HOST CITY: Rights holders, hosts and organizers of mega sports events have a number of requirements and expectations about the structure and content of opening and closing ceremonies. How do you balance these requirements, and how do you avoid ceremonies becoming formulaic?

Antonio Abete: Producing a sports event requires commitment, experience, creativity and managing skills. This is why the best companies in the world take the field when it’s time to organise these important ceremonies. Expectations are always high: sports ceremonies are among the most watched television events in the world. 

On average, more than 4 billion people watch Olympic ceremonies. These events are in charge of telling the story of the country, showing its traditions, celebrating its future. They must meet technical demands as well as the emotional needs of the television audience and live viewers. Finding the right balance it is not simple; for this reason, long experiences together with the will to experiment with creativity are essential. 

It is difficult to work in a stadium: there are a lot of limits, such as the field of play, which is untouchable. You need to be creative if you want to avoid banality and keep the viewers attention high. You have to think outside the box and interchange charged-up moments with poetic ones. The viewers will be able to feel a wide range of emotions thanks to the successions of performances. 

HOST CITY: How important for the host city are the opportunities that mega sports events present for hosting other concurrent events, such as cultural festivals and business events, and how can a host city maximise these opportunities? 

Antonio Abete: The host city has got a great opportunity to highlight and promote its heritage through the world. It is essential that the city works as the leader of the event and creates an appropriate structure for all the accessory events. The city should be the protagonist in order to allow the public to discover the resources of its land. During these events, sport is linked with social issues, politics, culture and the future of the society that it is representing. Host cities must be able to handle all these different aspects and adopt a long-term strategy to make the shows more successful. 

HOST CITY: How do you see event production changing in 2015 and beyond?

Antonio Abete: There are no specific trends or determined directions. We are a leading player in event history, and we are aware of what we offer and what we can produce. 

The events industry is influenced by trends, like every industry, mostly because of new technologies, which are now essential while creating and producing every kind of event. We have been the first one to try new strategies, find innovative instruments and changing the rules. We are one of the few companies in the world, and the only Italian company, to be licensed to organise Olympic Ceremonies. This makes us proud and encourages us in improving our services and our skills more and more. 

HOST CITY: You played a pivotal role in bringing Rugby Sevens into the Olympic Programme. How important was your role on the NOC in achieving this? What challenges did you face and how were they overcome?

Bernard Lapasset: Our successful bid was founded on a strong desire for the rugby family to be reunited with the Olympic family. We wanted to be a part of the Olympic Games because we share the same values as the Olympic movement and we felt that we had an exciting and compelling proposition for the Olympic Games with Rugby Sevens. 

We also believed in the great opportunity that Olympic Games inclusion would provide our sport – an opportunity that we are now very much realising s we reach out, engage and grow in new markets. Our successful bid was based on the merits of an exciting, youthful and dynamic sport and a family united behind the bid, rather than the influence of any individual. Excitement is growing and we have no doubt Rugby Sevens at Rio 2016 will be a spectacular and memorable event. 

HOST CITY: You also played a central role in bringing the 2007 Rugby World Cup to France. Do you have any advice for countries contemplating bidding for World Rugby events?

Bernard Lapasset: Rugby World Cup is one of the world’s most prestigious and popular major sports events and a major driving force behind the development and prosperity of Rugby worldwide. As a low-risk, high-return event, Rugby World Cup is an attractive proposition for prospective host nations. 

It delivers multiple economic, tourism and social benefits, while using existing infrastructure. We are yet to formally launch the Rugby World Cup 2023 tender process, but we are already seeing great interest from nations who want to host the event, which underscores the strength of the Rugby World Cup brand in the global marketplace. We are also seeing great hosting interest in our major men’s and women’s Rugby Sevens properties and are looking forward to new host locations being introduced to our own record-breaking World Series in 2015/16. 

In terms of specific advice, Rugby is a sport of teamwork and across all World Rugby events partnership in delivery is key. A strong partnership between government, the host union and World Rugby is vital to successful delivery.  I would also say, plan early, the legacy opportunity begins the moment the rights are awarded and delivering sustainable growth is central to maximising the hosting opportunity.

HOST CITY: England and Japan are very different hosts, for 2015 and 2019. What do you expect these host nations to bring to the sport?

