[Source: IOC] The Beijing 2022 ticketing programme will harness Alibaba’s technological and data expertise, ensuring a fully digitally enabled ticketing programme and modern user experience that allows fans to purchase and redistribute tickets securely. The OCOG will be responsible for the overall planning and delivery of the ticketing programme.

The appointment of Alibaba has been made with the objective of securing a single provider to deliver ticketing services and operations over several Games editions, reducing costs and the complexity of hosting the Games in line with Olympic Agenda 2020’s recommendations on efficient turnkey solutions. As a result, OCOGs will benefit from the opportunity to have a continuity of service through the provision of established systems and delivery experience, alleviating the need to design, engineer and deliver a solution for each individual Games edition.

Timo Lumme, Managing Director, IOC Television and Marketing Services, said: “The ticketing solutions provided will drive further innovation at the Olympic Games, enhance the spectator experience and reduce costs for organisers, delivering on the commitments made by Olympic Agenda 2020.”

Chris Tung, Alibaba’s Chief Marketing Officer, added: “We are proud to extend our partnership with the Olympic Games, beyond e-commerce and cloud, by supporting the Beijing 2022 ticketing programme. We look forward to leveraging our technology to help provide streamlined, digitally-enabled ticket sales services to create a seamless ticketing experience for fans around the world.”

In addition to existing work with the IOC on the development of its digital strategy and ecosystem, Alibaba’s expertise in engaging Chinese consumers and ownership of Damai, one of China’s largest ticketing platforms, makes it perfectly positioned to become the Beijing 2022 Ticketing Systems and Services Provider.

The 109 events in seven Olympic winter sports will take place from 4 to 20 February 2022 in the three competition zones of central Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.

[Source: SportAccord] SportAccord is delighted to confirm the International University Sports Federation (FISU) is the first Gold Partner to sign-up for the 18^th edition of SportAccord in China. The next annual SportAccord event is set to take place in Beijing from 19 – 24 April 2020 and organisations can now register and take advantage of the pre early bird rate (CHF1,500) available for a limited period only.

FISU, founded in 1949, organises world-class sports and educational events for university students, promoting the pursuit of excellence in mind and body. These include the Summer and Winter Universiades - the largest global multi-sports events for university athletes.

The 30^th edition of the Summer Universiade (3-14 July 2019) recently took place in Naples to great acclaim. The USA rank top for the number of gold medals won followed by China in the All-Time Summer Universiade Medal Table. Chengdu in China is the host city for the 2021 Summer Universiade, and was officially awarded the 2025 World Games during SportAccord 2019.

Raising the bar and becoming a Gold Partner for the next SportAccord event taking place at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, Paulo Ferreira, Director General for FISU commented:

“SportAccord 2020 in Beijing is set to be a confirmation of just how important China has become to the world of sport. It is a city that FISU has a great affinity for, with the Summer Universiade having been hosted in Beijing in 2001, shortly before the attribution of the 2008 Olympic Games.

“As a SportAccord Gold Partner, FISU is proud to once again help bring international sport’s leadership to one of our favourite places.”  

Nis Hatt, Managing Director of SportAccord said: “We’re delighted to welcome FISU onboard as a Gold Partner for the first time. Their commitment and investment demonstrate that the SportAccord platform provides excellent visibility for international sports federations, particularly at this level. We very much look forward to working with FISU in the lead-up to SportAccord 2020 in Beijing.”  

Attending SportAccord enables delegates to network with sporting leaders at the highest levels, access an extensive conference programme, and experience the many opportunities on offer in one location, at the world’s leading global sports business event.

To raise visibility still further, organisations can become an official partner or exhibitor and discuss these investment opportunities with sales@sportaccord.sport.

The SportAccord 2019 Review magazine looks back at some of the many highlights that took place across the World Sport & Business Summit in Gold, Australia.

Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord using #SA2020, or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook.

[Source: Glasgow City Council] Stunning images of Glasgow and Scotland were promoted to a TV audience of more than 1.4 billion during the staging of the hugely successful inaugural European Championships last summer.

The official evaluation of the Glasgow 2018 European Championships revealed the substantial national and international exposure enjoyed as the multi-sport mega event was broadcast on free-to-air channels across 43 European countries.

