Alisports (Alibaba Sports Group) has launched World Online Running Alliance (WORA) to tap into the growing popularity of road running through Apps, associations, events, sponsors and operators. The alliance seeks to unite running fans by integrating these five different elements. 

According to DaZhong Zhang, CEO of Alisports, WORA is both a ‘trend-setter and game-changer’.

Alisports has signed a contract with global sport and entertainment agency CSM, who will act as the global strategic partner of WORA. CSM says it will help bring more international events to China and assist WORA in becoming an international road running association.

Road running is growing in popularity in China. In 2015, 134 marathon and related events were registered with the Chinese Athletic Association, representing a 160 per cent growth on the previous year. 84 per cent of provinces held one or more of these events.

“It is this unquestioned popularity that Alisports is looking to seize upon through the implementation of WORA,” CSM says.

100 million running enthusiasts had already signed up in July and WORA’s ambition is to increase this by 50 per cent. Helping achieve this target are the group of members which includes running Apps like Codoon, The Joy Run, Ledongli Hupu Running, Tenmini, Run Again and iHeHa. 

WORA aims to deliver the most effective platform by attracting sponsors, funding and resources, through which it can provide more technical servers and operators. 

“All of this helps Alisports deliver on its long-term objective of making sports accessible and enjoyable for all,” says CSM.

A series of events called ‘WO.RUN’ (‘I Run’) began in July, aiming to integrate online and offline formats. More than 30 WO.RUN events are taking place across China, attended by 30 different Olympic champions including Ruolin Chen, Man Zhong and Liuyang Jiao. 

Runners are able to log their runs online, either from one of the official events or a run of their own, and by doing so will be rewarded with points. These points will translate into savings on purchases made on Alibaba, which is China’s largest online retailer and the owner of Alisports.
 

FIFA have confirmed that new Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, will deliver an exclusive keynote address as part of the opening of this year’s Soccerex Global Convention (26 – 28 September, Manchester) to update the football industry on the future plans of FIFA. She will be staying on to present the inaugural FIFA Diversity Awards which will take place at the end of the first day of the Convention.
Her appearance at Soccerex will give the football industry a rare opportunity to hear from one of the new leaders at FIFA and now, one of the highest profile female administrators in global sport.
Ms Samoura, who was appointed to the post at the FIFA Congress in May, is the first female Secretary General in the organisation’s 112 year history. She is a 21-year veteran of United Nations programmes and was, in her last position, the UN’s Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria. Commenting at the time FIFA President Gianni Infantino said:
“Fatma is a woman with international experience and vision who has worked on some of the most challenging issues of our time. She has a proven ability to build and lead teams, and improve the way organisations perform. Importantly for FIFA, she also understands that transparency and accountability are at the heart of any well-run and responsible organisation.”
Commenting on her upcoming Soccerex appearance, Ms Samoura said: “I am very excited to attend Soccerex – it is a great platform for football stakeholders and I am looking forward to speaking with delegates about my thoughts and vision for our game and the work we have started at FIFA to ensure football enters a new era of greater transparency and good governance. I am also very excited to present on the occasion of the convention the first FIFA Diversity Award, which will recognise an outstanding organisation, group initiative or personality that is standing up for diversity and anti-discrimination in football.”
Soccerex CEO, Duncan Revie commented: “It is a huge honour to welcome Fatma to this year’s Convention – given her impressive background and her role at FIFA, she is someone our delegates will be fascinated to hear from and her address will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the event.”
Ms Samoura’s address and the FIFA Diversity Awards are just part of a high level conference agenda at the Global Convention that will feature senior representatives from organisations such as NFL, LaLiga, Facebook, Vauxhall, The Chinese Football Association, Fox Sports, Leicester City and Atletico Madrid tackling a wide range of subjects spanning everything from social media and sponsorship, to stadia technology and how virtual reality is changing football. For more information on the conference programme please go to www.soccerex.com/global.
The three day football business event, which is supported by LaLiga, The English Football League and Serie A, will also feature a market leading international exhibition and a programme of structured and informal networking events.
For more information on Soccerex please visit www.soccerex.com, call +44 (0)20 8987 5522 or email us at enquiry@soccerex.com.

