[Source: Glasgow 2018] A new era of sport has been ushered in as the first ever European Championships begins in Glasgow.

The inaugural day of sport sees qualifying rounds taking place in Track Cycling, at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Women’s Artistic Gymnastics, at the SSE Hydro, and Rowing at Strathclyde Country Park.

The European Championships are a major innovation in world sport as seven sports bring their existing events together under one banner for the first time.

The next 11 days will see world class athletes in Aquatics, Cycling, Gymnastics, Golf, Rowing and Triathlon competing in Glasgow and Scotland, while Berlin hosts the Athletics.

With 114,505 tickets now gone and with some sessions full, or with just a few tickets remaining, ticket buyers are being urged to hurry to secure the chance to see their favourite Olympic and Commonwealth stars crowned European champions.

Yesterday the unifying symbol of the Championships, the new Winning Nations Trophy, was revealed for the first time. Perfectly designed for teams to be able to lift and carry together in celebration, this will be awarded to the individual country which has secured the most gold medals at the end of the event.

Other firsts we’ll see in the next few days are:

• Glasgow will create history by becoming the first city to simultaneously host the European Cycling Championships in four different disciplines – Track, Road, BMX and Mountain Bike.
• Gleneagles will host a groundbreaking golf competition; with men and women playing together for the first time and competing for equal prize money.
• It is the first time an event on this scale has been delivered using hotel accommodation for competitors, rather than the creation of an athletes’ village.
• More unusually, it is also the first known time a swimming event will take place on a tennis court – with a 330,000 gallon temporary pool installed at Scotstoun Sports Campus, which hosts the synchronised swimming events.  

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Championships Director Colin Hartley said: “This is the biggest event in the UK since Glasgow hosted the best ever Commonwealth Games in 2014.

“But it’s not just big, it’s truly innovative. By combining these seven sports we elevate the European champions we’ll see crowned in the next few days onto an even higher platform.

“With bigger crowds, a bigger TV audience and more opportunities for people to see their Olympic and Commonwealth heroes, today is the beginning of a new era for sport in Europe.

Jane Allen, Chief Executive of British Gymnastics said: “The 2015 World Championships were declared by FIG as the best ever and raised the bar for the sport so we’re really excited to be back in Glasgow.

“It’s fantastic that the same innovative venue layout and stunning presentation is being used again for the 2018 European Championships and I am sure it is going to be a fabulous week here both for our sport and for the British team.”

Jack Buckner, Chief Executive of British Swimming said: “We are delighted to be part of this outstanding new multi-sport European Championships and I would like to congratulate Glasgow on taking on this significant challenge to host such a ground breaking and complex event.

“We’re going to be using four incredible and unique venues across Scotland and I know they’ll be a great stage for the British Team to put in their best performances.

“This is an extremely important event for British Swimming as we build towards Tokyo 2020 and we have a large team of around 80 athletes here in Scotland across all four disciplines.”

Beth Tweddle Britain’s greatest ever female gymnast said: “It is fantastic to see another world-class event come back to Glasgow which has such a great track record for hosting big events. The World Championships in 2015 were incredible and the fans here in Glasgow are going to be in for another treat with an amazing action packed eight days of gymnastics at The SSE Hydro.”

The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) and Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute have agreed a partnership to support the sports movement in the Kingdom.

Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute is a trading agency in Jordan representing renowned food and drink products including Indomie Noodles, sponsors of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the upcoming 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games.

The agreement was signed at the JOC’s Olympic Preparation Centre (OPC) between CEO of Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute, Ihab Al Shorafa and JOC Secretary General, Nasser Majali.

“The Jordan Olympic Committee is delighted to welcome Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute to the JOC family,” said Nasser Majali. “Working closer with the private sector is key to developing sport in Jordan so this is another important and exciting partnership for us.”

Ihab Al Shorafa added: “As a company, it is our mission to keep supporting youth in Jordan and to encourage them to achieve more. This agreement with the JOC shows that we stand behind our young athletes who represent us worldwide.”

Tasali Jordanian Trading Institute is the latest international company to show its support for Jordan sport. The JOC’s other partners and sponsors include Samsung, Shami Eye Center, GloSante, Greater Amman Municipality and Umniah.