And with online and social media coverage included, the audience for the 12 sports across Glasgow and co-host Berlin, who staged the Athletics, reached a massive 2.9 billion in the key tourism and business market of Europe.

In total the media exposure for Glasgow and Scotland was worth more than £250 million in PR value as millions of sports fans enjoyed the 11 days of Aquatics, Cycling, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon.

Highlights included a massive 1.4 million viewers tuning in to watch British swimming hero Adam Peaty break his own world record in the 100m Breaststroke at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. At the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome Scottish cyclist Katie Archibald’s silver medal win in the Individual Pursuit was watched by a staggering 2 million viewers.

Across the UK the BBC reported an average audience of more than 1 million with a total reach of 20 million, in excess of established events such as the Rugby Six Nations, and just below the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The BBC also reported that the event attracted a higher female and younger audience than many other sporting events.

Across Glasgow and Scotland more than 560,000 people, more than double the projected number, attended a sport session, a Festival 2018 offering or visited the hugely popular George Square and ‘GO LIVE! at The Green’ live sites. 

Final attendance figures show 137,000 tickets for sport were issued, packing each of the 12 venues with roaring crowds to support the new champions of Europe. More than 54,000 attended free sporting events such as the Cycling Road Race on the streets of the city, and the Open Water Swimming at the stunning Loch Lomond.

In total 97 per cent of spectators from Glasgow were proud that their city, renowned for the warm welcome of its residents, was hosting the mega event.

3,103 athletes representing 48 countries competed during Glasgow 2018. Russia topped the medal table, followed closely by Great Britain. The event included numerous memorable experiences with new European champions crowned in 187 medal events and two world records were broken in the Swimming.

The athletes were accompanied by 3,760 accredited officials and delegates. In addition to the value of the worldwide PR exposure for Glasgow and Scotland, an independent economic assessment showed significant amounts of expenditure from these visitors and participants in the event, as well as millions of pounds of contracts won for Scottish companies.

As a result of hosting the European Championships there was just over £34 million of additional spend in Glasgow and Scotland, and an estimated £24 million of contracts awarded to Scottish companies, with £8.5 million of those going to companies based in the Glasgow City Region.

Significant effort was made to create social and community benefits by the organisers. Team 2018, the 3,600 invaluable volunteers who were key to making the event such a success according to those surveyed, were a diverse workforce, exceeding targets for the number of Scottish and Glasgow residents (representing every local authority areas in the country), new volunteers, including significant numbers of people aged under 26.

Around 50 per cent of the volunteers said they we would do more volunteering as a result of taking part in Glasgow 2018. Another 17 countries were represented across Team 2018.

Continuing the delivery of sporting and cultural legacy created by the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, was also a key objective of the event. More than 20,000 people took the opportunity to try one of the sports across all Glasgow 2018 venues and approximately 30,000 people said they learned more about healthy lifestyles as a result of visiting ‘GO LIVE! at the Green.’

Alongside the sport, Festival 2018 was a world class cultural festival which created a vibrant live city experience, with 2,400 artists and performers contributing, alongside more than 5,600 voluntary and non-professional performers. In total more than 370,000 people visited a Festival or Live Site.

Minister for Sport, Joe FitzPatrick MSP, said: “The incredible broadcast numbers achieved by the Glasgow 2018 European Championships are great news, and mean people around the world had the chance to see Scotland demonstrating the nation’s ability to stage top-class sporting events.

“The competition will have far-reaching effects – not just in terms of showcasing our country and culture around the globe, but also in inspiring a whole new generation of athletes.

“The success exceeded our expectations and I congratulate all involved in this event.”

Councillor David MacDonald, depute leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Yet again I want to say thank you to the athletes, volunteers, spectators, media, officials and amazing home crowds.

“These final broadcast numbers illustrate only too clearly the massive benefit the staging of events bring to our city as we showcase what we have to offer to visitors and investors across Europe and beyond.”

The International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), the Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES) and the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) are the first Strategic Partners to support the development of Host City, the largest meeting of sports, business and cultural events.

Host City Expo & Conference is a “one-stop shop” for the owners, organisers, hosts and other stakeholders of sports, business and cultural events. Now in its 6th year, the 2019 event takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November and highlights the need for the sector to Innovate, Reformulate & Co-create.