Source: Soccerex
 

The worldwide rise of digital media is concurrent with the growth of the middle class – and nowhere is this more evident than in China. Millennials are consuming content primarily through digital media, and their appetite for sport is immense. China's investments in sports and entertainment will be a key theme of Host City 2016, the largest meeting of cities and cross-sector events, which takes place in Glasgow on 21 and 22 November.
The distribution of sports content in China is being driven largely by internet companies. The long and growing list of online companies in China involved in the sports market includes Wanda Group, Tencent, Sina Sports, and PPTV. Two of the most recent and nimblest arrivals on the scene are Alisports and LeSports, the leaders of which shared their ideas with Host City at World Football Forum.

Alisports’ disruptive innovation 
Alibaba Group amassed a US$200bn fortune primarily by connecting global buyers with the Chinese supply chain. But the company realised there was a large missing piece from its giant online jigsaw. 
Wang Dong, Vice President of Alisports says, “In order to complete its ecosystem, sports is one of the elements initially they missed and they want to put this last puzzle piece right there to complete this whole situation.” 
In December 2015, Alibaba’s newly formed “E-Auto” connected car brand signed an eight-year Presenting Partnership with the FIFA Club World Cup. 
“This nine month old company signed a deal with the FIFA Club World Cup as really part of the way to make its presence felt,” Wang Dong tells Host City. 
“By aggressively being involved in the world sports arena, the presence of China will be strongly felt.”
In April 2016, Alibaba Group launched its dedicated sports brand, Alisports, to tap into the growing market opportunity. 
“I think the overall environment of the sports industry is getting stronger and stronger. And overall we see that, given the boost of economy of China and around the world, the sports industry is certainly a way to reach out more,” says Wang Dong.
Private sector investment in China is running in tandem with a massive government drive to boost sports. “I think that given that we have a very football-loving President Mr Xi, showing leadership there, all the elements are on the table – and this is a way to really find out more business opportunities.”
Alisports will use its online platform and connections not only to broadcast existing events but also to launch new innovative formats. 
“We are acting as a service provider, with the eplatform for everybody to launch their business on. And also we do our own sports activities as well by operating events, by running events and by actually being closely in touch with associations around the world to, if you will, be a little bit disruptive, to create some new events, formats and leagues and regulations, to attract the younger crowd. 
“It could be three-a-side or five-a-side street football or basketball – a bit different to the traditional leagues that include more people.” 

LeSports – accessing users through sports
LeSports is the sports brand of China’s largest online video company LeEco, broadcasting online for mobile, for OTT (over-the-top) TV and laptop.
“LeSports is maybe the most ambitious sports company in China,” Ma Guoli, Deputy Chairman of LeSports tells Host City. “We are concentrating not only on the media but also events and products – everything related to sports.” 
LeSports won the broadcasting rights in China for three matches of the International Champions Cup, including a match between Manchester United and Manchester City in the National “Bird’s Nest” Stadium on 25 July. 
LeSports owns the online broadcasting rights in China to the qualifying rounds of 2018 World Cup. The company is also investing in businesses outside the People’s Republic of China, having bought the media rights in Hong Kong for the Premier League and the World Cup in 2018. 
“We have our own platform in Hong Kong – so we telecast it ourselves and also sublicense some rights to local TV platforms. And we have subsidiaries in the US but we are just getting started there.”
More than 40 sports disciplines are broadcast on LeSports. “We’ve got a joint venture with Lagardere Sports Asia; for the future we would like to do more partnerships.
“In terms of investment, at the stage mostly we prefer to buy. To get a joint venture with an existing sport organisation is not easy. Because if you are the organiser you like to sell the rights – it’s better than to joint venture.”
Competition between digital platforms in China is strong, he says. “For the new media platform, a view means a user and a user means a potential consumer. The key point for the digital platform is to get more and more users. And they need media rights to get more users.” 