[Source: Lima 2019] Thousands of Peruvians today descended onto Lima’s Historic Centre to celebrate the one-year countdown until the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games.
The event, organised by the Lima 2019 Organising Committee, together with the Peruvian Olympic Committee, Peruvian Paralympic Committee and Peruvian Institute of Sport, was held at Lima’s iconic Plaza de Armas.
Sporting demonstrations were setup across Lima’s Historic Centre in order to familiarise members of the public with sports and para-sports set to take place during the Games. These included basketball, wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, tennis, golf, archery, Para archery, football, five-a-side football and bowling.
A meet and great zone was also established for members of the public to engage with a selection of Peru’s top athletes and para-athletes who will take part in the Games next year.
The event was attended by a wide range of Peruvian sporting authorities including President of Lima 2019 Carlos Neuhaus and the Head of the Peruvian Sports Institute (IPD) Oscar Fernández.
The event culminated in the unveiling of a Lima 2019 clock which kickstarted the countdown to the biggest sorting festival ever to be held in Peru.
Addressing members of the public at the Plaza de Armas Lima 2019 President Carlos Neuhaus said:
“Today we celebrate an important milestone on our journey to hosting Peru’s largest ever sporting event. One year from now, the best athletes from the Americas will be in Peru competing in what will surely be the best ever Pan American Games and Parapan American Games.
“We are preparing the right Games for Peru and Panam Sports. Our Games will feature world-class and sustainable venues designed for maximum social and sporting legacy. We are building many of these venues in underserved neighbourhoods to ensure the legacy affects these communities. .
“The Parapan American Games will also create opportunities and improve accessibility for people with an impairment across Peru.”
In what was the biggest surprise of the day, a pre-recorded message from Peru’s record goal scorer and captain of the national football team, Paolo Guerrero was screened to members of the public at the Plaza de Armas.
“Hello friends. In one year Lima will host the biggest sporting event on the continent – the Pan American and Parapan American Games.
“As a Peruvian, I feel immensely proud as this is a great opportunity to prove that we can compete at the highest level, always in the spirit of fair play. The Games are also a great opportunity to build modern sporting infrastructure that will be left as a legacy for all of Peru.
“For that reason, I ask you to not put away your jerseys. Keep supporting us and together we can show the world that we can add commitment to our enthusiasm in order to achieve our dreams. Let’s all get ready for the Games.”

Copenhagen, with its long history as a vibrant Baltic maritime hub, is set to play host to the 25th Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress. With “ITS – Quality of Life” as its main theme, this year’s Congress will explore how transport and mobility solutions can improve the quality of life in our cities by placing users and their needs at the heart of the mobility system. With this aim in mind, ITS experts from across the globe will converge in Copenhagen on 17-21 September to exchange best practices and advance the discussion on how to leverage smart mobility solutions to enhance people’s lives.

At this year’s Congress more than 10,000 participants from over 100 countries will discuss issues related to cybersecurity, resilience planning and smart transport solutions among many other themes. The ITS World Congress programme covers a range of interesting topics, from intelligent transport and the environment to the legal and safety aspects of cooperative, connected and automated mobility.

The 2018 ITS World Congress topics are:

• Mobility services from transport to mobility,
• ITS and the environment,
• Connected and automated transport,
• Next generation goods delivery,
• Satellite technology applied to mobility,
• Transport networks evolution,

Host topic:

• Cross-border mobility solutions.

“This year we will put emphasis on creative thinking, interaction and dialogue through a variety of sessions. Attendees will have access to innovative ideas and concepts from experts presenting in more than 150 dynamic sessions. Our vision is to enhance the interaction between the speaker and the audience, and thereby increase knowledge and expertise shared between our delegates from around the world” – ERTICO – ITS Europe Congress Director, Didier Gorteman, confirms.

Featuring more than 200 sessions and workshops, an exhibition, numerous demonstrations and technical tours, as well as a series of networking opportunities, associated events and social functions, the Congress is an ideal opportunity to learn from peers and share knowledge about the latest technologies and policy developments from across the world. It is also an excellent forum for the forging of new partnerships, offering participants the opportunity to join forces to push for positive change in the mobility sector.

The ITS World Congress 2018 is organised by ERTICO-ITS EUROPE, a public-private partnership of 120 companies and organisations representing stakeholders in the intelligent transport ecosystem, in collaboration with the City of Copenhagen, the European Commission, ITS America and ITS Asia-Pacific. ERTICO believes that the Congress, by providing these stakeholders with a forum to share their experience and learn from each other, makes a key contribution towards ensuring that intelligent transport systems improve the quality of life in cities and better serve the needs of urban transport users.

