The 2016 IPC Academy Campus is now officially underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over the next two weeks it will welcome over 500 representatives from the Organising Committees of the forthcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in PyeongChang, Tokyo and Beijing alongside observers from Candidate Cities, other major events, International Federations, government entities and leading commercial partners.

Delivered by the IPC Academy - the educational division created in 2009 as a partnership between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) – the 2016 IPC Academy Campus (4-17 September) is a unique event-based learning initiative that gives stakeholders of major sports events the chance to learn from their peers during the Paralympic Games. The IPC Academy Campus features an Observers’ Programme, Games Experience Programme, Inclusion Summit and a Closing Cocktail Reception.

The Observers’ Programme is now underway with observers already experiencing what goes on behind the scenes during a run through of the Opening Ceremony for the Paralympic Games. Over the next two weeks, representatives from the IPC and Rio 2016 will be sharing their knowledge and experience through a series of venue visits, roundtable discussions and operational observation visits facilitated by programme leads from the IPC Academy, utilising WAoS Event Learning Methodologies. From Logistics, Marketing, Technology, Media Experience & Operations though to Transport, Medical & Anti-Doping and Arrivals & Departures among other areas, delegates will be able to experience first-hand how the Paralympics Games works in operations mode and garner invaluable learnings for their own major events and organisations.

“I am looking forward to seeing all participants with all their different backgrounds come together to share their sports experiences but also to learn from each other and create a unique atmosphere in Rio de Janeiro,” says Xavier Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer of the IPC.

“Different types of programme activities will ensure that diverse individual needs will be met and that the benefits of observation will be maximised. The variety of themes have also been significantly increased throughout the years. This is the third edition of Campus and it now includes 15 days of action and a total of 80 different activities for Event Organisers.”

The aim of the Observers’ Programme is for observers’ to:

•           Provide the opportunity to meet experienced OCOG Functional Managers, ‘client owners’ and venue general managers and to benefit from their expertise.

•           Allow the observation of Games functions, processes and staff in Games mode.

•           Understand the physical Games environment.

•           Benefit from commentary and analysis by Paralympic Games’ functional specialists (IPC Staff & Advisors).

•           Highlight Paralympic distinctive elements in the presentation and operations of the Paralympic Games.

The Observers Programme is tailored to the needs of Organising Committees of Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major event organisers. The Games Experience Programme meanwhile features event learnings for governments and those within the supply chain of major event delivery and the Inclusion Summit showcases the remarkable work that the Paralympics can create towards a more inclusive and harmonious society.

“Each of these programmes provides unique learning opportunities and it is within this context that we have created the IPC Academy Campus 2016 for us all to learn and share experiences throughout these Paralympic Games,” says Gonzalez.

Looking ahead to the Games themselves, he adds: “Rio will provide a perfect backdrop for the Games with its stunning landmarks, from Sugar Loaf Mountain to Christ the Redeemer, the Lago and much more. I also hope that the Brazilians will create a special atmosphere, cheering on their athletes in the city and in the venues.”

About IPC Academy Campus

The IPC Academy Campus is taking place in Rio de Janeiro between 4-17 September 2016.

Its Event Partners include the Adecco Group and the UK’s Department for International Trade. Its Media Partners are Sportcal (Intelligence Partner), Major Events International (Digest Partner), Around the Rings (Online Partner), Host City (Magazine Partner) and AXS Chat (Social Media Partner).

For further information about the the IPC Academy Campus, please visit www.ipcacademycampus.com or contact Claire Bennett, Project Coordinator, World Academy of Sport cbennett@worldacademysport.com. Tweets can be shared using: #CampusRio2016  and/or #inclusionsummit

Russia’s suitability to host major international sports events has been called into question by recent events, with the IOC having withdrawn its support for events in the country over evidence of organised doping. But the CEO of FIFA sponsor Adidas has given a positive appraisal of the benefits of staging the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

“Russia is a very sport enthusiastic population. A lot of sport activities happen here in Russia: we had the winter Olympics, we have the upcoming World Cup and Adidas is the brand which has been in longest connection with the Russian population, therefore there is a big opportunity for us which we want to grab,” Adidas Group CEO Herbert Hainer told state broadcaster RT on a recent visit to Moscow.

