Host City: Having experienced Paralympic Games since 1972, both as an athlete and administrator, what major changes have you seen in terms of participation and audience engagement?
Sir Philip Craven: My first Paralympics were in Heidelberg in ‘72. It was a relatively small affair but with an incredible passion for sport that has always been at the centre of the Paralympic movement.
Really the Games that made the biggest difference for me, despite the amazing London Games, was Barcelona in ’92. That was the first time that there were masses of spectators. It took a bit of time for athletes to get used to having packed stadia. That was a major moment. We again had an amazing Games in Sydney and things have just moved on from there.
What we had to do as an organisation was to develop our organisation so we had sufficient competent and motivated staff that could work with organising committees and ensure that the Games would be of a very good standard and occasionally, when the planets came into total alignment, it would be amazing, like in Beijing and in London.
When I came in I never used the “D-word”. It’s nothing to do with disability sports – this is international sport. We are an international sports organisation and therefore that’s been the emphasis all along. When you talk about sports, then you all get along far better together. That’s one of the reasons for the major rise, along with our capacity to work with organising committees, but always with athletes at the centre.
These Games in Rio are going to be the greatest Games ever in terms of athletic performance. It’s amazing what’s been done in all of the sports; the amount of training that goes into being an international player is quite outstanding.
Host City: Would you say London 2012 was the big step change in terms of public engagement and TV audience?
Sir Philip Craven: Definitely with regard to TV audiences. Channel 4 really got the ball and ran with it two years prior to the Games; there was an amazing transformation and that has been really infectious moving forward from London. They used former athletes as commentators, and they have become a totally integrated employer now.
In Rio there will be over a hundred nations taking a live feed of the Games from Rio around the world. We’ve signed our biggest deal ever with NHK in Japan going forward to the Tokyo Games in 2020 and beyond, to 2024.
People love the Paralympics and the first place to be is at the Games. The unique sporting spirit there is something that I felt when I was playing wheelchair basketball because I loved the sport; I loved playing for the team. This spirit of the principles of what sport should be about has never been stronger with me.
Host City: The motto of the Olympic Games is “faster, higher, stronger”; how does that differ to the Paralympics, in terms of the underlying principles of sport?
Sir Philip Craven: Our vision is “to enable Para athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to inspire and excite the world”. “Achieving sporting excellence” for me is at any level – it doesn’t have to be a Paralympic medal.
And then “to inspire and excite the world”. But what happens before people are inspired and excited? They’re surprised, normally – I don’t know if they were expecting the basketball players to drop the ball – but they are surprised, then they are inspired, then they’re excited. Once that happens we can change the world.
We know that the Paralympic Games has the greatest effect of any international sports competition in really delivering societal change – realising that we are all members of one planet and one society, and that we can all have a good time.
Host City: It’s interesting what you say about the big societal impact of the Paralympic Games – we saw that in Beijing and London. But it seems the Olympic Games needs to assert its value now, with some of the big Olympic sports facing wave upon wave of doping allegations. Having recently chaired a panel discussion at the International Anti-Corruption Summit, what’s your view of that?
Sir Philip Craven: On what we have heard about in the media, it’s seen to have been denied by certain international federations. On the one hand I am saddened, on the other hand I am angered – because that is not what sport should be about.
But I have to say, the IOC – of which I’ve been a member since 2003 – has done a lot of work to root out corruption from their own organisation and that’s going back now 15 or 16 years. And I think they continue to do that good work, taking an enlightened view of keeping samples from the Beijing Games and then retesting them.
The IOC, IPC and WADA and all international sports federations are working very hard now, with increasing support from national governments and other international bodies. Corruption, as David Cameron said, is a cancer and we have to root it out. And that’s what we will work together to do. The change has to come from the inside of sport, and they have to be supported by people from other walks of life, from governments and it’s something we are going to fight with all our might.
Host City: How optimistic are you that that this fight will be won?
Sir Philip Craven: I’m an eternal optimist; I can tell you that. It will be won. The key is it’s not just about bringing in rules and regulations that stop the corrupt; it’s bringing in methods where the non-corrupt are elected in the first place.
If you look at the majority of international federations, you would find that that is the case. But of course when you find difficulties from certain federations, then they can influence the general view of what’s going on in all international sports federations.