Bernard Lapasset: Both events provide us with exciting opportunities to cement Rugby as a major global sport, but for very different reasons. England 2015 will be a box-office hit, a record-breaker in terms of attendance, viewership, engagement and commercial income. It will be the financial driving force behind our ambition to reach participation levels of over 9 million in the next five years. Japan 2019 will underscore our commitment to grow rugby outside of its traditional heartlands, it will, and already is, opening opportunities in Asia to inspire participation and attract new audiences and partners.

HOST CITY: How significant is the rebrand of IRB to World Rugby in terms of the globalisation of the sport?

Bernard Lapasset: The name change and rebrand reflects our clear mission to grow the global family and is a statement of intent that we are not just an organisation that regulates and funds the sport, but one that also inspires and is inclusive. Through this rebrand we have been able to build a stronger connection with existing audiences – those who know and love the sport – while also reaching out, attracting and engaging new audiences worldwide. 

The rebrand included a new digital and social media approach and what we are seeing is an appetite from fans to engage with us in a different way – they feel part of World Rugby and they want to be a part of our journey. That is really exciting.

HOST CITY: Major sports federations are under intense scrutiny from the media. How important are integrity and fair play in upholding the value of a sport, and how do you see this being achieved in World Rugby?

Bernard Lapasset: We are a sport that is centred around character-building values – values of respect, integrity, discipline, passion and solidarity. Whether it is attracting new young players to the sport, respect for the referee and your opponents or maintaining a level playing field through robust anti-doping and anti-corruption education, everything that we do is geared towards educating the next generation on our unique values and how to live, promote and preserve them.

Twelve world governments have pledged US$6.45m towards an anti-doping fund set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is matching funds with the aim of creating a joint fund of US$20m.

The fund was set in motion by the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 and will be administered by the World Anti-Doping Agency. 

The world governments that responded to a call to match the IOC funding are China, France, Ivory Coast, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the US and Sweden.

The donations mean that the fund will have a starting budget of almost US$13 million. 

“WADA is very pleased with the financial commitments that this partnership has generated for the fight against doping in sport”, said WADA president and IOC vice president Sir Craig Reedie.

“The fund allocated by the IOC has received the commitment of governments of the world to contribute a total of US$ 6,452,296. The funds will provide a tremendous boost to WADA in their efforts to carry out innovative, anti-doping research focussed on protecting the clean athletes.”

The 12 governments have committed to pay WADA in full by 31 March 2016.  

As a separate fund for research in the fight against doping, the IOC will also administer the balance of US$3.55m remaining from the full US$10m it approved as part of Olympic Agenda 2020.

These funds will be allocated to researchers involved in athlete-centred projects in science and society. Four applications from researchers in Spain and Australia have already been selected. 

“With Olympic Agenda 2020, we are changing the philosophy with regard to the credibility of sports competitions and of athletes,” said IOC president Thomas Bach. 

“We must consider every cent in the fight against doping as an investment in the future of Olympic sport, not as an expense. This fund clearly shows that we support innovative anti-doping research that will lead to better protection of the clean athletes.”

Sir Craig Reedie was a keynote speaker at HOST CITY Bid to Win in October 2014, where Agenda 2020 was discussed before its unanimous adoption by the IOC. 

Integrity in events will be a key theme of HOST CITY 2015. 

FIFA’s executive committee today approved a task force recommendation to host the 2022 World Cup in November and December.

The final is due to take place on 18th December 2022, which is Qatar’s National Day. The length of the tournament will be finalised by a working group, but FIFA stated there is “the objective, in principle, of staging the tournament in 28 days”.

The decision was welcomed by the organisers of the tournament, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. 

“We welcome the decision of FIFA's Executive Committee in relation to the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. We are satisfied the process has reached its conclusion,” it said in a statement. 

“Regardless of the change in dates, we will continue to develop the cooling technology promised during the bid, ensuring our commitment to deliver a true legacy as a result of the first World Cup in the Middle East remains."

The daily average maximum temperature in November is around 30 degrees Celsius.

The timings of the event mean that British teams will be able to play their traditional boxing day fixtures. 

The prospect of a winter world cup has been fiercely challenged by the European football clubs and administrators. 

However, Luis Figo of Portugal, who is running for the presidency of FIFA, stated his support for the decision. 