Through the Strategic Partnership programme, Host City and the supporting organisations have opportunities to:

• co-produce the event agenda, with a combination of keynotes, panels, presentations, workshops and side meetings
• increase opportunities to enlist new members
• increase access to the event for all stakeholders in major events
• consolidate the major event hosting community around this unique focal point

Rick Traer, IAEH Co-Director and CEO of the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance said: “The partnership with Host City provides a platform to deliver against a number of our strategic objectives, including the opportunity to share best practices, promote a standard set of event impact standards and to build a network of individuals and organizations involved in hosting major events around the world.”

Daniel Cordey, Chairman of AGES said: “The partnership with Host City is a win-win situation and offers benefits at different levels for us. Our members get additional opportunities to meet industry professionals and the Association is co-organising interesting thematic talks embedded in the Host City event programme.”

Andy Westlake, ESA Chairman said: “ESA is excited to be partnering with Host City in November, as we think it’s important to explore how we can continue to enhance the contribution of sponsorship for major event host cities and organising committees. Sponsorship of course helps to drive additional revenue and offset major event budgets, but it also significantly enhances the spectator’s experience, contributes powerfully to the event marketing agenda and will often leave a strong and long-lasting grass roots legacy afterwards. We’re looking forward to being part of the discussion”

Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director of Host City said: “The launch of the Strategic Partnership programme is an important development for the Host City community. We are delighted to have the world’s leading associations joining us to further consolidate this unique focal point of all the various stakeholders involved in staging the world’s greatest events. We are very grateful to IAEH, AGES and ESA for their support in developing Host City and look forward to welcoming their members to Host City 2019, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events.”

About Host City

Host City Expo & Conference brings together cities and sports, business and cultural events for two full days of unrivalled insight, networking, workshops and business on 26-27 November at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow.

This is where representatives of host destinations, federations and other rights holders, organisers, event suppliers and services from all over the world meet to discover opportunities and discuss the challenges of major event hosting. Participants are encouraged to use Host City as a platform to develop, workshop and announce new events, partnerships and formats.

www.hostcity.com

About IAEH

The International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH) exists for representatives of international destinations to collaborate to generate the best possible value from hosting major sporting and cultural events and provide a voice for ‘not for profit’ hosts of events.

IAEH provides a platform for members to learn from the successes and challenges of major events, share knowledge and generate greater long term social and economic benefits from hosting events.

www.eventhosts.org

About AGES

The purpose of the Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES) is to build up awareness for industry-specific aspects and to promote and defend the interests of its members in the international event marketplace.

The objective is to become a professional and business-oriented association which offers to share and manage valuable information related to the temporary infrastructure industry in order to streamline business for buyers and sellers.

AGES wants to develop a roadmap together with governmental bodies and key stakeholders to create procedures, standards and other tools to facilitate interaction and business with event suppliers, and through this contribute to lowering the burden on future organisers.

www.ages.international

About ESA

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to inspire, unite and grow the sponsorship industry for the benefit of its members. ESA does this through education, guidance, representation, the recognition of excellence and the sharing of best practice and performance.

ESA’s reach encompasses all types of sponsorship activity from sport, broadcast, education, charity, the arts and culture through to environment and the community. Its membership includes sponsors, rights holders, agencies and consultants, professional advisors and suppliers.

www.sponsorship.org

Host City: Host City 2019 takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November, with theme of “Innovate; Reformulate; Co-Create”, in recognition of the fact that many major events are evolving and emerging through creative partnerships. To what extent are FIS and other Winter IFs innovating, reformulating and co-creating events?

Sarah Lewis: Collaborating with other stakeholders for the FIS major events, namely the World Championships, is fundamental to utilise the respective capacities to deliver the best possible event. We aim to continually evolve and be innovative, whereby it fundamental to respect the sport and ensure its DNA remains intact.

Partnership is normal practice for major FIS events, both within the FIS disciplines as well as with other stakeholders. For example, the three Nordic disciplines of Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined are staged as one Nordic Event that provides permanent action. Since the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Freestyle Ski and Snowboard are combined at major events and increasingly as part of the FIS World Cup series, in order to maximise the many synergies with the venues and operations.

I’m looking forward to interesting exchanges and discussions at Host City on innovating, reformulating and co-creating events where many different event stakeholders can contribute their own and shared perspectives.