You can’t change cultures overnight, no matter what anybody says, no matter how much money you’ve got. Because normally those cultures have built up over many years so it takes time to change it. But there’s got to be a fundamental clear out and to start again.
Host City: It strikes me these threats facing sports governance today are the polar opposite of the principles of sport, which should be about team play and rewarding endeavour.
Sir Philip Craven: The principles of what sport are really about are right at the centre of what we do. We’ve just had recent discussions in our governing board about this and we’ve brought in new controls on conflicts of interest, divulging whether you are involved with other organisations other than the International Paralympic Committee etc. – and we are very keen to bring these in.
Fundamentally we are an absolutely transparent organisation; you can look at our accounts online whenever you wish to. If you are a transparent organisation then those sort of corrupt practices don’t have a chance to get going.
I would say the high honour of Thomas Bach inviting me to chair the new Olympic Education Commission shows the clear intent of what you put very well when you talked about the principles of sport. It’s an absolute intent that there is a great strengthening of this, and that’s what sport needs.
In fact that’s what the world needs – principles and common sense regulations – not things that are brought up by overpaid lawyers, but things that come out of how life should be and how people should get on with each other. That’s what I’m about!
Category: Event Management
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“How life should be” – Sir Philip Craven MBE
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Speakers Announced for the Inclusion Summit at the IPC Academy Campus
Organised as part of the IPC Academy Campus (in partnership with the World Academy of Sport), the Inclusion Summit will provide the ultimate forum to bring together business leaders, governments and the Paralympic Movement. Together they will discuss inclusion and accessibility, their impact on society, and how the Paralympic Games have developed into the world’s number one sporting event for driving social inclusion.
Alongside Sir Philip and McClain-Nhlapo, other confirmed speakers include Andrew Parsons, Vice President of the IPC & President of the Brazil National Paralympic Committee; Carlos Nuzman, Chairman, Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro.
Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities; Kihong Kim, Vice Secretary General for Games Planning, PyeongChang 2018; and Eiichirou Kodama, Senior Director General, Co-ordination Division, Bureau of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games Preparation, will also share their expertise with a variety of high level delegates from across the major events industry globally.
Further esteemed speakers will include Dan Brooke, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Channel 4;; Bruno Ramos, Regional Director of the Americas Region at the International Triathlon Union; Magnus Berglund, Accessibility Director, Scandic Hotels; Srin Madipalli, CEO, Accomable; Neil Milliken, Head Of Accessibility & Digital Inclusion, Atos; Catherine Holloway, Senior Lecturer at University College London; Stephen Frost, Principal, Frost Included; and Todd Nicholson, Chairman for the IPC Athletes’ Council.
The Summit will be divided into three segments:Understanding Inclusion (Policy Setting)
Inclusive Leadership (Strategy adopted in past and future host cities)
Delivering Inclusion (Operations, how inclusion has been applied).A must-attend Cocktail Reception will bring proceedings to a close on 16 September and allow attendees to network with all participants of the Campus, which also includes an IPC Observers’ Programme and Games Experience Programme.
The event’s Media Partners are Sportcal, Major Events International, Around the Rings, Host City and AXS Chat.
For further information about the Inclusion Summit or any other programme in the IPC Academy Campus, please visit www.ipcacademycampus.com or contact Claire Bennett, Project Coordinator, World Academy of Sport cbennett@worldacademysport.com.
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Audience engagement experts, ThinkWall, confirm partnership for second Major Events International Summit
Organised by Major Events International (MEI), the only global major events professional network, the Summit brings together experts from current and future organising committees, sports bodies, venues & key commercial suppliers involved in major sports events to knowledge share and network.
Ensuring the format is as interactive as possible, ThinkWall’s display screens and real time voting system will enable attendees to have their say via social media and vote in opinion polls after each panel discussion. Tweets, photos and poll results will be displayed live on screens around the venue, creating a buzz amongst attendees.
Commenting on the partnership, Dennis Mills, Chief Executive of MEI said, “ThinkWall’s technology is essential to the format of the Summit which focuses on interaction. We are keen to differentiate the event from a conference with the emphasis on thought leadership, knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer relationship building. We are delighted to be working with ThinkWall, a member of the Major Events Network.”