“A decision on the hosts and dates of the World Cup has to be as consensual as possible, after consulting all the interested persons and organizations and having in mind above all the health of the players, officials and, of course, the supporters,” he said.

“I also think that people of Qatar deserve respect and now that there is a decision I hope they will have the time to concentrate in delivering a good World Cup.”

Tokyo 2020 has signed Nomura Holdings as a Gold Partner in the category “Securities”.

 “I am delighted that today Tokyo 2020 has concluded a Gold Partner agreement with Nomura Holdings, Inc,” said Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori.

“Naturally, I look forward to the support that Nomura will provide as a Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner, but I also hope that the company will continue the vital role it is playing in the securities market, which forms the foundation of the Japanese economy.”

Nomura provides services to individuals, institutions, corporates and governments through its three business divisions: Retail, Asset Management, and Wholesale (Global Markets and Investment Banking). 

“We are proud to support athletes on their journey to the Tokyo 2020 Games,” said Nomura Group CEO Koji Nagai.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games provide significant economic benefits to host countries and we see the Tokyo 2020 Games as the perfect opportunity to revitalize the Japanese economy. 

“By supporting athletes aiming for their personal best and companies adapting to a changing environment, we hope to contribute to the success of the Tokyo 2020 Games while fostering economic growth and social development in Japan.”

As well as helping to fund the delivery of the Games, domestic sponsors are a core component of Tokyo 2020’s marketing programme. They are accorded the rights to use Olympic and Paralympic designations and imagery including emblems, mascots and slogans. 

As Gold Partners, the top tier domestic sponsors, Nomura joins Asahi, Canon, Eneos, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Nissay, NEC, NTT and Fujitsu.

In addition to domestic sponsors, the IOC’s Worldwide Olympic (TOP) Partners – Coca-Cola, Atos, Bridgestone, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung, Toyota and Visa – also contribute to the financing and delivery of the Games. 

Another mega event emerged on the European sports calendar today with the announcement that Glasgow and Berlin will be hosting a new multi-sports championship in the summer of 2018. 

The European federations of athletics, swimming, cycling, rowing and triathlon have decided to coordinate their European Championships into a quadrennial 10-12 day event to maximise exposure. 

The 2018 European Athletics Championship will take place in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium as already planned, but it will now coincide with swimming, cycling, rowing and triathlon events in Glasgow. 

 “We are excited to be organising our European Championships in 2018 in Berlin in a coordinated way together with other leading sports in Glasgow,” said Hansjörg Wirz, president of European Athletics.

“Our aim is to build further on the heritage, profile and awareness of our existing prestigious European Athletic Championships.”

Glasgow will host all other sports and the Opening Ceremony, and there are plans to include golf in the event following the success of last year’s Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

“Major events have become part of the bread and butter of our city’s economy and we can now look forward with tremendous excitement and focus to the next big thing on the Glasgow calendar,” said councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council.

The new mega event will be seen as a competitor to the European Olympic Committees’ European Games, which takes place for the first time this year in Baku.

The combined championships are expected to generate more than 2,700 hours of programming and reach a live television audience of more than 850 million television viewers.

“We are delighted to be associated with this ground-breaking project that will encompass the rich diversity of European sports in a competitive event of the highest quality, which we will bring to the largest audience possible in all of Europe on a free-to air basis,” said Jean-Paul Philippot, president of the European Broadcast Union.

Paolo Barelli, president of the Ligue Européenne de Natation (swimming) said: “With the support and commitment of the major free-to-air broadcasters around the continent, the European Sports Championships will further build the prestige of becoming a champion of Europe and act as a powerful inspiration for youngsters to participate in our sports.”

The event will receive funding from the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council as it is seen as a major opportunity to boost culture, tourism and business as well as sports in the host city. 

Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said: “Last summer Scotland showed the world what a tremendous job it can do when it comes to staging major sporting events, with the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup both hugely successful. 

“As part of the legacy of those events, we want to attract even more top class sport to Scotland, and the European Sports Championships is certainly in that category.

“The European Sports Championships will be another chance for Scotland to prove it’s the perfect stage for top class events. Not only will this be a fantastic opportunity for Scottish sports fans to see some of Europe’s top athletes competing in our world-class venues, it will also be attract visitors from around the continent, providing a great boost to the economy.”