“The topics of this year Congress cover the most relevant areas in today’s business and policy agendas and are in perfectly in line with our activities and priorities: Connected and Automated Driving, Urban Mobility, Clean Mobility, and Transport and Logistics. As organisers of the largest event on smart mobility and transport digitalisation, we work closely with our Partners to ensure that we drive forward our shared vision towards zero accidents, zero delays, fully informed people, and a reduced impact on the environment. The ITS Congress is a great channel for us to promote this vision as well as to meet our overseas colleagues, understand their current work, see what solutions they have already in place and what their plans for the future are.”, ERTICO – ITS Europe CEO, Jacob Bangsgaard

Sustainability in Action

Copenhagen is ideally suited to host the ITS World Congress. The city regularly ranks at the top of the world’s most liveable cities, thanks to its commitment to sustainability. The city’s green credentials are reflected in some impressive statistics – around 45% of Copenhageners cycle to work, pedalling a combined total of 1.4 million kilometres per day. In fact, there are more bicycles than people in Copenhagen and only 29% of the city’s households own a car. Copenhagen is working hard to become carbon-neutral by 2025, and the ITS World Congress will be an opportunity to learn about the technologies and policies they are using to help achieve this goal.

“The city fuses quality of life at local level with a global outlook. It is internationally renowned for its innovative approach to climate and the environment. It has a reputation as the world’s best city for cyclists. It is a living showcase for Danish architecture. But most of all, Copenhagen is a good place to be. None of this came about by chance. It is the result of years of planning and development based on the needs of Copenhageners,” Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor Copenhagen, said.

During the ITS World Congress 2018, Copenhagen’s streets and squares will be used to display innovative ITS demonstration projects showcasing the latest technical innovations. Also on show will be Danish transport solutions, research findings and technological expertise, as well as products and services from Danish companies, in the hope of encouraging growth in exports of green mobility solutions.

Lord Mayor Jensen added that the ITS World Congress 2018 is a lever to bring together international public and private partners in a close collaboration that will contribute to the advancement of worldwide future ITS solutions. “On a regional level, the goal is that the Congress should strengthen the potential of cross-border partnerships in Greater Copenhagen, and reinforce the wide-ranging alliance within the Nordic Region,” he said.

Spotlight on Multimodality

The 25th ITS World Congress is one of the culminating events in the European Year of Multimodal Transport, during which the European Commission is promoting ‘multimodality’ with a range of initiatives. Major advances are foreseen as a result of this initiative, such as new regulations on multimodal passenger rights and data. It is no coincidence, then, that the ITS Congress has as a clear focus on multimodality and how to forge a path towards truly seamless and effortless mobility and achieve a system that is more efficient, sustainable and user-friendly.

Within this context, a session at this year’s Congress will examine how Mobility as a Service (MaaS) pilots and projects are aligned with the new regulatory environment and whether the proposed regulation takes into account results from field trials conducted throughout Europe. Also at the Congress, the European Commission will provide an overview on the regulatory framework around the deployment of multimodality and will share the progress made in MaaS projects funded by the EC.

Shape the Discussion

For anybody interested in the latest trends in smart and integrated transport, the ITS World Congress represents an ideal opportunity to contribute to and shape this discussion, share knowledge and learn about the latest technologies and policy developments globally. The Congress is an ideal forum to network with like-minded enthusiasts and leading experts with a view to forging new partnerships and pushing forward the intelligent transport agenda.

The Congress programme will be complemented by a 25000 sqm exhibition with the participation of over 400 companies and organisations from all over the world, showcasing their intelligent transport and smart city technologies and solutions. The 2018 Congress will also launch the first-ever exhibition space dedicated to young ventures of smart mobility at an ITS World Congress. The Area-C Startup Connector is an exclusive space for start-ups, giving them the opportunity to present their latest innovations and meet with potential business partners.

Furthermore, delegates of the Congress will have the opportunity to go on various technical visits and view demonstrations of the latest state-of-the-art products and solutions for real-world mobility scenarios, providing answers to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change, air quality, urbanisation, congestion and traffic safety.

By providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and best practices from around the globe, the ITS World Congress will make a significant contribution to the promotion of user-centric smart mobility solutions, both in Europe and internationally, supporting the event organiser ERTICO-ITS Europe in its efforts to improve the quality of transport systems for Europe’s citizens.

FISU is the IOC-recognised partner of the Olympic Movement responsible for delivering international sport to millions of students from more than 26,000 campuses around the world, with the help of member federations in 174 countries.

Our vision is to help shape the leaders of tomorrow through their experiences of international university sport: either as spectators, as volunteers or as spectators. And the nature of University life is that every four years or so, our audience is completely new.

In fact, the sports world often thinks of new audiences as only being those in new places, perhaps where a rights holder has not yet hosted competitions. But I would challenge this approach.

New audiences must also be thought of as those young people who, each year, are arriving at the age where they will make decisions for themselves, where they will develop affinities and loyalties independently. These people are not just the future of one sport, or two sports, but the future of every sport. And every year, the universities of the world have an intake of potential players and potential fans that is measured in the millions.

FISU’s showcase events, the ones where we reach the biggest number of students each year, are the Winter and Summer Universiades. And the most recent editions of these were here in Asia: last year we were in Almaty for winter and Taipei for summer.

In the last ten years, there has been a lot of talk about opening up new audiences in Asia and especially here in China.

I am proud to say that FISU has been at the front of successful hosting in Asia for twenty years. Many of our friends here are already old friends. Years before even Beijing’s Olympic bid was successful, FISU was here preparing for the Beijing 2001 Universiade: the first major global multisport Games in China.

Even if China and Asia are not new audiences for us, they are very successful audiences and we are always happy to come back and even to discover new cities!

Our lessons in developing new audiences here have been very valuable to us. For FISU, our work here in China and in Asia has been about long-term investment. And our biggest investment is the one we make in people.

I cannot understate how important it is to invest time in building relationships and developing people. That’s why things like volunteer training are so important to us at FISU. Ten, twenty or even thirty years from now, there will be a student whose experience of volunteering at one of our events led to a career as a leader in business or in politics. And that student will remember just how much hosting one of our events can do for people and communities.

Leaders who have happy memories of the Universiade go all the way up to the IOC President, Thomas Bach. And while it is great for us to have leaders with a positive experience of the Universiade, it is also a great asset for our hosts. Here in China alone, there have been more than 50,000 volunteers with experience of the Universiades and World University Championships. That’s more than 50,000 young people with massively multicultural experience, with experience of successfully delivering huge projects and from learning from the best in the world as they do so.

Of course, it is no longer possible just to use a single tool to reach audiences, whether new or old. Today’s audiences are more fragmented than ever. Advertisers know this very well. They used to be able to count on TV to reach the big majority of their audiences. But now they have to combine efforts across many different channels. They have to follow closely the interests of their audiences and we do the same with our World University Championships. These FISU events, and we will have organised more than 350 of them by the end of this year, can be a perfect vehicle for new sports to develop and find new audiences of their own.

A perfect example is the World University American Football Championship that will bring something new to the nearly 20,000 students who attend Harbin University of Commerce next month. Taking those 20,000 students to experience a new sport and new cultures would not be affordable. But taking a new sport and new cultures to the students in Harbin who are expecting international careers can be a huge part of their education.

I would like to say that hosting events here in China has been a vital part of the way FISU is working on new ways to deliver international University sport, and to bring it to new audiences.

The World University League for 3x3 basketball that has been hosted annually by Huaqiao University is a great example of this.

3x3 basketball has been a great success, especially in Asia. It was first trialled in Macao, it first came to global attention at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games and the first Olympic champions will be crowned in Tokyo.

For us, 3x3 has been an opportunity to bring in not just a new sport but to adapt the model of international university competition.

Traditionally, teams have competed on behalf of their national university sports federations.

Now, however, we are providing opportunities for teams to compete on behalf of their individual universities.

Today’s young people seem to identify less and less with nationalism. Instead they appear to engage more with brands.

So at a time when universities have been looking to establish themselves as global brands, it has made a lot of sense to allow athletes to compete with the names of their universities on their shirts whether they are playing new sports or traditional sports.

We can already see this with eSports too. In 2014, Robert Morris university, not far from Chicago, became the first university to offer scholarships to players of League of Legends.