The interactive displays will also be a feature of the Summit Awards dinner, which will be held on the evening of 12th October, celebrating the contributions of suppliers, experts and event organisers to global major events.
Andrew Spode Miller, Director at ThinkWall said, “We are happy to be showcasing our technology at the Major Events International Summit, the leading gathering for major sporting event professionals, a key event in our calendar. We look forward to working with the team at MEI.” -
Homeless World Cup kicks off in Glasgow
Football teams from all regions of the world have convened in Glasgow for the Homeless World Cup, which kicked off on Sunday 10 July. 100,000 spectators are expected to visit Glasgow during the week-long festival.
Teams from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australasia arrived at Glasgow International Airport and were greeted with music and dancing at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), where they will be based during the tournament.
In a welcome video to participants, HRH, The Duke of Cambridge said: “The scale of homelessness across the world is staggering, with 100 million people defined as homeless, and a further 1.6 billion lacking adequate housing.
“The Homeless World Cup Foundation is taking a unique approach to this problem, using the universal language of football to tackle the issue.
“Each year, they bring together 52 teams from every continent to compete in a street football tournament, this year hosted by Glasgow.
“Every one of the 512 players in this tournament is homeless. They have each engaged with programmes run by the foundation to deal with some incredible personal challenges to make it here.
“This competition is a celebration of all that they have achieved so far, using football as a means to get back into a more stable life.
“For seven days in July, George Square in the heart of the city will be the most inspiring place on the planet.”
George Square in the city centre will host all 416 matches, which are free to attend.
The Homeless World Cup is organised through a three-way partnership between the Homeless World Cup Foundation, the Scottish Government (delivered via EventScotland), and Glasgow City Council (delivered via Glasgow Life).
“While the focus will rightly be on football thanks to a partnership between Glasgow Life and the Big Lottery, around 150 volunteers have been recruited for a variety of roles on and off the pitch,” said Councillor Archie Graham OBE, Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow Life.
“The legacy project will give the volunteers new skills and confidence though a post-games programme of sports coaching and creative writing.”
Welcoming the teams to Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Homeless World Cup is a sporting event like no other. We know that sport has immense power to give people a purpose, to improve both physical and mental health and to boost people’s self-esteem.
“In bringing together competitors from over 50 countries, each with their own story of personal hardship that most of us will never have to tackle, the Homeless World Cup will energise and engage people who, for whatever reason, have become socially excluded.
“For the players, it’s an opportunity to develop resilience, achieve personal goals and help prevent repeat homelessness.
“And let’s not forget the chance to represent your country on the international stage is a huge honour that for many players, was only ever a distant dream. That’s why innovative initiatives such as the Homeless World Cup are so important, and why I’m looking forward to a spectacular and inspiring tournament.”
Homeless World Cup president Mel Young said: “Make no mistake, this is going to be the most an inspiring event, a resounding success, made possible by players who have dreams, volunteers with heart, and a Scottish public with genuine spirit.”
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IOC asks sports federations to take events out of Russia
The IOC Executive Board on Tuesday said it will no longer back the 2019 European Games, set to take place in Russia, and has asked all Winter Olympic Sports Federations to find alternative host nations for any upcoming events.
These immediate decisions are part of a number of IOC responses to the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA)’s “Independent Person” report into doping in Russia.
“The IOC will not organise or give patronage to any sports event or meeting in Russia. This includes plans for the European Games 2019 organised by the European Olympic Committees (EOC),” the IOC Executive Board said in a statement.
“Because of the detailed references to the manipulation of samples during the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 the IOC asks all International Olympic Winter Sports Federations to freeze their preparations for major events in Russia, such as World Championships, World Cups or other major international competitions under their responsibility, and to actively look for alternative organisers,” it added.
“The findings of the report show a shocking and unprecedented attack on the integrity of sports and on the Olympic Games,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Therefore, the IOC will not hesitate to take the toughest sanctions available against any individual or organisation implicated.”
The report, by “independent person” Richard McLaren was instigated after Grigory Rodchenkov, former director of Russia’s Moscow and Sochi antidoping laboratories, blew the whistle on cover-ups.