Host City: The theme of SportAccord 2019 was “The Future of Big Data and Analytics”. What opportunities do you see from big data and analytics in skiing and other winter sports events?

Sarah Lewis: The main and important opportunity is to establish a direct online relationship and interaction with the 15 million online followers of the FIS disciplines, which is a key asset for the development of digital activities as well as sponsorship opportunities. Our objective at FIS is to create a digital ecosystem to serve viewers and fans, which will open up new commercial opportunities for the stakeholders.

Host City: What were your impressions of Gold Coast and Queensland as a host destination, as they consider applying to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games?

Sarah Lewis: Just as well you specified Summer Games, as the likelihood for the Winter edition would be tricky even with a very “New Norm” concept! The Commonwealth Games in 2018 have provided an excellent basis for future Olympic Games and during SportAccord there was certainly great enthusiasm expressed from the sports leadership, political authorities and tourism.

Host City: The growth of the sports industry in China is reflected by the growing number of conventions taking place there – with World Winter Sports Expo, Host City Asia and now SportAccord taking place in Beijing. What impact do you think the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games is having on the growth of winter sports in China?

Sarah Lewis: The catalyst of Beijing 2022 is already having a momentous effect on the growth of winter sports and even globally for the industry and tourism. China has a long cold winter and significant mountain regions and the country is now exploiting the potential of winter sports tourism and recreation for the benefit of the health of population, especially children, to combat the concerns about an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

The legacy of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games was established by the Government already at the outset with its candidacy to use the Games as a spur to develop winter sports for the general population and the economy, through developing tourism and winter sports industry.

Host City: How would you describe Santiago’s journey towards hosting the Games?

Eduardo Della Maggiora: Santiago has been highlighted in Latin America for its good quality of life, safety, connectivity and most recently was ranked as the most technological city in Latin America. Chile is a country that has been growing very rapidly in the previous decades, and has a very open economy, with Free Trade Agreements with more than 60 countries worldwide. The country is generally recognized as one of the most developed and stable economies in Latin America.

The sports community has been growing very quickly as well, with notable international results like becoming Copa America Champions two years in a row and two Olympic gold medals in Tennis. Hosting the Pan American Games was going to happen eventually.

Host City: What were the decisive factors in being awarded the Games?

Eduardo Della Maggiora: Political stability, economic stability and already existing sport infrastructure where probably at the top of this list. The country’s love for sports, and everything sports represents, was also probably very high.

Santiago’s connectivity is also a big positive for athletes and visitors of the games; close to 70 per cent of disciplines will take place in five main venues, including where the athletes’ village will be, which are very well connected to public transportation buses and subway.

Host City: How much new infrastructure do you need to build?

Eduardo Della Maggiora: There isn’t very much new infrastructure that we need to build, if you compare Santiago 2023 with Lima 2019 for example, which is hosting the Games this year, because we have many venues which are a legacy of the Santiago 2014 South American Games.

New infrastructure that has been announced are a new Hockey fields and a new Paralympic pavilion. The athlete’s village in Ciudad Parque Bicentanario is the largest and most urgent infrastructure project to be started. The project will be 100 per cent privately funded. The Ministry of Housing is in charge of leading the public tendering process, which should kick-off in the coming months.

So, the existing infrastructure is a very good starting point, but some investment will be needed to prepare the city for the Games four years down the road.

Host City: What is public support like for the Games?

Eduardo Della Maggiora: Public support– starting from President of Chile – is very high. Everyone is very eager to make it happen as the country has never hosted an event of this magnitude. The Santiago 2014 South American Games were already a big party in the city and country – with full stadiums and lots of interest from the community – which showed the city and country’s interest in these type of sporting events. Santiago 2023 will be the biggest sporting event in our county’s history and Chileans are ready to participate in one way or another .

In November Santiago is hosting the COP 25 Climate Change Conference – this is the biggest event we’ve done in a while and will be a good opportunity to learn how an event of this magnitude works in Chile.

Host City: Are the opportunities mainly for local or international suppliers?

Eduardo Della Maggiora: We want to help the local community and thousands of local businesses – but also invite international suppliers. We haven’t hosted an event of this magnitude in the past and there’s a lot of expertise we will need to import. We want to learn from that.