Tencent held the first International College Cup for League of Legends here just last year and students competed for their universities.

It is here in Asia that we have discovered new audiences for more traditional sports too, and I would encourage all rights holders to show some flexibility out of respect for their hosts. This approach certainly worked for us last year, when we added rollersports to the programme for the Universiade.

While bringing new sports and events to new athletes and new hosts, we’ve also been looking of course at new ways to bring our events to new audiences.

Everyone in this room will be aware of the changes in the way young people consume sport.

While live TV continues to be very important, there are so many new ways to reach audiences. It is critical to take advantage of them.

Digital streaming is something I know the panellists in the next discussion will want to talk about.

But to give you some examples, FISU has found huge success in streaming competitions online via social media. For us, to have more than 100,000 watching a single game of basketball online is a great step forward.

This year’s 3x3 World University League finals is one where we will be developing this approach further, with our own production teams and online broadcasting.

And as of next year, FISU will be looking to apply all that it has learned about engaging students as players, as volunteers and as fans at the first FISU University World Cup Football, which will take place in September in Jinjiang.

The FISU University World Cup Football hosting arrangement is potentially for seven annual editions, which shows this kind of long-term investment FISU is prepared to make in places and people. And I should add that we are always looking for new hosts in which to invest, new places where we can engage students around both traditional and new sports.

It is clear there is a great opportunity for the old and the new to learn from each other. And what better place to do this than in a place that combines tradition and innovation as well as China!

This speech was delivered at Host City Asia in Beijing on 31 May

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and Soccerex announced today a partnership to support Soccerex’s return to the U.S. for the second time since its founding, which will convene the international soccer community in Miami, Florida on November 15-16 to exchange strategies, insights and a vision of the world of football.

The partnership is an extension of an institutional supporter agreement that Concacaf signed in 2017 with Soccerex to provide further opportunities to engage with the global football community – and one of the sport’s most important regions in North and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. Under the collaboration framework for Soccerex USA, the Confederation will have a key role in the convention activities, including presentations of senior executives on the organization’s evolution and leading industry trends. All the 41 Member Associations from the region and key decision makers will be invited to the event. 

In a new initiative for Soccerex USA this year, Soccerex have gathered an executive advisory board of regional experts and industry leaders, consisting of Concacaf General Secretary Philippe Moggio and representatives from both the U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer. The advisory board will ensure the conference programming and structure provides valuable and relevant insights to meet the needs of different sectors in the rapidly growing soccer market.

Philippe Moggio, who acts as the chief executive officer of the Confederation, has helped usher in a new era for the organization, pushing its vision and business operations to new levels of growth and professionalism. He brings to the board his global vision providing core advice through many years of experience at Concacaf and within the sports industry.

This is a crucial time for the Confederation following the historic win of Canada, Mexico and the United States to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026. In addition to the culmination of years of reforms and streamlined governance, the announcement of a new organizational identity – along with the expansion of clubs and national teams competitions.

“As a proud organization based in Miami, FL, Concacaf is thrilled to welcome Soccerex USA to a first-class sports and tourism destination. Hosting this industry platform on ‘home soil’ will draw key stakeholders and experts for a productive discussion on the business of football and to explore core areas to our ONE Concacaf Vision including the access to more opportunities to grow the game within our region and throughout the world,” said Concacaf General Secretary Philippe Moggio. “We look forward to working with the Soccerex team and its advisory board in supporting a successful edition of Soccerex USA.”

“It is a real pleasure to be working with Philippe and all the team at Concacaf. For us, to do an event in this region, it is essential we work with the right people and I am sure that with Concacaf’s support, we can deliver a vital business and development platform for Concacaf and all the nations they represent,” said Soccerex COO, Rita Revie.

Soccerex USA is sponsored by the London Football Exchange, the world’s first fully integrated soccer club stock exchange and marketplace and hosted in partnership with General American Capital Partners. The two-day event will take place at Miami’s iconic Marlin’s Park and will comprise an exhibition showcasing the latest soccer business, performance and technology innovations. It will include a program of structured and informal networking events to connect delegates from across the USA and the rest of the world and it will feature a market leading conference agenda, with international experts tacking topics such as league expansion, women’s soccer, youth development, eSports, stadia technology and investment.