“WADA is grateful to Richard McLaren, his team, and other contributors that, together, helped provide us with a fact-based path forward today as it relates to allegations and other information provided by Dr. Rodchenkov,” said Sir Craig Reedie, President of WADA said in a statement.
“Shamefully, the McLaren Report corroborates the allegations, exposing a modus operandi of serious manipulation of the doping control process in the satellite laboratory set up in Sochi for the 2014 Games; and, the Moscow laboratory since 2011 and after the Sochi Games.
“Not only does the evidence implicate the Russian Ministry of Sport in running a doping system that’s sole aim was to subvert the doping control process, it also states that there was active participation and assistance of the Federal Security Service and the Center of Sports Preparation of National Teams of Russia.”
The IOC has now started “disciplinary actions related to the involvement of officials within the Russian Ministry of Sports and other persons mentioned in the report because of violations of the Olympic Charter and the World Anti-Doping Code”.
The Report could result in a complete ban on Russian athletes participating in the 2016 Olympic Games, due to start in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August.
In the statement, the IOC said it will “carefully evaluate the IP Report. It will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice. In this respect, the IOC will have to take the CAS decision on 21 July 2016 concerning the IAAF rules into consideration, as well as the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Charter.”
For the full IOC Executive Board statement click here.
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Vloggers’ “Wembley Cup” reaches stars and fans
The Wembley Cup final, which took place for the first time last year in Wembley Stadium as a match between leading YouTube football content creators, is to be open to the public in 2016 – and the live event will now feature football legends.
The Wembley Cup is a YouTube series launched by Wembley partners EE in 2015, featuring the leading online video channel’s top “vloggers”.
From August this year, the eight-part series will document the journey of YouTube phenomenon Spencer Owen (Spencer FC) and fellow YouTuber Joe Weller as they vie to build a team strong enough to take the title, competing in a series of tough and entertaining physical challenges in the build-up to the final on 2 September.
This year, for the first time, fans will be able to buy tickets to the live final at Wembley stadium with over 30,000 tickets on sale.
The profile of the series has been raised further still by the inclusion of six EA SPORTS FIFA Legends who will push the YouTubers to their sporting limits during the episodes and play in the final match.
England football legend Robbie Fowler and former French international midfielder Robert Pirès are the first names confirmed to be taking part.
At the final, EE will be making this year’s competition the most immersive yet by placing the power firmly in the hands of audience in the stadium. Fans attending will be able to shape the teams and make decisions through social media.
“Following on from the incredible reaction to last year’s Wembley Cup, we’re super excited to be bringing it back with EE,” said Spencer Owen, founder of YouTube channel Spencer FC.
“Our challenge this time around was to make it even bigger and better than in 2015. We feel that with the amazing football and YouTube talent we have on-board – culminating in a live final with a proper crowd at Wembley – it’s going to make for a very entertaining series.”
Max Taylor, MD of digital, comms and innovation at EE said: “With over 30 million views amassed for last year’s Wembley Cup, the challenge for 2016 was to make it even bigger and better and with over 30,000 tickets going on sale today for the live final, we are inviting our customers and football fans down to the event for the first time.
“The Wembley Cup has become a big part of how we activate our partnership with Wembley Stadium and we’re delighted to be supporting the stadium’s official charity partner, The Bobby Moore Fund. The hugely popular YouTube series is also the perfect opportunity for us to bring to life our offer of six months free access to the BT Sport app for customers which launches later this month.”
esports are of growing important to FIFA, which stages an annual competition of football video games called the FIFA Interactive World Cup in partnership with EA SPORTS and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
James Salmon, Senior Product Marketing Manager for EA SPORTS FIFA in the UK said: “We’re delighted to be supporting The Wembley Cup and look forward to seeing how the FIFA Ultimate Team Legends get on against YouTube’s biggest stars.” -
The infrastructure driving the events boom
HOST CITY: What prompted De Boer to commission the study of event professionals’ views about the state of the events industry?
John Cochrane: We have to listen to our peers and potential customers to really understand what we have to do keep ahead of the game. This independent study provided objective views for us to consider with open minds. De Boer listens to the market, which is essential for us to make progress.