Why digital is booming in China
Ma Guoli says China presents immediate opportunities for internet broadcasting that do not exist in the western world. “In Europe and the US, I believe traditional TV has no competition from online in the next ten years, mainly because they own many rights until 2030. 
Digital media companies are growing much more quickly in China, Ma Guoli says, because there is no competition for TV from commercial broadcasters. 
“In China we lost the opportunity to develop the pay TV business. It is such an important source of revenue for sports organisations. 
“Because in China there is only one TV network for sports, people need more – then online companies have a chance. If people want to watch golf but they can’t get it on traditional TV, now the online companies own rights. 
“The technology is developing so quickly today, so new media platforms can provide more content to the people, who can then choose a platform to select an event that would like to watch. It’s a combination of traditional TV and new media platform – that’s the role that digital platforms play in China. 
“And the technology is so good now; with the OTT TV set, the quality of the picture is better than cable TV.”
According to Cai Yanjiang, Director ABU Sports, Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the rise of new media is an incentive for broadcasters to develop their own digital media broadcasting. 
“CCTV started their new media before 2000, but unfortunately CNTV – the digital media platform for sports broadcasting – didn’t work very well. CCTV can develop to make better digital broadcasting of sports events on their own platforms,” he tells Host City.
The national broadcaster is aware of the changing consumer demands. Zhang Xing, Deputy Controller of CCTV Sports says, “We are seeing that the older generation of viewers still uses television sets, but younger views use their phones. We need to guarantee that we still broadcast events on TV but we need to give more importance to social media.”

Disruption across Asia
Of course, the phenomenon of digital media transformation is not restricted to China. “Disruption is happening everywhere,” says Cai Yanjiang.
“For me it is good when western companies rush into the Asia Pacific region with new technology and help broadcasters in a new way through the internet and internet plus – that is something that the Chinese broadcasters are adopting. 
“And more and more internet companies are taking over the dominant role. In the past it was CCTV dominating, but it’s actually changing now in China. That will also happen in surrounding countries, in south Asia, it has already happened in Japan and Korea, where traditional TV is facing a great challenge from internet companies. 
“So from my perspective, serving for the Asian broadcasting union, we’ve got a lot of underdeveloped nations and they don’t have enough facilities or logistic support and telecom standard won’t support them to do internet broadcasting at the moment. 
“But they are building up, so I would advise our members, the broadcasters in Asia Pacific region, to go forward, to take up the new way of internet broadcasting, because we all know that digital is the trend in the broadcasting world – not only in football but in everything. 
“That is good; that will set a model for our members in underdeveloped countries and state broadcasters to follow. That’s undergoing now in countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – everywhere they are developing new digital broadcasting solutions.”
However, Asian broadcasters need investment to undergo digital transformation. “What they don’t possess is funds, because in the past traditional television got government funding. Now they need to find a new way to develop their own digital broadcasting. At the same time, telecom companies and digital media companies – especially international ones – are trying to enter the market.
“There is huge potential for example in Myanmar, in the Philippines – everything is changing fast. So although at the moment it’s not really developed, but we can see in the future they have potential.
“In some countries traditional television and new media work together very well; in other countries they are trying to kill each other.”
According to Dong Wang of Alisports, digital media companies have the potential to overtake domestic broadcasters within five years. 
“The faster the domestic broadcasters realise how important digital media and platforms are to them and their government and local companies, if they invest in digital media then they can win over in the future because they have government support. 
“But if they are not doing anything on this, when the foreign investors, telecom companies or digital broadcasters enter the market, there will be no room for domestic broadcasters any more. 
“It can be a great leap to transform from the traditional broadcasting way to the digital way. It will just take five years or so and the whole thing will be changed – so it’s like a race.”
The question is – who’s going to win? “It’s really hard to say. It depends on the vision and understanding of governments,” he says. 
“Governments must support their own domestic broadcasters by setting up some regulations – even state laws to protect broadcasting. It’s quite important for the improvement of local companies. Otherwise they will be taken over by all those internationals.”

This article was based on exclusive interviews with Host City and panel discussions at World Football Forum 2016
 

The International Olympic Committee has elected to change the composition of its Executive Board, promoting Prof. Uğur Erdener and Juan Antonio Samaranch to Vice Presidents.
Three new Executive Board members have been elected in  Gian Franco Kasper (SUI), Angela Ruggiero (USA) and Ser Miang Ng (SIN).

The new Vice Presidents Uğur Erdener and Juan Antonio Samaranch now replace Sir Craig Reedie CBE and Nawal El Moutawakel who have served their terms, having made immense contributions to Olympism.

Sir Craig Reedie and Uğur Erdener are both set to speak at Host City 2016 alongside several other key figures from the Olympic Movement and the wider event hosting world. 
A Professor of Ophthalmology, Uğur Erdener is the President of the Turkish National Olympic Committee, President of World Archery and Chair of the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission.  
“I am honoured to have been elected to the position of IOC Vice President,” said Prof Dr Erdener.