Adidas has Official Partner, Supplier and Licensee rights for the FIFA World Cup and all FIFA events until 2030. As well as partnering with FIFA, Adidas sponsors Russia’s national football team and Moscow teams CSKA and Lokomotiv.

“Football is the biggest sport in the world and the World Cup will enhance this. But I think there is a huge opportunity for all the different sports, Russia is great in track and field, ice hockey, gymnastics, and I definitely think that this will further continue," said Hainer.

Russia’s economy has been hit by the collapse in oil price, with GDP contracting -3.7 per cent in 2015, according to World Bank figures. The budget for staging the World Cup has correspondingly been reduced by 4.4 per cent to US$9.5 billion, of which private investment accounts for 32 per cent.

But Hainer, who was in Moscow for the opening of a new Russia and CIS Adidas headquarters, said the World Cup will give the country a lift.

“A World Cup always leaves a huge legacy in a country, and I’m absolutely convinced this will happen here in Russia. I mean, just look at the newly built stadia, they will be much more modern, have much more comfort and they will also shift the demographics in the stadium, because we saw it in Germany after 2006, much more women coming into the stadium, much more kids, much more families, and this will definitely give a huge boost to football and to sport here in Russia.

“Of course there are some challenges at the moment in the economic development but this will be overcome and I think sport really will drive the whole mood in the country and the whole optimism of the people – therefore I am quite happy that the World Cup in 2018 is here in Russia.”

The 2018 FIFA World Cup takes place from 14 June to 15 July in the cities of Ekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Saransk, Volgograd and Sochi. Adidas will be supplying the match balls, as it has done since 1970.

Simpleview, the US-based provider of digital strategy and technological sales and marketing solutions for destination marketing organisations (DMOs), has added a European office to address the needs of the company’s expanding international clientele. 

“We are excited about our business prospects in Europe and we also recognise the importance of establishing an office to serve our current clients in the region” said Rich Reasons, President of Simpleview. 

The new office in Oslo, Norway is the first to open outside the US for Simpleview, which has offices in Arizona, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and California.

The move will support the company’s growing customer base in Europe, which includes existing clients Prague Convention Bureau, The Hague Convention Bureau, Edinburgh Convention Bureau and Innovation Norway.

The new office will be led by Rolf Senstad as Simpleview’s General Manager in Europe. His first task will be to collaborate with European DMOs, Regional Tourist Boards (RTBs), National Tourist Boards (NTBs) and Convention Bureaus (CBs) to determine what technology, training, support and marketing tools they need to succeed.

“With Rolf leading the way, we will be able to identify the unique needs and requirements of European Convention Bureaus and Destination Marketing Organizations so we can continue to innovate and evolve our business models and industry best practices in the areas of sales, marketing, research, bidding, reporting and other mission critical disciplines,”  said Seasons.

Senstad previously worked with Innovation Norway as project leader when Simpleview was awarded a contract to deploy a Content Management System, Customer Relationship Management platform and supporting technologies for VisitNorway.com, a website that reaches more than 20 million visitors annually.

Simpleview provides client relationship management (CRM) and content management systems (CMS), website design, search marketing, revenue generation, and mobile technologies for destination marketing organisations.

Opening the European office will support the company’s growth worldwide. Of the more than 400 DMOs that Simpleview works with, more than 50 are outside the US, including Melbourne, Australia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Macau, China, South Africa Tourism, Sarawak, Malaysia, Guadalajara, Mexico and Meet in Reykjavik.

For more information visit www.simpleviewinc.com

Ten international sports federations (IFs) have agreed to broadcast their events on the IOC’s new Olympic Channel. 35 events hosted in all regions of the world will be broadcast in 2016, ranging from Olympic qualifiers, world championships, world cups, grand prix and more.