HOST CITY: 2015 saw the number of events increase. What do you think drove this growth and can we expect this positive trend to continue?
John Cochrane: The UK has been in a fairly positive mood for the past few years, given a real springboard by the London Olympic Games in 2012, and so there is great faith and trust in our Event Industry to make these events as positive as possible.
In short, if someone is prepared to fund an event in the UK, the chances are it will not be a waste of money and effort. Provided we keep delivering good service and the political climate stays calm, there is no reason to believe this pattern of growth will stop.
HOST CITY: The event professionals surveyed said third party suppliers – especially temporary structure specialists – were central to making 2015 a successful year. How has De Boer in particular contributed to this positive trend?
John Cochrane: De Boer has a terrific range of innovative and structurally impressive temporary buildings. We are fortunate to be involved with some of the most high profile projects in the world and so a there is an extended audience who can see what we do.
Event professionals speak to each other and they really know what is going on in the business and who to go to for quality and service.
HOST CITY: Good breadth of experience topped the list of qualities valued in suppliers. How important is a diverse portfolio to De Boer’s success?
John Cochrane: It is very important to De Boer to have a flexible approach to business. Our experience has been growing for over 92 years, from private parties for 50 guests to 85,000 sqm of temporary cover at The Farnborough International Air Show, and everything in between.
Diverse events exist and have to be serviced with a diverse portfolio of materials and experience. At De Boer we can do that really well.
HOST CITY: The survey highlighted recruitment as an area of concern for 2016. How challenging is it for the events industry to hire and retain high calibre employees?
John Cochrane: I don’t know how difficult it is for the events industry in general because each company has a different set of values to maintain.
At De Boer we always look for integrity, enthusiasm and a good attitude. People like this do exist and we are pleased to be able to attract their attention with our reputation and existing long serving workforce as happy examples of what could be in store if they ‘join up’.
HOST CITY: How can temporary structure specialists work with developments in technology and social media to boost the events sector?
John Cochrane: Every industry specialist has to keep in step with technology and social media. At De Boer we make the most of our international colleague’s experience to understand that what can work for us in Barcelona for example, could work equally well for us in Birmingham or Berlin.
This very tangible link with our European and international business units means that we are more aware of any technological developments that could and do help to boost business.
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How Aggreko powers high flying events
Some of the most prestigious sports events in the world take place not in city centres or in purpose built stadiums, but on beautiful beaches, harbours and green field sites.
The host location of the America’s Cup is determined by sporting factors rather than the availability of electricity. Red Bull Air Race, one of world’s fastest growing international sporting events, also makes use of non-urban locations.
But thanks to modern technology, events like these can now provide the same level of broadcasting and hospitality as any city-based event.
Giving Red Bull consistency
According to David de Behr, Head of Global Events at Aggreko – the leading provider of mobile, modular power – the Red Bull Air Race was identified as a growing flagship event where there was an opportunity to integrate early and provide support.
Discussions between Aggreko and Red Bull Air Race began in 2014 and the companies quickly found a lot of connection points. By 2015, Aggreko was working on four races with Red Bull, one of which was on a beautiful beach site at Rovinj in Croatia.
“This was not easy, because they put giant screens on pontoons on the water for people on the beach to watch,” de Behr tells Host City.
“It was also a very large area to cope with, because the temporary airport is always quite a long way from the public.”
Organisers needed to be able to rely on the power supply but the local grid couldn’t meet the high capacity and reliability needed for the event.
“It’s all about consistency and reliability,” says Kevin Brownhill, Head of Partnership and Sponsorship at Aggreko Global Events.
“We worked closely with Red Bull Air Race to provide the consistency they need. Not in terms of deliverables – because that is a given with us, regardless of what we are powering whether over water or in an isolated green field site, or a small or large event – it’s about giving them peace of mind. They know we are there for them.”
Mike Hoeshl, Head of Production at Red Bull Air Race tells Host City why Aggreko was selected to power the series.
“The Red Bull Air Race World Championship is a fast-paced, low altitude race travelling all over the world to thousands of fans. Aggreko helps us to get to this point by supplying all of special energy solutions in a high quality and professional way.”
“We are guaranteed the same level of service for all of our temporary power solutions all over the world, which is the reason why we have selected Aggreko as official power supplier of the Red Bull Air Race.”