“The principles of Olympism are ever-more relevant in the modern world, and I am committed to supporting the goal of the IOC in building a peaceful and better world through sport.”
Prof Dr Erdener is the second World Archery President to have become an IOC Vice President. Jim Easton served in the role from 2002 to 2006.

Juan Antonio Samaranch is Vice President of the UIPM and Chair of the Board of directors of Olympic Channel Services. His father, of the same name, was IOC President from 1980 to 2001.
The changes to the Executive Board see the departure of René Fasel, Claudia Bokel, Anita Defrantz and Gunilla Lindberg.

Ching-Kuo Wu and Patrick Hickey are resuming their seats as representatives of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) respectively. Also remaining on the Executive Board are Sergey Bubka and Willi Kaltschmitt.

The US ice hockey player Angela Ruggiero replaces outgoing German fencer Claudia Bokel on both the Executive Board and the IOC Athletes’ Commission. She joins the Executive Board at the same time René Fasel, IIHF president, leaves.

“René’s leadership has been inspiring, and I hope I can represent hockey with the same pride now that he is leaving,” she said.

These changes, as well as the election of eight new IOC members, were confirmed at the IOC Executive Board meeting at the outset of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The newly composed Executive Board will begin its work after the Games.
 

The SportAccord Council met by tele-conference on Wednesday, 27 July 2016. The meeting was chaired by newly elected President, Mr. Patrick Baumann and confirmed the appointment of new Members to the SportAccord Council as proposed by its stakeholders:
-    Mr. P. Baumann, FIBA Secretary General, (ASOIF)
-    Ms. K. Caithness, WCF President, (AIOWF) 
-    Ms. M. Casado, ITU President, (ASOIF) 
-    Mr. R. Chiulli, UIM President (ARISF) 
-    Mr. S. Fox, IFMA Secretary General (AIMS) 
-    Mr. R. Fraccari, WBSC President (ARISF) 
-    Mr. G.F. Kasper, FIS President, (AIOWF) 
-    Mr. N. Lalovic, UWW President, (ASOIF) 
-    Mr. J. Perurena, IWGA President, (Associate Members)
The new SportAccord Council addressed the distribution of responsibilities within the Council and elected Mr. Raffaele Chiulli and Mr. Stephan Fox as Vice Presidents and Ms. Marisol Casado as Treasurer.
Following an internal review carried out during the month of June by SportAccord President, Mr. Patrick Baumann and SportAccord Convention President, Mr. Francesco Ricci Bitti, the Council approved the combining of the Managing Director role for both organisations. As a consequence, the Council appointed the current Managing Director of SportAccord Convention, Mr. Nis Hatt, as Managing Director of SportAccord. 
Further, Mr. Philippe Gueisbuhler has been appointed as Head of Administration, overseeing the administration of both SportAccord and SportAccord Convention, and Mr. Michel Filliau as Senior Advisor to the SportAccord President in charge of Membership Relations. Mr. Matteo Vallini continues to lead the Doping-Free Sport Unit (DFSU) within SportAccord.
The SportAccord Council also took the decision to create Working Groups to analyse the feasibility of hosting specialised Multi-Sport Games in the future. 