Around 2900 athletes are expected to come to Scotland as part of a total delegation of around 8200 people involved in the event. A further 1500 athletes will compete in Berlin. 

Swimming, involving nearly 900 athletes, will be staged at three venues with the main swimming event at Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow and the diving and synchronised swimming at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh. The open water swimming competition is to be staged at Loch Lomond.

The new event marks the first time four cycling championships – track, road race, mountain-biking and BMX – have been staged together. 650 cyclists will compete in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, the Cathkin Braes Mountain Bike Trails, the streets of Glasgow and a new BMX track.

The world-class Strathclyde Country Park in North Lanarkshire will see 760 athletes compete in rowing and triathlon.

Hosting triathlon events will be one of the hot topics at HOST CITY 2015, with Antonio Fernandez Arimany, director general of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) to speak there again after the great success of HOST CITY Bid to Win in 2014.

It was with profound sorrow that I learnt of the tragic helicopter crash yesterday which claimed the lives of three of France’s sport icons, swimmer Camille Muffat, 25, sailor Florence Arthaud, 57, and boxer Alexis Vastine, 28. 

Two of them were Olympians. All three of them, just like all athletes around the world, embodied the values of peace. Each of them has moved us, thrilled us and made us proud. They have filled our hearts with emotion. Beyond their sporting performances, they were committed to giving back to society what sport had given them.

We will never forget the youthful vitality of Camille Muffat, 400m freestyle Champion at the London Olympics, the accomplishments of Florence Arthaud, winner of the 1990 Route du Rhum transatlantic race, and the passion of Alexis Vastine, Beijing Bronze Medallist who was looking to win Gold in Rio.

The entire sports community mourns this great loss. Along with the teams of the World Olympians Association and Peace and Sport, our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims.

Joël Bouzou

President of World Olympians Association

President and founder of Peace and Sport

The Olympic rings have been a constant presence at each Games since 1920. But while they provide a symbolic continuity from one Games to the next, each edition also features its own distinctive identity – from the modern and youthful vibe of London 2012 to the patchwork quilt of Sochi 2014 – which provides an eye-catching backdrop to the sporting action and adds to the visual spectacle of the Games.

The task of creating this unique Look of the Games – which is seen everywhere from signposts and souvenirs to venues and volunteers’ uniforms – falls to the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs), which seek to produce a visual identity that is built upon the foundation of the Olympic rings, while also incorporating designs and colours that reflect the culture and history of the host city.

For Alison Gardiner, who was the Vice President of Brand and Creative Services at the Vancouver 2010Organising Committee, it was important to have the rings as a strong starting point for this huge task. 

“The Vancouver 2010 brand strategy drew from the Olympic brand as well as Canada’s, and this combination provided the foundation for everything we did,” she explains. “Our goal was to ensure there was one integrated, powerful experience that was unique to our country and our time, and could also engage and inspire as many people as possible.”

However, building a visual identity around a globally recognised symbol, which already has so many values and meanings attached to it, can also present challenges for OCOGs. 

“We couldn’t get away from the fact that as soon as we put the rings on something, there was immediately an association with something great and powerful and a standard of Olympic excellence that we had to live up to,” says Gardiner. 

“But the Olympic brand is also incredibly inspiring to work with because of what it stands for – just the symbol on its own, everyone on the planet recognises it and associates it with excellence and bringing people together in celebration.”

According to Beth Lula, Branding Director at the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, another of the challenges for Games organisers is building a visual identity that is representative of the host city and nation, as well as the values inherent within the rings. 

“It’s important for engagement,” Lula says. “If you have something that people can recognise and understand, they can feel that it represents them and their nation and they can feel proud of it. When we were developing our brand, we were looking for universal symbols – that’s why we have people embracing as our Games emblem. It’s a global symbol. We want people throughout the country to recognise themselves and feel proud of our designs.”

While the Olympic rings provide a globally recognised symbol for OCOGs to draw on, Lula also believes that each edition of the Games adds something special to the Olympic brand as a whole. 

“Every time that the Olympic Games go to another culture, they absorb some aspects of that culture and that’s what really makes the Olympic brand global,” she says. 

“The Games have never been to South America, so we said throughout our bid process that we would be new territory for the Olympic Games. We have a unique way of celebrating things, we love sport and we are a passionate people with a lot of energy. I think that is going to be something very special that we are going to add to the Olympic brand.”

