed respectively to empower young people to influence physical education policy; and to support policy makers in implementing the change in national systems.

> The unveiling by Paris 2024 and AFD (L’Agence Française de Développement) of a new joint incubator and the 26 athlete-entrepreneurs who will receive support to champion high-impact social and environmental projects in France and across 10 countries in Africa. The project was presented at the Eiffel Tower by Rémy Rioux, Chief Executive Officer of the AFD, and Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, marking the one-year anniversary of their agreement, signed at Global Sports Week in 2020.

> The launch by Global Sports Week’s Founding Partner and the first Paris 2024 Premium Partner Groupe BPCE of its annual analysis of the French sports economy. BPCE L'Observatoire estimates that the French sport economy experienced a drop of approximately 21% in 2020 in comparison to 2019, which represent a much deeper recession than for the rest of the economy (-8.3% according to INSEE.)

> The launch of a five-year, pan-European project by Global Sports Week Founding Partner adidas, addressing the brand’s Global Purpose pillar of Breaking Barriers for Girls. adidas will work with 15 non-profit sport for good organisations across different regions of Europe across the five years, improving their capacity and capability to serve women and girls in their communities in order to empower 100+ Breaking Barriers Champions and engage with 50,000+ female participants. The project aims to increase girls’ participation in sport by building the capacity of the sport-for-good ecosystem to better serve women and girls, as well as to provide inspiration for girls to become their best selves.

Lucien Boyer, President and Co-Founder of Global Sports Week, said: “At Global Sports Week’s inaugural edition at the Louvre in 2020, the big message was about the need for change. This year, we clearly witnessed the revolution happening across the world of sport, which reflects the fundamental links between sport, business and society.

“This remains the heart of the Global Sports Week concept, which itself has reinvented in a creative and ambitious new format fit for a future, healthier and more socially-conscious world.

“Sport belongs at the heart of this future, and we are clearly seeing how the positive pressure of young people is helping the ecosystem to change and play a bigger role across the key issues in global society. We look forward to welcoming the world back to Global Sports Week in 2022 to continue the journey of positive transformation together.”

[Source: FIVB] The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and CVC Capital Partners Fund VII are pleased to announce the launch of Volleyball World, a new partnership which will drive innovation, growth and investment in volleyball around the globe.

Volleyball is the fourth most popular sport globally, with more than 800 million fans and high participation, across attractive markets, including Italy, Brazil, Japan, Poland, China and the US. Volleyball was the most watched sport at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, with 2.6 billion viewer hours globally.

Volleyball World will become the commercial entity for the sport around the world, initially for FIVB and aiming at working later alongside other leagues and federations, with the goal of increasing the profile and popularity of the sport, through fresh investment for the benefit of fans, players and National Federations. Volleyball World will be responsible for the commercial operation of key volleyball and beach volleyball international events, including: the World Championships, Olympic Qualifiers and the Volleyball Nations League. The partnership will focus on event hosting, fan experience, media, data / digital opportunities, and sponsorship to grow commercial revenues for reinvestment, which will ensure the long-term success of the sport.

FIVB, together with its 222 National Federations, will remain the sole, global volleyball regulatory body with responsibility for the sport and its development. As the majority shareholder in Volleyball World, FIVB will oversee the new commercial vision for volleyball while ensuring the interests of all stakeholders are represented. CVC brings extensive experience to this partnership, with a strong track record of investing in multiple sports businesses, including Formula 1, Moto GP, and Rugby. CVC also brings access to a broad international network of relationships with offices in 22 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas, which will help accelerate the commercial growth of volleyball and investment in the sport at all levels.

Finn Taylor, who was previously the head of Cirque du Soleil’s Global Touring show business overseeing significant geographic expansion and growth, will be the CEO of Volleyball World. Fernando Lima, formerly FIVB Secretary General will Chair the Board of Volleyball World. Other Board members will include Fabio Azevedo (the current FIVB General Director) and Simon Denyer (founder and former CEO of DAZN Group).