Racket sports feature prominently on the schedule, which includes 18 badminton and six table tennis events. The other eight sports represented are basketball, fencing, canoe, ice hockey, shooting, triathlon, wrestling and archery.

“We have received excellent feedback from broadcasters on archery’s coverage at Rio 2016,” said Tom Dielen, Secretary General of World Archery.

“The Olympic Channel gives an opportunity to build on the wide exposure Rio offered, even though the Olympics are over.”

According to the International Sports Press Association, such collaborations aim to complement the IFs’ current broadcast and distribution arrangements.

The Odense 2016 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final, for example, will also be broadcast on World Archery’s YouTube Channel and via selected broadcasters worldwide.

The Olympic Channel is working with the IFs to create innovative partnerships including event coverage, highlights, magazine shows, news coverage and original programming, with further announcements expected in the autumn.

“We look forward to working with our IF partners to help distribute their events and extend their reach to fans around the world. Placing a spotlight on Olympic sports and athletes outside of the Games themselves is one of the key priorities of the Olympic Channel,” said Mark Parkman, General Manager of the Olympic Channel.

“Launching the Olympic Channel with this event programming already in place ensures that fans will be able to continue their excitement of Rio and the Olympic Games all year long.”

The Olympic Channel is a new digital platform where fans can engage with Olympic sports all year round via mobile apps for Android and iOS devices and at olympicchannel.com. The channel launched on 21 August following the Closing Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (ONODC) and the International Centre for Sports Security (ICSS) have launched a new resource guide to help law enforcement and sports organisations better detect and investigate match-fixing and cases of sports-results manipulation.

“The joy that sports bring to billions of fans around the world can so easily be marred by crooked practices such as match-fixing,” writes Yuri Fedotov, Executive Director of the UNODC in the foreword to the guide. “The best way to tackle these threats is through a multi stakeholder approach.”

The Resource Guide on Good Practices in the Investigation of Match-Fixing was launched on Tuesday alongside a meeting of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the Prevention of Corruption, attended by representatives of the 178 States parties to the United Nations Convention against corruption.

“The problem of match-fixing is such that it undermines integrity in sport with the significant illicit profits it generates allowing organized crime and corruption to thrive,” John Brandolino, UNODC Director for Treaty Affairs said at the launch of the resource guide.

“In addition, the investigative skills of both law enforcement agencies and sports organizations around the world which are needed to identify and apprehend those responsible, are relatively underdeveloped.

“The Resource Guide represents UNODC’s and ICSS’s efforts to address this shortage in skill among investigators in both law enforcement and sports organizations and to raise awareness among policy makers about the threat of match-fixing. It serves as an important tool for those seeking to understand the problem and to learn how to effectively investigate it.”

More than 40 experts contributed to the development of the resource guide, including officials from FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, INTERPOL, the European Commission, Hong Kong Jockey Club, World Snooker, Council of Europe, Ministries of Justice from France and the Republic of Korea, and EUROPOL.

“This handbook provides a comprehensive range of case studies, investigation techniques and approaches to combat match-fixing as well as providing valuable guidance on how to disrupt the international organized crime syndicates that now operate in sport,” said Mohammed Hanzab, President of ICSS.

“As the ICSS looks to build on this launch and work alongside the UNODC to develop a series of workshops and training courses in this area, this handbook will hopefully provide sport federations and law enforcement agencies with an important go-to-guide to detecting, investigating and prosecuting match-fixers and organized crime.”

The full Resource Guide can be read and downloaded on the UNODC website.

Holding training camps in Turkey is no rareness for years. Especially the region around Antalya is almost second home for professional soccer leagues in winter. Now Belek, only 30 kilometres away from Antalya and known as the mecca for golf enthusiasts, is becoming one of the most favoured destinations for top-ranking athletes from all branches. Thanks to Özaltin Holding, having founded the Gloria Sports Arena from the ground beginning of 2015, and now can boast about great occupancy rates in the second year of operation. 