Lula hopes that what her team is creating for Rio 2016 will live on long after the Games through the rings themselves. “When we return the Olympic rings to the IOC after the Games, they have to be even more valuable than they were before,” she says. “That’s our mission.”

This article was written by and reproduced with kind permission from the International Olympic Committee. For more information visit www.olympic.org

Marius Vizer, the president of SportAccord, the umbrella group of international sports federations, has directly criticised IOC president Thomas Bach and his programme of reform, Agenda 2020. 

Agenda 2020 was unanimously approved by IOC members in December 2014, but Vizer said the reforms are not in the interests of sports and international federations. 

He criticized the IOC’s decision to launch the new Olympic TV channel, which he said was taken without consultation or transparency. 

Speaking at SportAccord Convention in Sochi on Monday, Vizer also complained that the IOC is preventing the launch of new multi-sports Games event. 

“After becoming SportAccord President, I always tried to develop a constructive collaboration with the IOC and with President Bach. A collaboration based on respect towards the Olympic Movement, its members and the values in which I believe. Unfortunately, it never became reality,” Vizer said. 

“I made a number of proposals in favour and for the benefit of IFs and SportAccord but we have never received a positive reaction. Mr. President, stop blocking the SportAccord strategy in its mission to identify and organize conventions and multi-sport games. 

“Do not try to create a theory around which sports are and are not eligible for multi-sport games. Do not try to impose upon the organizers of SportAccord events guidelines on how to distribute funds generated and earned by ourselves. Do not interfere in the autonomy of the sport organizations.”

The primary feature of Agenda 2020 is its reform of the bidding procedure for Olympic Games, which has been changed to reduce the cost of bidding to make it more appealing to cities. 

One of the changes brought in was to prevent bidding cities from presenting at SportAccord Convention. “The voting for potential host cities of the Olympic Games is compromised,” said Vizer. 

“Key stakeholders are excluded from making informed decisions when selecting Olympic host cities: the bid cities cannot present their candidatures at SportAccord Convention to all stakeholders, IOC members cannot visit bid cities and during the IOC Session, when the vote takes place, IF presidents – who are organizers of the Olympic Games, are obliged to leave the room.”

Vizer said the interests of the international federations (IFs), which SportAccord represents, were not properly addressed.

“The Agenda 2020 hardly brings any real benefit to sport, to IFs, or athletes. It did not bring about more clear criteria, rules and principles,” he said.

Vizer singled out recommendations 9 and 10 of Agenda 2020 as leading to “a destabilizing of the Olympic sports”. 

Recommendation 9 manages the scale of the Summer Olympic Games by limiting accreditations to 10,500 athletes competing in 310 events, and the winter Games to 2,900 athletes and 100 events. 

Recommendation 10 sets out to structure the Olympic programme around events rather than sports. The IFs are to be involved in regular reviews of the programme and organising committees will be able to suggest adding one or more sports to the programme, but the IOC retains ultimate decision making power over which sports and IFs to include in the programme. 

“We must protect the Olympic sports and disciplines currently in the Olympic programme and at the same time we must encourage and support the new sports and disciplines who want to join,” said Vizer.

He also described recommendation 19, to launch an Olympic TV channel as “very surprising”. 

“The IOC Members voted in December 2014, in the IOC Session, unilaterally, without a clear business plan, a commercialization plan and project, to reduce the dividends to International Federations in order to establish the Olympic channel. Leaving from the premise that the Olympic Movement has the assets, any business project in the world needs a business plan, investors, professional partners, breakeven points, strategy, consultation with stakeholders – International Federations and to generate a benefit for all stakeholders. Only after the decision it appears that a plan is in process. 

“At the same time, the cost of more than 450 million dollars to establish a digital channel seems exaggerated. Do consult us as stakeholders of the Olympic Movement regarding all the proposals, contracts and partnerships that are being signed and make them transparent!”

Vizer took over as president of SportAccord in May 2013, before which he was president of the International Judo Federation. He is faces no challenger in the presidential election due to take place at the SportAccord Convention.

Read the full transcript of the speech here.

IOC president Thomas Bach has responded to SportAccord president Marius Vizer’s attack by dismissing his views as personal and not representative of Olympic sports federations.