One of the legacies we want to leave is developing local talent in the organization of mega events. We are developing talent within the country, but part of the legacy we want to leave is to bring outside talent into the country. So, it’s going to be a mix of local and international.

This is basically the planning stage, making sure we have the right team and people, that the stadiums and the baseline is compliant with Pan American Games standards, and start working on Gantt chart from today until October 2023 and make sure it happens in the best and most seamless way.

We are assessing what needs to be done in next four years. Right now we are working on branding, mission and values. We are also reviewing the sports programme, speaking to potential sponsors and starting to work on our legacy programme.

Host City: How are sponsors engaging with your legacy programme?

Eduardo Della Maggiora: Chile has the sixth highest incidence of childhood obesity in the world – and the highest in Latin America. Improving these figures is an important part of the legacy programme.

We want to tailor the experiences of sponsors in a way that helps them connect with consumers in a very different way, but at the same time positively impacts the lives of millions of Chileans through  sports, volunteering and legacy programmes.

The Pan American Games take place in Santiago in October 2023, with approximately 10,000 athletes from 41 nations competing in 39 sports. It is followed by the Para Pan American Games in November.

[Source: SportAccord] New President Raffaele Chiulli of SportAccord and GAISF hailed the successful Gold Coast edition of SportAccord and the many accomplishments achieved during an action-packed week, was down to the ‘energetic participation’ of everyone involved in the 17th edition of SportAccord. President Chiulli went on to say:

“The success of SportAccord 2019 proves the importance and commitment of our organisation to our stakeholders and members, delegates, exhibitors and partners involved in the sport landscape. SportAccord will continue to adapt to the needs of our delegates and provide a platform that allows us to gather and move forward on the activities and collaborations crucial to the development of our sports, athletes and fans, ensuring a voice for everyone.”

Held in the Oceania region for the first time, SportAccord 2019 followed hot on the heels of the XXI Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast – billed as the Games of Firsts.

The SportAccord Review magazine looks back at some of the many highlights that took place across the event.

Delegates were treated to a traditional Aussie welcome when SportAccord 2019 was officially launched with an Opening Ceremony welcoming a global gathering to include: 1700 delegates from 830+ organisations, including 109 international sports federations, 176 cities and regions, and over 80 nationalities present.

At the annual General Assembly Raffaele Chiulli was unanimously elected as President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) at SportAccord. President Chiulli’s ‘Work Programme’ for GAISF comprises 4 pillars, aimed at addressing the needs of its members and the wider sports movement, and building on the services it offers.

H. E. Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary General of the United Nations, Chairman of the IOC Ethics Commission and Honorary President of 2019 Chungju World Martial Arts Masterships, delivered the Welcome Address at the SportAccord Summit conference, and highlighted the ‘transformative power of sport’ as well as the importance of big data and analytics. Commenting to The Daily, Mr Ban said: “SportAccord can play an important role in solving the problems and developing and promoting a sporting community through Conferences, Summits, Sports Festivals and other events, helping to disseminate the values of sport and a healthy community to people worldwide.”

The SportAccord Summit theme focused on ‘The Future of Big Data and Analytics’ with technology and learning being the key focus this year. Delegates heard how technology can influence ‘the spirit of sport’, and IFs were encouraged to forge brand partnerships and collaborate on big data, this being instrumental in helping to drive fan engagement.

The SportAccord Conference programme saw nearly 100 speakers participating in the event across: the Summit, LawAccord, HealthAccord, CityAccord, and MediaAccord.

Following its debut in Bangkok, the 3-day SportAccord United Through Sports Festival took place in Kurrawa Park in the Gold Coast, and enabled 5,000 children to try around 60 different sports with federations. The United Through Sports Youth Conference highlighted the need to continue to build on the outstanding legacy from Bangkok, with several projects being identified during the SportAccord Sports Festival in the Gold Coast.

The SportAccord event platform was used by World Lacrosse, the global governing body, to unveil its new name, logo and brand. Other exclusives at SportAccord came from: UK Sport confirming London will host the World Skate Street League Skateboarding World Championships and Birmingham will host The World Trampoline Championships in 2023; Gracenote offered its first look at the virtual medal table forecast for Tokyo 2020; and the Commonwealth Games Federation returned to meet representatives from the 2018 Games, to continue to learn from their experiences, in preparation for the best possible Games for Birmingham and the West Midlands.