Source: SportAccord Convention

Once controlled by a powerful and small number of major players, media channels are now increasing exponentially and unregulated. The ability to create, publish and distribute content is now at everyone’s fingertips. In this new world order, how can a broadcaster retain influence and attract audiences?
“The reality is that it’s clearly a lot easier for sports federations and brands to have a direct-to-consumer relationship now,” Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport told Host City at World Football Forum.
“But we are in a lot of conversations with different federations and brands about how we can actually help them. Because with your own site, you are preaching to the converted; you speak to your established audience, your known database. And the problem with that is: how to you bridge a new audience?” 
The Professional Squash Association launched “SQUASHTV” on its own website in 2009 to broadcast its World Tour series of events directly to its fans. But in December 2015, the organisation went on to sign an agreement with Eurosport to host matches on Europlayer in order to reach more viewers across Europe. 
“We bought out their streaming rights because they had an established streaming platform that was doing very well. But their concern was how to promote that to a new audience.
“So I think there are ways where you can have the brand and database that a federation has, but you can put it under a wider umbrella and you can direct more people to it. And for me that’s one of the real challenges of a sport channel, in that you accept undeniably that more people are going to consume their media in different ways. But you’ve got the strong brand that people will direct themselves to.”
The Eurosport brand was established 30 years ago and Eurosport.com is now the most viewed sports website in Europe.
“People naturally see it as an area of trust where they come for sports results and information. And that’s a great start, but one of our challenges is to make it more a video-based site – and how to build a relationship with the federations where they can use that site to generate traffic for their own use as well.”
Pushing out short, engaging content on social media is one mechanism of driving traffic to a site – but the question is how then to convert these visitors into paying subscribers. 
“It’s very much part of the idea that sport is a stepping stone process where you get attracted by an idea, an individual or a story. And because you’re attracted to that first contact point, you then watch more and more of the long form of that sport, and then you potentially become a paid subscriber for that sport. But you need to have that engagement with the sport on a very emotional level to start with. 
“So if you can take people up that step-by-step route then I think that’s good for a sports business. A free web or social media presence is a really useful part of that as a tactic. We can really benefit from sports brands pushing out material that then directs people up the platform of experience towards the immersive paid TV or paid consumer experience.”
The role of the broadcaster has irrevocably changed with the rise of digital media. Not only can sports federations and brands publish their own content directly on their own sites and social media channels, but fans too can generate and share their own content using smartphones. 
“I think the reality of that disruption is something that you fight with every day. As a football fan I know that the moment there’s a goal anywhere in any game of significance anywhere in Europe that you can get that goal via Twitter, via different sites, you’ve got illegal streams up there – it’s there, you can’t knock it on the head and ignore the fact that it’s going to be there.”
While it can be possible to stop illegal recording and uploading, this is not necessarily worthwhile.
“You can have take-downs, but by the time you’ve taken it down the value has gone, because if I hear there’s been a goal in a game I want to see it straight away. Somebody will have filmed it off air from somewhere and put it on, it gets shared amongst their community of people and then it’s taken down later but it’s OK – I’ve seen it by that point.
“For us we don’t see a massive value in short clip rights to content because you just accept the fact that they are going to be viral, and therefore they are uncontrollable.”

Broadcasting Games and Championships
Every Olympic Games breaks new records for viewing figures to become the most watched event in the world. Broadcasting rights to the Olympic Games in Europe were traditionally owned and managed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) right up until London 2012. To broadcast the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Games, Europe’s national networks had to buy rights directly from the International Olympic Committee. 
In June 2015, Discovery was awarded the European broadcasting rights to the Olympic Games from 2018 to 2024 – and bought all its remaining shares in Eurosport.
In the meantime the EBU, in partnership with the cities of Glasgow and Berlin, launched its own multisport event format, the 2018 European Championships. Eurosport will work with the EBU on this event, which combines the European championships of several sports. 
“We are going to show it pan-European as well – so we are tied in with the EBU on the event. Traditionally, Eurosport was borne out of the EBU so it has a really close relationship there. Historically we have worked with the EBU on most of their events. And now in this new world of Eurosport being Discovery-owned, we have to find a place. Certainly that place includes cooperating in European Athletics and all the European championships.”
The boundary-free nature of the internet means that Eurosport’s drive to reach new audiences is not confined to Europe. 
“Eurosport.com traffic is genuinely worldwide. Clearly our focused markets are Europe and Asia but you know if you throw content out there it’s going to go anywhere.” 
Hutton cites the “Commissioner Cantona” series of videos recently broadcast on Eurosport.com as an intercontinental hit. “The last one got 15m views and it’s only been out there for five days and the number of views is still going up. And the views are everywhere. Once it becomes viral you know that you will just keep growing and growing for a really long time to come. 
“And it’s a brilliant learning experience to see that happen. The challenge is how to build it into your normal business and make sure it adds value back to you.”
 

What is the Department for International Trade responsible for?
“We are a UK government department working with businesses based in the United Kingdom to ensure their success in international markets, and encourage the best overseas companies to look to the UK as their global partner of choice. Trade and Investment has never been more important to the country’s economic prospects. We help UK companies of all sizes to grow their businesses through international trade by offering expert advice and practical support through a range of programmes. We also connect businesses to the world’s top commercial opportunities and drive targeted campaigns centred around them.”

Why is the major sports event sector a key focus for you?
“The budgets for the world’s Top 50 major sporting events between 2016 and 2025 are estimated to be worth a total £230 billion. With 30% of procurement made internationally, this creates a potential export market of nearly £70 billion for UK companies. Obviously the Olympic Games is a key focus for the companies we work with, but we have been encouraging them to remember that there are also opportunities to explore around the Paralympics which we feel don’t always get the exposure they deserve.”