Each day elite athletes – especially from Germany, Austria and Scandinavia – use the multipurpose sports facility for tests, training and regeneration. Athletes, swimmers and divers, martial artists, basketball and volleyball players as well as hockey players train in the proven outdoor and indoor facilities and in the aquatic centre, to optimize their best times for diverse competitions such as the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam or Olympics in Rio. The majority of the national coaches agree that the Gloria Sports Arena is one of the best sports complexes of Europe due to its comprehensive services, conditions regardless of weather and the reachability from many parts of the world. In particular the first internationally standardized hockey course of Turkey with Olympic coating is a blessing to hockey players for their outdoor-training even in winter.

Since the opening in January 2015 professional and amateur athletes from more than 54 countries and over 100 sports teams could convince themselves of the excellent training possibilities. 

More than 50 sports 
There are no limits regarding sports disciplines at the Gloria Sports Arena: More than 50 sports can be exercised on a total area of 105.000 sq. indoor, outdoor and in the aquatic centre. Next to the track and field stadium with a football field, comprising 1.600 spectators, all track and field disciplines, boxing, fencing, judo, wrestling, handball, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, gymnastics, badminton, dance sports, weight lifting and more can be trained here. Outside of the stadium one Olympic pool, one short lane multi-purpose and diving pool, diverse running tracks, tennis courts, climbing walls and further areas for aerobic, Pilates and Boccia are at service. In the indoor halls the galleries can be extended for up to 1.200 spectators. The equipment is also second to none: The parquet floor for the basketball hall for example was imported from the USA and is the same, on which the NBA-stars sink as many baskets as possible. 

The aquatic centre of the Gloria Sports Arena on 5.800 sq. offers next to Olympic pools also areas for diverse exercises before or after the swimming practice.  Among the equipment are an Olympic outdoor pool with 10 lanes, an 50 m indoor pool with 5 lanes, an outdoor pool for short distances with 6 lanes (25m), an Olympic diving pool, an Olympic water polo pool and a rehabilitation pool. The aquatic centre is equipped with a mobile Contemplas high performance video analysis system for all pools. 

Whether professional or amateur – in the Gloria Sports Medicine & Performance Centre professional sports scientists look after the concerns of all guests. The areas of performance physiology, movement control, biomechanics and all sorts of sports performance analysis are covered here. Gloria Sports Arena is a certified physiotherapy partner of Eden Rehab in Germany (www.eden-reha.de). All requirements for modern physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation are fulfilled. The experienced team consists of sports scientists, physiotherapists, sports coaches and sports massage therapists, who were educated in leading institutions in Turkey, Europe and the USA. Those who wish to overnight in the Gloria Sports Arena can enjoy the sports hotel with 100 rooms, all looking over the track and field stadium. The hotel´s own restaurant offers an extensive buffet in the morning, noon and evening with focus on healthy nutrition. 

First LEED Gold Certificate in Turkey  
Özaltin Holding is known for its passion for the environment. As one of the leading construction companies of Turkey they have committed themselves to realize environmentally compatible projects. Among them is the 5-star Gloria Verde Resort, attracting the eye with its construction around the nature, and now also the Gloria Sports Arena, being awarded as one of the most energy- and resource-saving construction of Turkey with the LEED Certificate (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The Gloria Sports Arena is the first construction of Turkey with this worldwide recognition.  This is an important milestone for Gloria, duly framing the own campaign "Habitat of Gloria – For our future". 

Sports Events 2016
From top-class dancing tournaments via swim camps with professional coach Dirk Lange, former head trainer of the German and South African national league, up to the most challenging endurance sports event of the world, the Ironman, and the new three-week summer camps for kids from 6 to 16 – numerous occasions ensure that the Gloria Sports Arena remains a sporty melting pot of diverse cultures. 