The organisers of the Gold Coast’s biennial Pan Pacific Masters Games used the SportAccord platform to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the team behind the Kansai 2021 World Masters Games in Japan.

The World Academy of Sport released research findings on the challenges for student-athletes maintaining a dual career; and the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) announced Moscow will host the first University World Powerlifting Championship. IPF also attracted many delegates to their exhibition stand to test their strength, including IF Presidents and dignitaries including H. E. Ban Ki-moon.

At the International World Games Association’s (IWGA) General Assembly during SportAccord, the Chinese city of Chengdu was confirmed as host of The World Games 2025. “By signing a contract with one of the most forward-looking and dynamic cities in China, we have signalled our arrival as a major power in international sport,” IWGA President José Perurena told The Daily.

At other General Assemblies, AIOWF praised the 2026 presentations given by both city candidates, Stockholm-Åre (Sweden) and Milan-Cortina (Italy) via video at SportAccord 2019, and acknowledged the progress being made for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

ASOIF took the opportunity to discuss their recently published report, ‘Vision for the Future of Sports 2019 to 2040’, which sets out 10 recommendations under the themes of governance and entrepreneurialism. ASOIF’s President Francesco Ricci Bitti also advised IFs to use the SportAccord platform to continue discussions with the Tokyo 2020 delegation.

At the AIMS General Assembly, President Stephan Fox’s continuing role as the Alliance’s representative on the GAISF Council was confirmed. Stephan Fox is also the Vice President of GAISF, and a leading supporter of the SportAccord United Through Sports Festival – one of the key highlights of SportAccord.

More high-level meetings took place including the ARISF General Assembly, where President Raffaele Chiulli confirmed the presence of President Bach from the IOC was ‘a very strong sign of his appreciation for what ARISF members are doing’.

Raffaele Chiulli was also confirmed President of SportAccord at its General Assembly.

Looking forwards to future events, in an exclusive interview with iSportconnect, Raffaele Chiulli shared his vision for the expansion of SportAccord into regional saying ‘relevance is the aim’. Regional SportAccord Pan America will take place for the first time, from 10 to 12 December 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

The Pan American sports business event will bring together around 500 delegates from 400 organisations, representing over 30 cities and regions, over 15 industry sectors and more than 40 international and regional sports federations. Event accreditation is priced at USD $1,500 and organisations who would like to take part can register here for Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019.

The 18^th edition of SportAccord will return to Beijing, China from 19 – 24 April 2020. The key decision makers in sport will gather at the China National Convention Center for a week of networking and meetings. Organisations can register and take advantage of the myriad opportunities, high-profile events and social occasions being organised for SportAccord Beijing.

To take part in either event, organisations can register online or contact the sales team to become an exhibitor or partner. 

Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord, or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook.

[Source: SportAccord] SportAccord is delighted to confirm Raffaele Chiulli was unanimously elected President of SportAccord at the SportAccord General Assembly which took place on Wednesday 8 May 2019 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Dr Chiulli is President of UIM (International Powerboating Federation), President of ARISF (Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations) and leader of GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations).

Commenting on his new appointment as President of SportAccord, Dr Raffaele Chiulli said:

“I am proud to have been unanimously elected as SportAccord President.

“Sport has never been more relevant as a means of bringing people together around the values of inspiration, unity and respect. I am very excited by the scope for us to do more really valuable work in the future.

“SportAccord is a powerful brand, going from strength to strength and widely known as the place to connect. It is a great platform for learning and sharing, which brings together International Federations and the wider sports world. And our gathering here in Gold Coast will be one of the biggest and most relevant of the year.

“SportAccord includes the United Through Sports festival, which brings sport directly to youth and local communities, ensuring a positive social legacy for our events. This year’s edition featured IOC President Thomas Bach, H.E. Ban Ki-moon, eighth Secretary General of the United Nations, HRH Prince Feisal of Jordan, and other leaders of sport and civil society, alongside more than 250 children and young people representing 150 schools throughout Queensland.

“This year we launch SportAccord regional conventions starting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in December and we can look forward to much more in the future.”

SportAccord focuses on driving positive change internationally and dedicated to engaging and connecting; international federations, rights holders, organising committees, cities, press and media, businesses and other organisations involved in the development of sport.