Have UK companies been particularly successful in securing business at Rio 2016?
“The special relationship that exists between countries that host back-to-back Olympic and Paralympic Games, and enhanced through a yearly UK-Brazil dialogue which has taken place since 2012, has led to 40 UK companies winning contracts worth so far in excess of £150m from the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Some of the areas where UK companies have been successful include: Architectural and design consultancy, Olympic Park Masterplan, Venue design consultancy, Security consultancy, Engineering and sustainability consultancy, Audio and video operations, Temporary structures and event overlay consultancy, Cost Consultancy, Temporary Kitchens.”

What is the Department for International Trade’s history with the IPC Academy Campus?
“The UK government has  been involved with the IPC Academy Campus since the London 2012 Paralympics where we sponsored and hosted the Inclusion Summit which was a great success. Apart from the insightful programme and networking, it was an opportunity for us to make the event venue - Lancaster House - accessible for people with physical impairments for the first time ever through the fitting of wheelchair ramps for example. For Sochi 2014, we sponsored the Closing Cocktail Reception at the Campus.”

What will you be sponsoring specifically at the 2016 IPC Academy Campus in Rio?
“As was the case in Sochi, we will be sponsoring the Closing Cocktail Reception. This will bring proceedings of the 2016 IPC Academy Campus to a close on the relaxed roof terrace surroundings of the British House at the Shopping Metropolitano Barra. The reception will offer networking opportunities for all IPC Academy Campus participants and act as a ‘graduation ceremony’ for the Campus. Approximately 400-500 people will come together to celebrate the success of the Campus and will be the biggest event-learning gathering of major sport event organisers and their stakeholders ever held in the world. It really is a unique opportunity to rub shoulders with a wide range of people from the major events industry who have attended the Campus and also with industry people from Brazil and the UK who we will be inviting.”

Are you pleased with the engagement you have had from UK companies for the Paralympics and the Campus?
“Yes, definitely. We are bringing over a delegation of UK companies who are a mixture of ones familiar with the industry and others who are keen to explore new opportunities that may be linked to the Paralympics or other major events. In the coming weeks we will be working with them to ensure they get the most out of the trip and the opportunities that come within the unique environment of the Campus.”

What is your advice to organisations attending the IPC Academy Campus for the first time?
“What was great about the last Campus was being asked to stand up at the beginning of the Games Experience Programme and to go and speak to five new people that we had never met before. That was a great ice breaker and really got people integrating. Often people attend events like these and spend the whole time speaking to people they know already and that can be a wasted opportunity to not only to make new friends of course, but also to source new business opportunities. My advice for anyone attending Campus is to make the most of networking with the wide variety of people there and also to learn what you can from the experts who will be hosting the various elements.”

This interview was conducted by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS). Delivered by the IPC Academy – the International Paralympic Committee’s educational division created in 2009 as a partnership between the IPC and the WAoS – the 2016 IPC Academy Campus is a unique event-based learning initiative that will include an Observers’ Programme, Games Experience Programme, Inclusion Summit and Closing Cocktail Reception. The IPC Academy Campus will give stakeholders of major sports events the chance to learn from their peers during the Paralympic Games.
The IPC Academy Campus takes place in Rio de Janeiro between 6-17 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. 
 