In addition to Philippe Moggio, other members of the Advisory Board include Oscar Mayo, International Development Director, LaLiga, Mayi Cruz Blanco, former Head of Women’s Football Development, FIFA and David Dein, founding member of the English Premier League.

For more information on Soccerex USA, please go to www.soccerex.com/usa

[Source: Glasgow 2018] As the Official Provider of Event Look Services, CSM Live will help ensure that the Championships look fantastic and that the experience for fans, competitors and all involved will be one not to forget in a hurry. Their role will see them provide scoping, production, installation and project management of the event look and feel.

Glasgow 2018 European Championships will see some of the continent’s leading sports come together for one innovative multi-sport event which runs from 2 to 12 August. The event includes the existing European Championships for Aquatics, Cycling, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon with a new Golf Team event.

CSM Live approach these Championships with vast experience, having delivered the Look Services, wayfinding and city dressing for the London 2012 Olympic Games and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, amongst a number of other global sporting events.

Glasgow 2018 Championships Director Colin Hartley said:

“The Championships are nearly here and the atmosphere is building steadily in the run-up to the first event. The look and feel of the competition and the city branding are a big part of the experience for sports fans, spectators and visitors. We’re looking forward to working with CSM, and all our partners, to make this a vibrant and unforgettable experience”

Chief Executive Officer of CSM Live, Alastair Bewick said:

“We’re excited to be part of the inaugural European Championships, helping bring the event to life in Glasgow this August. It’s all set to be a fantastic new multi-sport event, and we’re looking forward to helping the fans connect with the Championships through the bold look and feel in the venues and across the city.”

CSM Live joins Strathmore, Atos, Gleneagles, Harper Macleod LLP, Avid, NVT, Aggreko, Glasgow Airport, GL events Field and Lawn Ltd., Arco, Adi.tv and Xerox as part of the Glasgow 2018 sponsor family.

Host City Asia 2018 successfully concluded on May 31 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beijing under the theme of “Attracting new audiences through sports and entertainment events”.

More than 120 representatives of cities and destinations, the Olympic Games, the Chinese government, international sports federations, organising committees and experts shared their strategies and explored the opportunities around hosting major events in Asia.

In his welcome address, Host City’s Editorial and Conference Director Ben Avison said “Although this is the first Host City Asia, it does feel very much like a homecoming.

“We launched Host City in Beijing in 2003, as a magazine bringing foreign expertise to the organisers of the 2008 Olympic Games – for which our CEO, Matthew Astill, received the Great Wall Friendship award from the Deputy Mayor of Beijing.

“And now, with Beijing being the first city to host not only the Summer but also the Winter Olympic Games, Host City returns to China with this valuable conference for Asia.

“As the IOC President Thomas Bach pointed out in his opening speech at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, we are now in an ‘Asian Olympic Era’.

“I would like to add that this is also an ‘Asian Era of Event Hosting’, more generally. Mega events are clearly the biggest way to attract new visitors or fans – but cities are interested in hosting a whole range of sports, business and cultural events, both large and small. Many Asian cities are developing extremely rapidly and using sports and culture to support their economic and social development.”

Chang Yu, Director General of Media and Communication Department of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games, delivered an opening keynote address on the theme of “past, present and future”.

“I am very excited to be invited to participate in Host City Asia and have the opportunity to share the development of sports in China and Asia with fellow experts and industry peers,” he said.

“The Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games looks forward to working together with everyone to create a wonderful and extraordinary Winter Olympics for the world in 2022. I wish Host City Asia a complete success.”

In his presentation on “Stimulating the Vitality of Olympic Legacy; Building a Model for Summer and Winter Olympics Legacy,” Fu Xiaohui, Secretary General of Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) outlined China’s goal of encouraging 300 million people to participate in winter sports.

He also explained how BODA is building links with the cultural sector through the Beijing International Sports Film Week and Beijing Olympic Music Festival, while strengthening cooperation with the Belt and Road cities, Olympic cities, and international sports organizations to share China’s story with the world.

Stephen Ellison, Minister-Counsellor, British Embassy Beijing said: “Having this event here greatly reflects China and Asia`s rapid growth in the sports economy. Asian cities are currently dominating the global sports events calendar.

“UK sports are extremely popular in China; the Premier League, Wimbledon, World Snooker and Formula One are watched by hundreds of millions of people on TV and digital platforms here. UK sports are also physically here; World Snooker has events in five cities across China, Formula One in Shanghai, Clipper Race in Qingdao and Sanya and we believe there is still more potential.