President Bach also said consultation with SportAccord on matters concerning the Olympic Games was not necessary, as the IOC collaborates closely with Olympic sports federations directly.

“Mr Vizer: thank you very much for your open words which you have been expressing here,” Bach said, addressing SportAccord Convention after Vizer’s confrontational opening speech. 

“Also I have to say that following the many discussions I had with many of your colleagues, be it the Olympic summer federations, be it the Olympic winter federations, be it the IOC recognized federations, and the many contributions they made to the discussions on Olympic Agenda 2020, my impression is a little bit that the opinion you have is exclusively yours. Because these people have made constructive proposals which has resulted in even closer collaboration between the IOC and international federations.”

Bach said: “When you say that the IOC and SportAccord have to cooperate in order to have a new model for the Olympic Games, for the organisation and for the generation and distribution of the money then I have to say very clearly, “No.” For different reasons. 

“First of all our partners are the Olympic Federations. They are doing the effort. And whenever we have an issue with them, whenever there are ideas we are discussing with them. 

“And the same applies to the recognized federations. Whenever a recognized federation has an idea, they know very well that the doors in Lausanne are open and that they are enjoying our support in many ways. And if there are issues that are common to the recognized federations then we speak to the president of the IOC recognized federations. They are recognized by the IOC as are the National Olympic Committees, which are our direct partners.”

SportAccord is the umbrella group for both Olympic and non-Olympic sports federations.

“We prefer to address all the issues in a direct open dialogue as stipulated by Olympic Agenda 2020 and as is being practiced inside the IOC where we are openly discussing and preparing all the discussions and decisions with the representatives of the international federations,” said Bach. 

“There the international federations have two seats in the IOC Executive Board and whenever you have a question, because you said you were surprised by some of the decisions, I can only offer that you speak with the representatives of the international federations in the IOC Executive Board and they can fully inform you and advise you what is going on. 

“And then you will learn that in the IOC there is an open dialogue, not only among the Members of the IOC EB but we also have as some of you may remember open discussions in the IOC Session in the presence of everybody.”

In his speech, Vizer had accused the IOC of a lack of transparency. 

“It was about one year ago here in Sochi when we had such a Session where all the questions by all the stakeholders were openly discussed,” said Bach. “Afterwards many of you contributed to this Olympic Agenda 2020. We received around 40,000 submissions and I thank you all for these contributions. 

“In fact nobody who wanted to listen, and nobody who wanted to hear, and nobody who wanted to understand, and nobody who wanted to have some sort of good will, could have missed this discussion and could be surprised by any of the decisions we are taking, including the Olympic channel, which was mentioned here.”

Vizer also said the launch of the Olympic TV channel had not been developed in a transparent manner. 

“About the Olympic channel, you could have already read about it in my brochure for campaigning to become IOC President about two and a half years ago,” Bach responded. 

“This is not to mention the first time I proposed it was back in 1994, but for this you are way too young to have followed, this is only for elderly people like me to have some nostalgic feeling to come back to this. 

“And this Olympic channel is an offer to you and has been discussed again with the international federations and has been discussed with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) who play an extremely important role.”

The IFs, NOCs and national federations cannot be considered in isolation, Bach said. 

“It is just not right to create a discrepancy between the Olympic Movement, the NOCs and the National Federations. Because they are your members, they are your constituents and at the same time they are the constituents of the NOCs.”

Like all the international federations, SportAccord is recognized by the IOC. 

“As an IOC recognized federation you are a full member of this Olympic Movement and you have of course access to the Olympic channel,” said Bach. 

“This is why are offering you workshops here for you to discuss how this can be done in the very best way and how you can really tap this great potential and how you can ensure that your sport and athletes are enjoying worldwide presence through this channel and how in this way you can grow your sport and make it more popular.  And you can promote the values we all share.”

Bach raised further points in his speech, which ran on for longer than the five minutes he had been allocated. 

“I was invited to give a five-minute welcome speech but I’ve been a little bit longer as I had a lot to tell you after this friendly welcome I enjoyed here.”

Addressing the audience primarily made up of international sports federations, he said “Our doors are open to each and every one of you. We are making this offer of cooperation and support to each and every one of you. I thank you for having taken it already in the last one year and a half and having contributed to this effort of open dialogue and concerted action within the sport movement.”