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has taken note of the views expressed by some concerning the timing of publication of the Agency’s independent McLaren Investigation Report, which was published by Professor Richard H. McLaren on 18 July, exposing Russian State manipulation of the doping control process; and, the Agency’s subsequent recommendations – both that led to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision of 24 July.
WADA understands that the timing of the McLaren Investigation Report has been destabilizing for a number of organizations as they prepare for the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. However, WADA wishes to factually clarify that the Agency acted immediately on allegations concerning Russia when it had corroborated evidence and the power to do so under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).
When German-based ARD released their first documentary in December 2014 that contained corroborated evidence, WADA quickly initiated its Independent Commission. The Commission, which was chaired by Richard W. Pound, commenced its investigation in January 2015 when WADA acquired its new powers of investigation under the 2015 Code.
“While our Independent Commission’s Report suggested that doping in Russia was likely not restricted to athletics, and that the Russian secret services (FSB) were present within the Sochi and Moscow laboratories, the Commission did not uncover concrete evidence to the effect that the Russian state was manipulating the doping control process,” said Richard W. Pound. “The Pound Commission leveraged all information that the whistleblowers had provided; and yet, there was no concrete evidence to support State manipulation.”
On 9 November 2015, the Pound Commission reported and exposed wide-spread doping in Russian athletics; and, on 10 November 2015, WADA took quick and decisive action on the Commission’s recommendations.
“It was only when CBS 60 Minutes and the New York Times, on 8 and 12 May 2016 respectively, published the allegations from the former director of the Moscow and Sochi laboratories, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, that WADA had concrete evidence suggesting Russian state involvement that could be investigated by initiating the McLaren Investigation, which we did immediately,” said Craig Reedie, WADA President. “This decision was endorsed by WADA’s Executive Committee and WADA’s Athlete Committee,” he continued. “It must be understood that Dr. Rodchenkov was heard several times by the Pound Commission in 2015; and that, he never provided the information that he later revealed to the New York Times in May 2016. This information was subsequently corroborated by the McLaren Investigation, which also unveiled a wider implication of the Moscow laboratory.”
“WADA’s Executive Committee – composed in equal parts by representatives of the Olympic Movement and Governments of the world – supported Professor McLaren’s independent mandate, which was to obtain evidence as quickly as possible in the interest of clean athletes,” said Reedie. “While it is destabilizing in the lead up to the Games, it is obvious, given the seriousness of the revelations that he uncovered, that they had to be published and acted upon without delay.”
“Further to the International Olympic Committee’s criteria being outlined on 24 July, WADA has facilitated the transfer of relevant information that is available to date, concerning individual athletes, from the McLaren Investigation team to International Federations,” said Olivier Niggli, Director General, WADA. “It should be noted however that Professor McLaren’s focus thus far was on establishing involvement of the Russian State and not regarding individual athletes that may have benefitted,” Niggli continued. “WADA will continue supporting anti-doping organizations by providing information as and when it becomes available via McLaren’s ongoing Investigation.”
As it relates to WADA’s process of accreditation and proficiency testing of anti-doping laboratories, it focuses on the technical abilities of laboratories. In the case of the Moscow laboratory, WADA suspended the laboratory in 2015 as soon as breaches were identified via the Pound Commission. Addressing corruption within the anti-doping system – including state or secret service interference in laboratory operations – will be one of the topics discussed during the first in a series of multi-stakeholder Think Tanks that WADA will hold in September 2016.

Source: WADA

Scotland has agreed a unique partnership with global sports, media and events organisation IMG to stage the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles, ensuring the country hosts a world-class spectacle and delivers on its key principles of equality, experience and innovation.
Appointed by VisitScotland on behalf of The Scottish Government, IMG will bring its vast expertise and experience to ensure the competition will be one of the best in the tournament’s history.
“This partnership brings together two of the world-leading brands within the global golf industry and will allow Scotland to realise the many benefits of hosting one of the most prestigious sporting events on the planet,” said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, announcing the partnership during the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Dundonald Links.
“IMG’s vast experience in staging major events will ensure that Scotland stages the best-ever Solheim Cup when it visits Gleneagles in 2019 and delivers a spectator experience that is second to none.
“They share our vision of an open and inclusive event and will work alongside us to show that in Scotland golf is a family-orientated game that is open to everyone. We want to use The 2019 Solheim Cup to encourage greater participation among women, young people and families and IMG’s strong track record in the women’s game will help us to achieve this.”
The Solheim Cup is the biggest event in women’s golf, pitting European and US teams against each other in a team format which mirrors that of The Ryder Cup. Scotland was awarded the right to host The 2019 Solheim Cup in October 2015 following a successful bid led by VisitScotland. Responsibility for delivering the event on behalf of The Scottish Government will sit with the EventScotland team within VisitScotland’s events directorate.
 “IMG is one of the most experienced sports events organisations in the world and, having worked with them over the years on various projects, we are confident their professional and innovative approach will help us to deliver the best Solheim Cup to date and one of the best sporting occasions to be hosted in Scotland,” said Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland.
“We are proud to have played a role in enhancing the Ryder Cup brand with the 2014 staging in Scotland and look forward to doing the same with the Solheim Cup through this partnership with IMG.
“After a thorough procurement process, IMG stood head and shoulders above the other candidates in terms of their experience, in-house resources and their standing and experience within the golf industry. They share our key principles in the bid of equality, experience and innovation and we are very much looking forward to working together.”
IMG operate in more than 30 countries with unrivaled experience in event delivery. IMG’s Golf Division has staged more than 750 golf events and their current portfolio includes over thirty tournaments staged annually around the globe. The organisation has previous experience of delivering major golf events in Scotland through their work with the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Johnnie Walker Championship over many years.
“We are delighted to have been chosen to partner with VisitScotland to deliver the 2019 Solheim Cup,” said Guy Kinnings, Global Head of IMG Golf.
“It is a fantastic challenge to deliver a Solheim Cup in Scotland following the success of the 2014 Ryder Cup. Our team can’t wait to get started on this exciting project and we look forward wholeheartedly to working with the considerable resources within the Scottish government to ensure that this Solheim Cup delivers in every aspect.”
The event is regarded as the biggest tournament in women’s golf and sees the best female professional golfers in Europe competing against their United States counterparts, attracting a huge worldwide audience and media profile for the host country.
“We welcome the appointment of IMG to partner with Scotland on the staging of the 2019 Solheim Cup,” said Ivan Khodabakhsh, Chief Executive of the Ladies European Tour.
“We are confident it is in excellent hands and look forward to an event that will continue to enhance the reputation of the women’s game on an international stage and inspire many more women and juniors to get involved in the sport.”
 