“The UK has been proactively working with China on Beijing 2022 Winter Sports. In December 2016, UK and China singed an MOU on Winter Sports cooperation. The British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association were the first national teams to visit Beijing 2022’s three competition zones. Additionally, British architects Populous UK won the bid for the China new national high-speed skating Oval.

“The legacy of Beijing 2008 on sports, infrastructure and society has been huge and this will dovetail into Beijing 2022 with the establishment of growing winter sports economy. International expertise can continue to develop sports infrastructure in Asia.”

Hiromi Kawamura, Public Relations Secretary of Tokyo 2020 gave insightful update on how Tokyo is using the Games to fulfil Tokyo and Japan’s wider development goals.

Laszlo Vajda, Senior Operations Manager, Minsk 2019 European Games and Senior Expert, Beijing 2022 also shared his great experience of staging the world’s biggest and most complex events.

Other event hosts represented at Host City included Zong Zhenhua, Executive Vice Director, Gaoxin district of Zhangjiakou; Bai Jianhai, Director of Winter Sports Promotion Office, Zhangjiakou Government; Tony Nagamaiah, General Manager, Malaysia Major Events; Michael Baird, Strategic Advisor to the Commissioner for Greater China, State Government of Victoria, Australia; Vusi Mazibuko, General Manager, Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban and Li Yidong, Director, Tanggangzi New Town Conference and Exhibition Centre, Anshan.

Sports federations were well represented by IF leaders including Beng Choo Low, Secretary General, World Baseball Softball Confederation and Kobinata Toru, Vice President Sport/ Events, International Federation of Sport Climbing and many more.

Kelvin Fang, Senior Media and Marketing Manager at FIBA ​​China said: “Basketball is very popular in China, but FIBA ​​hopes to host the World Cup in China to bring a richer heritage to the host city. FIBA's goal is to allow basketball enthusiasts of all ages to participate in sports. Like 3×3 basketball, they will enter cities such as Beijing, Xi’an, and Chengdu. China is an important basketball market and more events will come in.

Luis Alexandre Pontes Rodrigues, Director of Asia and Oceania at FIVB said: “China is a market with great potential, and the FIVB can bring a lot of extra resources here. The FIVB is constantly looking to develop and to bring a wider audience participation. Nanjing will hold the finals of the World Women's Volleyball League for many years. The FIVB hopes to make it a flagship event. Volleyball has a very good future in China and the FIVB must understand this market in depth.”

Jason Ferguson, President of the World Professional Snooker Association said: “The Chinese market plays a pivotal role in promoting the development of the snooker movement. The potential of the Chinese market lies in the development of small cities, which can increase their international visibility.”

Oleg Matytsin, President of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) said: “The sports world often thinks of new audiences as only being those in new places, perhaps where a rights holder has not yet hosted competitions. But new audiences must also be thought of as those young people who, each year, are arriving at the age where they will make decisions for themselves, where they will develop affinities and loyalties independently. These people are not just the future of one sport, or two sports, but the future of every sport.”

Exciting presentations were also delivered by Erich Wolf, Managing Director of Red Bull Air Race; Victor Cui, Director and International CEO, ONE Championships; and Benedikt Brandmeier, Head of Locations & Strategy, Drone Champions.

Yutang Sports played a central role in Host City Asia with their Co-Founder and Executive Director Li Jiang and International Business Development Director Zhang Tingting moderating VIP panel discussions.

The contribution of the private sector to the hosting of major events was well recognised with valuable contributions from: David de Behr, Head of Global Events, Aggreko; Patrick Vajda, Senior Risk Advisor, Sports & Events Practice, Marsh; Wu Lei, CEO, Kingdomway Sports; Karl Hawkins, CEO/President, Kehua Sports; Hailiang Chen, Director of Sport and Recreation, Wanda Cultural Tourism Planning & Research Institute; Anne Kelly, Chief Operating Officer, Shankai Sports; Shoto Xiaodong Zhu, Founder & Chairman, OCEANS Sports & Entertainment Marketing; and Nikki Wang, Head of Sports Business China, Deloitte; Mark Dreyer, Founder, China Sports Insider and Yang Binyuan, Head of Communications Greater China, Google.