Host City: The theme of Host City 2019 is “Innovate; Reformulate; Co-Create” - what are your expectations of this event? 

Nellie Kim: To be an active participant in a big sports forum is, indeed, one of the greatest incentives to the person to continue developing their natural talents and enlarge the boundaries of their personal achievements. In this respect, all that relates to the organisation of big and inspiring events is a point of interest for us.

To share experiences and to hear about the innovative ideas of all the stakeholders in the sector – be they representatives of city councils, national governing bodies, business, potential, or actual sponsors, event organisers, technical experts and all the parties contributing to the success of major events – is vital for us as the world’s governing body for gymnastics. Learning from each other and sharing experiences is one of the key factors of becoming better and reaching higher.

Host City: As Chair of the Innovation Commission at FIG, what are you doing to bring new ideas, formats and disciplines such as parkour into gymnastics?

Nellie Kim: The idea about introduction of the parkour into the FIG programmes belongs to our President Morinari Watanabe who was personally involved in the development of the project.   

In his official report from May 2019 he stresses on the fact that the future belongs to urban sports, like cycling with BMX, basketball with 3x3, volleyball with beach volleyball, as well as skateboarding and climbing etc. So, gymnastics has come up with parkour. Urban sports are booming, and we must keep in pace with this process.

Parkour World Cups have already been successfully held in Chengdu, China, and then in Hiroshima, Japan, where it was part of the Urban Sports Festival that attracted a big crowd of spectators.

As for the proposals the Innovation and the Ambassadors Commissions which I am chairing, we have submitted to the attention of the FIG authorities a number of projects over the last few months, some of which are:

- Changes to the Olympic Games 2024 Qualification Programme;

- Live streaming from the Qualification stage of the FIG World Championships using our IRCOS system;

- The Innovation Commission is exploring possibilities to include new disciplines into the FIG programme.

Host City: How is the Ambassadors’ Commission helping FIG to engage young people in its events and their co-creation?

Nellie Kim: The most direct approach to this matter is of course, the Volunteer programme applied by many of our member-Federations. 

We, at the Ambassadors’ Commission also pay specific attention to the fact that there is no bigger inspiration for any child or young person than meeting their sport idols in person.  Meetings with young gymnasts and fans is only one of the long list of Gymnastics Ambassadors’ activities prior and during the World Championships since the programme was introduced in 2017.

The role of Gymnastics Ambassador has already been taken by legends like Nadia Comaneci, Kyle Shuffelt and Svetlana Boginskaia in artistic gymnastics; Alina Kabaeva and Maria Pertova in rhythmic gymnastics, Alexander Moskalenko and Irina Karavaeva in trampoline, to name but a few. I was nominated as Ambassador of 2^nd European Games, which will be held in Minsk in June 2019.

Many of our greatest champions from the past also visit clubs and conduct workshops in various countries across the globe to promote gymnastics and to inspire young people. 

Big attention should also be given to continue promoting Gymnastics as the base for all other sports. This means Gymnastics like it existed in the schools in the past and helped children to develop basic body skills, discipline and healthy habits for the rest of their lives.

At the same time our ”Gymnastics for All” division caters for people of any age, from toddlers to old age, giving them the chance to enjoy organised classes and even take part in a massive international event called Gymnaestrada which is held every four years and attracts tens of thousands of people from all over the world.

Host City: And how is FIG raising the profile of women and disabled people through its events?

Nellie Kim: At the 2018 FIG Congress the decision was taken to have at least 30 per cent women amongst elected authorities, and this was a big step forward.  Because of the specifics of our sport, the majority of our athletes are female, and it is only very logic to apply their experience and knowledge after they have ended their sports career.  In this respect our FIG Women’s commission is very active. It has recently organised the Women in Leadership Forum held right after the FIG Council meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia in May.  To add to all this, our President Mr Watanabe is the President of the IOC “Women in Sport” Commission.

As for Gymnastics for people with physical impediments – several of our national member-federations develop this discipline. Here again, in charge is our “Gymnastics for All“ commission which comes up with projects encouraging the progress of Disability gymnastics and promotes the best practices in the field. The FIG President wanted to move even further and has asked our commission to study the problem and look at the possibilities for gymnasts with disability to participate at the Paralympic Games.