Range of Events:  
14th - 16th October: Gloria Senior Open Dance Competitions
23rd October: Gloria Ironman 70.3 Turkey

Source: Gloria Hotels & Resorts

In just less than two months the second Ironman 70.3 starts in Turkey under the patronage of the brand Gloria: On 23rd October 2016 more than 2.500 athletes from over 60 nations are expected to Belek. The second edition of the Gloria Ironman 70.3 Turkey will be held in the memory of Nuri Özaltın, Özaltın Holding Chairman and Owner of the Gloria Hotels & Resorts, which sadly passed away a few weeks ago. Start and final is once again in the beautiful premises of the Gloria Hotels & Resorts: While swimming starts at the beach of Gloria Serenity Resort the finish line awaits the athletes at the Gloria Sports Arena, the largest sports facility of the country.

This race gives 20 qualifying slots for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. In 2015 the premiere of the Gloria Ironman 70.3.Turkey attracted 1.224 triathletes from over 60 countries, among them 25 percent of women. Thus, Gloria Hotels & Resorts could write a piece of history. More than 1.000 volunteers supported the event on 25th October in all areas. Together with the Gloria-Team more than 5.000 spectators shared the excitement onsite, while whole Turkey could follow the event on CNNTürk live.  

"This year we dedicate the second edition of Gloria Ironman 70.3 Turkey to our Nuri Özaltin, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago. His contribution to tourism and sports in the country is significant", says Mutlu Sagsözlü, Head of Sales & Marketing of the Gloria hotel group. "It is clear enough that sports is the best way to connect cultures and we will continue to work on this branch."

Again this year Gloria is promoting these four disciplines: "Swim, Bike, Run, and Holiday". Gloria Hotels & Resorts target athletes, who not only want to train on-site for the triathlon, but also want to enjoy a relaxing holiday with the family after the challenging event. With its Five-Star resorts Gloria provides a wide choice of accommodation: The bed capacity of all four hotels alone (Gloria Sports Arena Hotel, Gloria Golf Resort, Gloria Serenity Resort, and Gloria Verde Resort) amounts to 3.000. Moreover, there are numerous hotels around the premises of Gloria, which have profited from the event last year clear enough.  

The courses of Gloria Ironman 70.3 Turkey
The Ironman-Triathlon in Antalya and Belek will once again be challenging: The swim will start at the beautiful sandy beach of the Gloria Serenity Resort with a 1,9k one loop course in the calm and crystal clear water of the Turkish Riviera. From there the bike will be on a 90k one loop course, parallel to the Mediterranean, taking past the Expo 2016-area – this course has been optimized for this year´s event – and ends at the Gloria Serenity Resort. A 21,1k loop run course leads the athletes on two rounds through the picturesque landscape of the 45-hole Gloria golf course and through the streets of Belek centre back to the finishing line at the Gloria Sports Arena. 

Packages in the Gloria Sports Arena
The Gloria Sports Arena offers the ideal platform for athletes, who want to prepare for the triathlon. Diverse packages are available for young and old, among them complete packages for top athletes or for targeted individual training. Balance tests, gait analysis, Speedcourt training, ICELAB-units and more can be booked.  

Gloria Sports Arena – the largest sports facility in Turkey
It is 105.000 sq. large – the merely two years old Gloria Sports Arena, Europe´s most comprehensive privately financed sports arena, being the largest facility of Turkey for more than 50 sports disciplines. Next to a track and field stadium for 1.600 spectators, it houses an Olympic Aquatic Centre, a sports science and performance center and further indoor and outdoor areas for trainings of all kinds. There is also a sports hotel with 100 rooms, motivating to high performances with their direct view onto the stadium. The Gloria Sports Arena also convinces with its accessibility. The international airport Antalya is only 30 kilometres away and ideally connected from all important airports of the world. With the Gloria Sports Arena the owners Özaltin Holding have started a project, that is said to be a new landmark for the country´s sport tourism. 

Information and registration: www.ironman.com/turkey70.3
hotel bookings via www.gloria.com.tr.      