Powering new markets
After successfully partnering on four events in 2015, Red Bull Air Race has renewed its agreement with Aggreko for 2016 and the company is now providing power for the whole tour.
“We have major power projects in various places around the world, some supporting the national grid and some providing emergency power,” says David.
“Japan, where we provide industrial power after the Fukushima disaster, is a relatively young market for us, but it provided an ideal opportunity to power Red Bull using the local businesses. Red Bull in Japan gets a turnkey design package, which Aggreko in Japan can prepare well in advance. This is where local expertise comes into its own, like bringing equipment through customs, for instance.”
The advantages for Aggreko of taking its events business to new markets outweigh any difficulties. “Although we currently don’t have a large events business in Japan, what we do have provides great opportunities for the events that are coming up there, such as the Olympic Games, the Rugby World Cup and the Japan leg of the America’s Cup,” said Brownhill.
“The events market is growing throughout Asia, so our experience of major events elsewhere, together with the power projects we are doing in Asia, lets everyone see that we know what we’re doing and what it’s like to work with us.”
One of the challenges in Asia is changing the mind-set from buying power assets to renting, says de Behr. “Renting is a win-win solution for all concerned, and Red Bull helps us get that message across”.
Cirque du Soleil
Aggreko also provides power and HVAC for the world’s largest touring circus.
“When looking for power solutions, we look to obtain highest standard of quality at the lowest operational cost,” says Janick Wolput, Vice President of Touring Shows at Cirque du Soleil.
“The comfort of our patrons and the efficiency of our operations are at the heart of our approach. Cirque du Soleil believes that Aggreko is able to deliver the best global rental power and HVAC solution for its touring shows.”
Sailing towards Bermuda
Aggreko has been involved in another high profile event, the America’s Cup, since it was held in San Francisco in 2013. Aggreko also delivered an America’s Cup World Series event for the organiser TEAMORIGIN in Portsmouth in 2015 and has signed a contract to do this again in 2016.
“When it was announced that Portsmouth was going to stage it in 2016 and when Ben Ainslie became involved, as a UK company we were keen to be involved,” says Brownhill.
Jeremy Troughton, Operations Director, Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth tells Host City: “This will be our second year working with Aggreko as the official supplier of power and temperature control for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth.
“Their pre-event planning, working with us and every supplier that required power on site, is unrivalled and their delivery when it came to the event itself took the pressure of the event team in delivering these essential services. Aggreko are essential to enable us to deliver a successful event and it great to know we are in safe hands once again and we are looking forward to building on the great relationship we started at last year’s event”.
Aggreko now is now looking ahead to the America’s Cup in 2017 in Bermuda. “It’s not just about power though. The teams need air conditioning, as well as power, for the old naval base where they are based for 18 months leading up to the final set of races in 2017,” says Brownhill.
High flying hospitality
The high level of hospitality at Red Bull Air Race and America’s Cup is another benefit of partnering with these events.
“The hospitality the Red Bull Air Race offers is very similar to Formula One type level of hospitality, with some very well-known faces there,” says Brownhill.
“We can bring guests from other parts of our events business that we are looking to try and do business with; and part of our relationship with Red Bull is that we can take them back of house and show them what we do.”
The America’s Cup offers an incredibly high level of hospitality. “It was really quite spectacular; you are literally on the sea front facing the racing; it’s a great thing for us to be involved in and very high profile.”
The power to engage audiences
And when there is no immediate action taking place, a reliable power supply enables constant audience engagement. “People tend to think just of the centrepiece action at events, but there is so much more besides,” says Brownhill.
“The America’s Cup hosted evening concerts last year, and there are stunt performances that take place right over the crowd in the Red Bull Air Race that also need power.”
Ensuring broadcasters have the power capacity they need is also a crucial part of Aggreko’s remit. “Social media is becoming ever more important and broadcasters now cover events in a variety of different ways,” said de Behr.
“We provide broadcast power to ensure all types of media are catered for. Red Bull is especially creative and strong in this area.” -
How the Paralympics raises the Games
The Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2008 is often talked about in terms of China opening up to the world – not just its economy, but its society too.