FIVB President Ary S. Graça F° said: “We are delighted to partner with CVC to launch Volleyball World. The FIVB is committed to constantly innovating while searching for opportunities that can sustain the development of the sport around the world. In CVC we are confident we have found a partner with the experience, network and capital to support FIVB in its mission to further professionalise the sport for the benefit of fans, players and National Federations.

Volleyball World will boost our sport’s financial growth and deliver lasting legacies for the whole game. Working in partnership with CVC we will be able to secure volleyball’s future and emerge stronger from the current challenges.”

CVC Capital Partners Head of Sports, Media and Entertainment, Nick Clarry added: “Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world and there is a huge untapped fan base and commercial potential. FIVB & CVC working together at Volleyball World, will drive innovation and greater fan engagement, which will accelerate growth and allow for substantial reinvestment back into the sport. We are delighted to be partnering with FIVB and look forward to working closely together to develop the sport globally, working collaboratively with all the players, leagues and federations in the years to come.”

[Source: Global Sports Week] The world of sport will gather virtually this week for its annual Global Sports Week, which will take place across six future host cities of the Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Olympic Games.

Paris will again take centre stage, with the Eiffel Tower set to play host to the spectacular main event studio – the production base for a 30-hour livestream that will incorporate broadcasts from hub venues in Tokyo, Beijing and Dakar, and from ‘virtual hubs’ in Milan and Los Angeles.

An opening ceremony will be broadcast from the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday, attended by key figures and special guests, including Yannick Bestaven, skipper of IMOCA MAÎTRE CoQ, fresh from his victory last week in the legendary Vendee Globe solo round-the-world yacht race.

Throughout the week, a significant focus is expected to be placed on questions surrounding the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Holders of 51 Olympic and Paralympic medals will be among more than 200 speakers participating across the week. Other athletes on the programme include football superstars Gerard Pique, Didier Drogba and Mikael Silvestre; tennis champions Justine Henin and Francesca Schiavone; F1 driver Romain Grosjean; NBA All-Star Tony Parker and reigning World Cup ski queen Federica Brignone.

Senior Olympic movement leaders present will include International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, IOC Athletes Commission Chairperson Kirsty Coventry and top leaders of the Organising Committees of Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, Milan 2026, Dakar 2026 and LA28.

Mayors Anne Hidalgo (Paris), Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles), Soham El Wardini (Dakar), and Giuseppe Sala (Milan), Vice Mayor of Beijing Zhang Jiandong and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike will each give a message, presenting their vision for sport and the Games in the future of their cities.

Reinvention in action

The theme of this year’s Global Sports Week will be Reinvention in Action, following a year of unprecedented disruption, which has accelerated underlying trends impacting the world of sport.

As in 2020, the voice of the next generation will be represented by a group of Young Sports Makers, under-25s drawn from 26 nations, who will be tasked with challenging leaders and helping to shape discussions in line with their concerns.

Issues on the agenda include the rise of athlete activism and entrepreneurship, the new sport-for-health agenda and the emergence of new digital sports formats and revenue streams. Women’s sport, social justice and the climate emergency will also feature strongly.

NBA among coalition of partners

Global Sports Week comprises three programme streams: the main GSWArena, the partner-led GSWVillage and the GSWPro zone, featuring professional development content.

An immersive GSWMarketpace will additionally house 50 exhibitors.

 In total, more than 50 hours of content will be produced over 100 sessions throughout the week.

The event programme has been co-created together with 42 Global Sports Week partners, which include a number of the world’s leading sports rightsholders. Last week, the NBA became the latest to come on board as an official Proud Supporter.

Lucien Boyer, President and Co-founder of Global Sports Week, said: “The strength of this year’s programme is testament not only to the quality and impact of our inaugural edition at the Louvre. It also reflects a huge built-up energy in the world of sport right now, which is looking for expression.

“At the same time, we believe it is crucial that sport does not simply talk to itself. This year has shown us the extent to which sport is a function of societal and economic influences, while also being fundamental to the health of society itself.

“The mission of Global Sports Week is to bring people together across the boundaries of sport, business and society. We believe the diversity of this year’s line-up will lead to very exciting discussions, new partnerships and tangible outcomes that will shape the future of sport as we enter this new era.”