Host City: The FIG World Championships in Glasgow in 2015 were hailed as a new benchmark in event presentation. What is FIG and its host cities doing to reach even greater heights?

Nellie Kim: Yes, the World Championships in Glasgow demonstrated several novelties which became a norm in the organization of major gymnastics events across the world in that the entertainment flavour of the competitions was strongly interwoven with the traditional technical requirements of our sport.  The scale of Glasgow 2015 World Championships was possible due to the enormous support from the UK Sports Governing Bodies, the Glasgow City Council and British Gymnastics.

However, not many countries in the world enjoy and can rely on such enormous financial support, marvellous venue, logistics in place and professional expertise in every respect, as they were demonstrated in Glasgow 2015. 

To draw the most rational and applicable ideas, the FIG conducts a “Transfer of knowledge” meetings from one Local Organizing Committee to the next. However, I must stress the fact that the organization of each World Championships is a prerogative of the relevant National Federation. Sadly, many of our member-federations have the enthusiasm, the ideas and the knowledge, but do not enjoy the above-mentioned attributes for success.

Nellie Kim is speaking at Host City 2019, which takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November. View the full agenda and speaker line up

One of the world’s leading influencers in policy innovation around major events, Bruce Dewar, has been confirmed as the first of two keynote speakers for this year’s National Events Conference: Embracing Innovation, Delivering Change.

Bruce, a key IOC advisor on legacy development and President and CEO of Vancouver based LIFT Philanthropy Partners, will provide the Scottish events and festivals sector with valuable insight into the importance of developing and delivering wider policy impacts as part of major events during his presentation ‘The Game is Changing: Policy Innovation and Social Impact for Major Events’.

He comes with a wealth of experience in social innovation having helped British Columbia leverage the hosting of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games into a lasting legacy for the region through 2010 Legacies Now; known now as LIFT.

Bruce said: “Hosting major events can provide so much more than just a great spectator experience. They can be the catalyst for long-term social change, creating benefits and impact on issues that are important to the citizens in the host community and the country.

“Over the last decade I have seen first-hand game changing social impacts and the importance of policy innovation. I’m looking forward to coming to Gleneagles this September to share some of my learnings and insight with the vibrant Scottish event industry.”

He joins Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, who will deliver the day’s opening remarks, setting the scene for the day, and VisitScotland Director of Events, Paul Bush OBE, as the other confirmed speakers at the conference.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Scotland’s has built a strong reputation as a leader and innovator in the planning and delivery of major events. As we gear up to deliver our next major event, The 2019 Solheim Cup, there is no better time or place than Gleneagles for the industry to come together to forge new partnerships and to make future plans to help ensure that Scotland continues to be the perfect stage for the world’s major events.” 

Aimed at people working in Scotland’s events and festivals sector, including the arts, heritage, sport and wider cultural activity, this will be the sixth biennial National Events Conference. Building on the success of previous years, this year’s conference will consider innovation and change, plus future opportunities and challenges across the sector.

It will provide up to 250 delegates with a first-class opportunity to hear from industry experts and share their own event experiences, plus plenty time to meet industry colleagues.

Taking place at the world-renowned Gleneagles Hotel on 9^th September, the conference will kick off an action week of the Scottish events and festivals industry as it runs alongside The 2019 Solheim Cup, the pinnacle of women’s golf.

The Solheim Cup will see the best golfers from Europe and the USA go head-to-head over three days of intense competition, attracting tens of thousands of spectators and reaching a global broadcast audience in the millions. Conference delegates will have the unique opportunity to see behind the scenes of one of the biggest sporting events in Scotland this year.

Paul Bush OBE, said: “As the world’s eyes turn to Scotland once again, the National Events Conference will kick off a stellar week for Scotland’s events and festivals industry ahead The 2019 Solheim Cup.

“I’m delighted we will be joined by both Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop and Bruce Dewar as we consider innovation and change as well as the future opportunities and challenges for our sector. I know Bruce will provide some fascinating first-hand knowledge and insight on social innovation and the importance of delivery social legacies from major sporting events, which is an important area for our industry as we look to deliver more meaningful impacts beyond the field of play when hosting major events.”

Tickets for the conference are now available, with a limited number of early bird delegate places available at the discounted rate of £90 + VAT. To register and take advance of the early bird off, visit www.nationaleventsconference.scot.