The light the Olympic Games casts on the host city can be harsh. Anyone who wasn’t already familiar with Rio’s issues with security, economics and the environment now has a much clearer picture. But such global attention is a good thing for the city in the long run, according to the International Olympic Committee.

“These Games did not take place in a bubble. We chose a city that has its problems, which has a reality with many challenges,” IOC President Thomas Bach told a press conference on 20 August, the penultimate day of the Games.

“The Rio 2016 Games took place within this context, which was positive as it allowed us to show that sport can help to address problems and bring people together. There are no regrets whatsoever,” he said.

Bach cited advances in sports, education and urban mobility as great benefits for the future of the city. Rio has a rejuvenated Port Area, a new Olympic Training Centre, a new leisure area in Deodoro, new BRT lines, a subway, a VLT, new roads, more hotels, and a City Operations Centre.

In recognition of these advances, he awarded the Olympic Order, the highest honour of the Olympic Movement, to Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes on 22 August.

The tourism industry could also continue to benefit from the Games. An estimated 500,000 overseas visitors came to Rio during the Olympic Games, 88 per cent of whom intend to come back to Brazil, according to a survey carried out by the ministry of tourism. To accommodate this influx, the number of hotel rooms has increased from 20,000 to 50,000, according to the Brazilian Hotel Industry Association.

Speaking at the closing ceremony on 21 August, Bach said: “These Olympic Games are leaving a unique legacy for generations to come. History will talk about a Rio de Janeiro before and a much better Rio de Janeiro after the Olympic Games.”

However, preparations for the Games took place amid a backdrop of economic and political crisis and the city during Games-time presented a tough environment. The impact of Rio 2016's budgetary issues is now being felt by the International Paralympic Committee, which is facing the scenario of several national teams not being able participate as a result.

“Clearly Brazil is in a far different position now to the one that it was in October 2009 when it won the right to stage the Games,” IPC President Sir Philip Craven said on 19 August.

“The current economic and political climate has made preparations extremely challenging, especially for the Rio 2016 Organising Committee who we have partnered with for the last seven years.

“This situation is difficult for everyone involved and, on top of bringing in extra revenues and making cuts, we need to sell more tickets.”

But at the press conference, Bach was optimistic about attendance at the Paralympic Games. “At London 2012, ticket sales began slowly, but later picked up a lot. I hope the same will happen here.”

Worldwide Olympic Partner Toyota Motor Corporation and Bridgestone Corporation have this week become the first Founding Partners of the Olympic Channel – the IOC’s a new digital platform that launches on Sunday 21 August following the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

The Founding Partner agreements have a four-year term extending through to the end of 2020.

Bridgestone, the world’s largest tyre and rubber company, became the first Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel on Monday, having been a Worldwide TOP Partner since 2014.

“Bridgestone has demonstrated its support for the Olympic Movement and belief in the Olympic values through its long-term commitment as a Worldwide TOP Partner, and through this new agreement we look forward to working closely with them to bring the Olympic Channel to fans around the world,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.

Toyota signed as a Worldwide TOP Partner in 2015 and the IOC announced company as a Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel on Friday.

“We are delighted that Toyota, our newest Worldwide TOP Partner, will also support the Olympic Channel as a Founding Partner,” said Bach. “We look forward to strengthening our partnership through the Olympic Channel.”

The Founding Partners will support the development of the Olympic Channel to put content into the hands of fans anytime, anywhere, and on any device, according the IOC.

Through the relationship, Toyota will receive exclusive advertising opportunities and will work with the Olympic Channel team to co-develop inspiring and exciting content, the IOC said.

Bridgestone will serve as the presenting partner of the Olympic Channel’s “Against All Odds”, an eight-episode documentary series that demonstrates the very embodiment of the Olympic spirit and follows eight athletes. Each half-hour episode will focus on one athlete, offering a first-person account of a key turning point, and how personal will and determination helped them to overcome adversity and reach their goals. The first episode in the series will premiere on 21 August, when the Olympic Channel launches.