LaLiga will be taking a huge presence at Soccerex as part of an expanded institutional partnership with Soccerex ahead of the Soccerex Global Convention 2016, taking place at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, 26th-28th September.
As part of the deal, LaLiga will be sponsoring the Soccerex VIP Lounge, which will be rebranded to the LaLiga Lounge, as well as featuring on a number of the event’s conference programme sessions and having a stand on the exhibition floor.  
President Javier Tebas will be speaking on the ‘International League Expansion’ panel alongside NFL Executive Vice President for International, Mark Waller, and will be opening up on the league’s global development plans, whilst Fernando Sanz, LaLiga’s General Director for MENA and International Projects, will be supporting this with a presentation on LaLiga’s international growth strategies.
Also featuring on the conference programme will be Adolfo Bara, Sales & Marketing Director, who will lift the lid on the league’s ever expanding sponsorship portfolio, Ignacio Trujillo, Managing Director Innovation & Global Development, who will be speaking on how best to maximize digital content, and Pedro Malabia, Head of Women’s Football, who will be talking about LaLiga’s commitment to the women’s game. 
LaLiga’s enhanced participation at Soccerex comes at a momentous time for the league as it seeks to match its period of on-field prosperity off the pitch, including a new broadcasting rights restructuring that will expand LaLiga’s global footprint into new territories and captivate new audiences.  The Convention provides the perfect platform not only for LaLiga to broaden its presence in the global football industry but also for brands and organizations seeking to greater their involvement in Spanish football, and meet with the necessary stakeholders. 
Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie commented: “We are thrilled to have agreed an expanded partnership with LaLiga, one of the most exciting and forward-thinking organisations in world football.  With so much fantastic work ongoing at the league, we are very pleased to be providing a platform for LaLiga to showcase their international development and I have no doubt their comprehensive participation at the event will provide excellent value for our delegates.”
LaLiga President Javier Tebas said: “As ever, the opportunity to be involved with Soccerex and the many high-level industry professionals that it attracts is a very exciting one for LaLiga. In terms of sporting competitiveness we are the best league in the world and now we want to expand the league into new markets and are delighted to be using our participation in Soccerex help us fulfill these ambitions.  This is a time of great opportunity for all involved with LaLiga and I am sure the Convention will further strengthen this message.”
LaLiga will be part of a thought-provoking conference programme at the Soccerex Global Convention 2016, designed to deliver unique business insight across a variety of key sectors and subject matters ranging from sponsorship and fan engagement to the technological innovations and stadium development. For more information on the programme, click here.
The event will also feature unparalleled networking opportunities, via a market-leading international exhibition and a mix of targeted and structured networking sessions.  A programme of social events completes the agenda for what is widely acknowledged as the world’s leading football business event. 
For more information on Soccerex please visit www.soccerex.com, call +44 (0)20 8987 5522 or email us at enquiry@soccerex.com.
Source: Soccerex