“The main legacy of the Games in China was to create visibility of people with an impairment in China,” Xavier Gonzalez, CEO of the International Paralympic Committee told a select group of journalists at SportAccord Convention.
“I think 350,000 spectators with an impairment came to the Games. The coverage of the Games in China was very extensive. And the government created an accessible environment in the city with many improvements in public transport and roads; it helped to create visibility. That was the main legacy of the Games in Beijing: to showcase one tenth of the population of China and make them visible.”
Attitudes towards disability in China are continuing to develop long after the Games. “We have seen a huge interest and support from part of the Chinese authorities and our National Paralympic Committee. Leading up to Beijing 2008 and since then, China has maintained a high level of development,” said Gonzalez.
Of course, every host is different. Chris Solly, Director of World Academy of Sport, the educational partner organisation of the IPC, said: “You’ve got to know where your society is; research and understand how people perceive people with an impairment in the country.
“London is very different to where Sochi and Russia was, for example. You’ve got to work out how to make it happen in your own environment.”
Local media is crucial to raising the profile of Paralympics and people with impairment within the host nation. The London 2012 Paralympic Games was broadcast by Channel Four, which ran an award-winning “Superhumans” marketing campaign and achieved record viewing figures.
The official broadcaster of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is Globo Group, with its SportTV channel broadcasting all 12 days of action and Globo TV screening more coverage than ever before.
“Channel Four and O Globo are two different media – they do it in different ways. That’s what we want, because it’s a totally different cultural environment,” said Gonzalez.
Asked whether he is still concerned about Rio’s delayed preparations to host the Games, Gonzalez said, “One of the advantages that we have is that everything they do for the readiness of the Olympics helps us. We always say the Olympics is our test event!
“Yes, the preparations are moving forward, yes are some of them are a little but last minute. We just came back from the Coordination Commission and we have seen a lot of progress but a lot of work needs to be done. At the moment we are very confident that we will have a very good Games.
“The most important thing from our point of view is to try and do things as soon as possible. The big difference we have seen in Rio, which is not only an issue for the organising committee but the overall context of the country, is that it’s better to have certain things earlier on.
“What we are going to take from this is that we and the IOC need to increase the support that we provide to the organising committees to make sure that the message is very clear and they can focus on the important things at the appropriate times.”
During the Paralympic Games, the IPC and the World Academy of Sport are staging the 2016 IPC Academy Campus, an educational and conference programme that gives insight into the complexities of organising and maximising the benefits from major sporting events.
Telling Host City about the Academy Campus, Gonzalez said “We bring people from previous Games and we incorporate the local context, and we incorporate people from the next Games and bidding cities to participate also in the programme; we look forward to the development of the Games.”
Looking ahead to PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games that follows Rio, the IPC is already looking to maximise synergies with Samsung, the IPC’s Worldwide Paralympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment.
“In London, Samsung were very creative in the way they activated social media, which helped the IPC too. They’ve got much bigger databases than an organising committee, so they’re an integral part of how we deliver the programmes.”
The next Winter Games after PyeongChang will be in Beijing, where there is a big opportunity to develop Paralympic winter sport. China has yet to win a medal in any Paralympic Winter Games, but development is underway.
“We are very excited about how quickly the Chinese authorities have engaged with the development of Paralympic winter sport,” says Gonzalez. “In winter sport we have seen activities in alpine skiing, in ice sledge hockey. We are trying to build sports in China across the country.”
What’s happening at the 2016 IPC Academy Campus
The 2016 IPC Academy Campus will include a Games Experience Programme, Observers’ Programme and Inclusion Summit.
The IPC Academy Games Experience Programme (GEP) is a three day conference on 12-14 September focusing on the following topics: “Winning Strategies for Major Sport Events”, “The making of a Successful Host City” and “Marketing & Broadcasting” followed by site visits to related competition and non-competition venues.
The IPC Observers’ Programme, taking place between 6-17 September, includes a series of educational activities and roundtable sessions for event organisers with visits to all competition venues and the most important non-competition venues and specialised activities.
The IPC Academy Inclusion Summit on 15-16 September targets learning at the policy level, for business leaders policy makers and the Paralympic movement to discuss inclusion and accessibility
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IMG appointed to stage 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles
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.”