“This is a very exciting time for Bridgestone as our Worldwide Olympic Partnership marks the first truly global marketing platform in our company’s history, and the Olympic Games Rio 2016 – the first ever in South America – are our first as a Worldwide TOP Partner. It is fitting that we also are the first Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel,” said Masaaki Tsuya, CEO and Representative Executive Officer, Bridgestone Corporation.

“The Olympic Movement is universal and we continue to reaffirm Bridgestone’s longstanding support for sport and our belief that the core principles of Olympism – and the world’s greatest athletes – should be celebrated every day of the year.”

As a TOP Partner, Bridgestone is strengthening its commitment to the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Channel mission, outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020, to reach audiences around the world, beyond the Olympic Games period, 365 days a year.

TOP Partner Toyota will support the organisers of future Olympic Games, the IOC and National Olympic Committees and their Olympic teams around the world. In line with Olympic Agenda 2020, with sustainability as one of its key pillars, Toyota will work with the Organising Committees through to 2024 to provide sustainable mobility solutions for the Games to help with safer, more efficient mobility, including intelligent transport systems, urban traffic systems and vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems.

The partnership will help deliver a mobility legacy in the host cities and countries, the IOC said.

About the Olympic Channel

The Olympic Channel is a digital-first, multiplatform global Olympic media entity, which aims to broadcast the Olympic Movement and its inherent values all year round, especially in the periods between the Olympic Games.  The primary objectives of the Olympic Channel are to provide a platform for the continuous exposure of Olympic sports and athletes beyond the Olympic Games period and to help create anticipation while providing opportunities to "re-live the experience" after the Games; continuously highlight the relevance of the Olympic Movement's ideals to the challenges of today's world; provide a platform for sharing the IOC's very rich patrimonial assets and archives with the world and create additional value and content for the IOC archives; and engage the young generations around the world using methods that are relevant to them, building understanding, entertainment and education. At launch, the Olympic Channel will be a digital platform, with on-demand content available across the web, mobile, tablet and other connected devices where fans can experience the power of sport and Olympism 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. Audiences will also be able to access content and engage through a variety of social media platforms as part of the Olympic Channel network. For more info, please visit olympicchannel.com.

Host City 2016 is delighted to announce exciting additions to this year's speaker line-up.

In addition to representatives from Glasgow, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Brussels, city leaders that have recently confirmed their participation include: Adriaan Visser, Vice Mayor of Rotterdam and Alderman for Sports, Rotterdam; Ronnie Hansen, General Manager, Experience Economy, City of Odense; and Devorah Blumberg, Head, New Zealand Major Events.

News and updates on panels and speakers:

• Simon Clegg CBE, Chief Operating Officer, World Expo Dubai 2020 – the world’s biggest non-sports event – is set to attend and speak at Host City 2016.
• Ann Delmiche, Director of Meetings and Events Department, International Association of Public Transport (UITP) will join other leaders on the panel “Business Events and Economic Development”, moderated by Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.
• A panel discussing “How Cities Can Be Secure Hosts” will feature Karen Eyre-White, Chief Executive of the Sports Ground Safety Authority and Patrick Vajda, Sports and Events Consultant for Marsh – the Global Leader in Insurance Broking and Risk Management.
• A discussion dedicated to finding practical ways of “Making Event Infrastructure More Sustainable” will now feature Mark Breitenmoser, Head of Strategy, NUSSLI Group and moderator Daniel Cordey, Chairman, Association of Global Event Suppliers.
• In addition 25+ confirmed VIP speakers have confirmed attendance at Host City 2016. View the full speaker line-up on the Host City website.

Host City 2016 is an event that you don't want to miss! Get your pass today to attend the leading meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events in Glasgow on 21-22 November. Register online

A limited number of speaking opportunities remain. For opportunities please contact Ben Avison on +44 (0) 7876 682072 or ben.avison@hostcity.net