Host City: Why did Gwangju decide to bid for the 2019 FINA World Championships?

Dr Cho: The city of Gwangju had hosted a few major international sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup quarter-final and the 2015 Universiade, so we wanted to build this image as the sports city of Korea.

As a legacy of the Universiade we had the international standard swimming pool. We wanted to utilise this venue but at the same time wanted to build further the city brand. So that’s why we decided to host this World Championships. 

Host City: What impact do expect hosting the Championships will have on the city?

Dr Cho: We have a bigger vision than just impact on the city itself. Gwangju is the central city and the pillar of democracy, peace and human rights of South Korea. That’s why we wanted to let the spirit of Gwangju into the championships and chose our slogan “Diving into Peace”.

Through the Championships, all the initiatives will come together to create peace-building in the Korean peninsula, in South East Asia and further.

Host City: To what extent will the North and South Korean teams join during the Championships?

Dr Cho: There are three phases. The first one will be the participation of North Korea.

After that we are going to seek a joint ceremony, such as maybe marching together.

And after that, if the condition allows, we will try to create a unified team. All possibilities are open at the moment.

We had a unified ice hockey team at the PyeongChang Olympics, but I think we have more favourable conditions than that because we have even more preparation time to discuss creating a unified team. And also, there is a good atmosphere building between North and South Korea; so things are working very favourably for us.

Right now, we are not thinking specifically about what events we want to host. However, we want to strongly be positioned as the sports city of Korea; that is why after this we want to open our eyes and see what events are possible for us to bring to Gwangju.

Host City: Why is Gwangju focusing on sports specifically for its development?

Dr Cho: Firstly, Gwangju is the central cultural hub of Asia. When you talk about culture there are two major strands: one is art, the other is sport. Because of that, we think that when we bring sports events to Gwangju it’s going to create synergy with the arts, to really promote our city as the central hub of culture in Asia.

The second point is that we want to promote the value of the city, what we are good at, through sports. Because that is one of the easiest ways for us to really promote the merits and values that the city has.

The third point is that Gwangju is really building an industrial base for the fourth industrial revolution – for example, robotics, AI and IoT. We also want to promote that idea through sports.

Gwangju has a high concentration of energy industries. We want to create a revolution in renewable energies and our industries through sport.

At the same time, we have an automotive industry base in Gwangju. This industry is moving towards the fourth industrial revolution and we want to promote this idea through sports events.

Host City is Event Development Partner of SportAccord 2018

An unprecedented list of UK and International major sports events organisations will be sending senior representatives to Liverpool in June to share their plans, opportunities and challenges with commercial companies and learn from suppliers about what they can offer to help deliver these iconic events being planned out to 2024.

Over 27^th – 28^th June, Major Events International (MEI) will be delivering a multi-sector, business of sport Summit as part of the International Business Festival. This unique format will include representatives from the Pan American Games, Cricket and Rugby League World Cups, Invictus Games and other competition organisers at Olympic Games level. All of these agencies have key roles in shaping procurement for technology & fan engagement, temporary overlay, safety & security and a wide range of event services – all of which are key themes of the MEI Summit. They will also benefit from input made by senior representatives from the recent Rio 2016 Olympics, Commonwealth Games Gold Coast and European Games in Baku.

With UK hosting the Cricket World Cup 2019, Rugby League World Cup 2021, the Commonwealth Games 2022, and with significant investment in UK Venues and over 700 UK annual festivals, there will be plenty of content for those who are also interested in UK opportunities.

The key to this event is networking. There will be commercial companies attending looking for partners from Australia, USA, Brazil, Japan, China and India where significant events and growth in sport is catching the attention of a world-wide audience. The format focuses on identifying opportunities, collaborative relationships and knowledge exchange through workshops, panels and an opportunity to interact socially as part of an Awards Dinner at Liverpool Football Club.

There is no other multi-sector forum where such a range of organisations meet to brief opportunities and build relationships over 2 full days without the need to travel to each international or UK host City.

There are only a few days left to register your interest in attending this unique, invitation only, event of 120 attendees so please register your interest now

Call the MEI team on +44 (0) 20 7073 2661, or send an email to enquiries@majoreventsint.com or go to the MEI Summit website at https://www.majoreventssummit.com or register at www.internationalbusinessfestival.com