A seasonal storm in the World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte damaged the Mineirao stadium over the weekend, Xinhua news agency reports.
Parts of the roof flew onto the pitch of the recently rebuilt stadium in Belo Horizonte just before a state championship match on Saturday.
Mineirao will host six matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and US$300 million have been spent on redeveloping the stadium.
Video footage published by Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo showed three metallic plates landing onto the pitch less than one hour before the match, according to Xinhua.
Such storms are not unusual at this time of year, according to a weather institute in the state of Minas Gerais. More than 10cm of rain had fallen in three hours, with winds of up to 36km per hour.
The manager of Cruziero football team, which played on Saturday’s match, complained of the standard of the pitch. According to Xinhua, he said “Questions have to be asked. Is this pitch up to FIFA standard? I think the quality needs to be better.”
Host City invited the Belo Horizonte World Cup Organising Committee to comment on the incident at Mineirao but has yet to receive a response.
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke voiced concerns about the readiness of World Cup venues at a press conference at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich on Saturday.
“We are almost at 100 days before the first game starts in a stadium in Sao Paulo which is still not ready and won’t be ready until May 15. And as you know another two stadiums [in Curitiba and Manaus] are quite late.
“For sure, the stadiums are beautiful but now it is a challenge for the organisers. And that is not a criticism. It is just a challenge. We have to find the solutions.”
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Brazil World Cup stadium suffers storm damage
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SPORTELAsia ends on a high
At the conclusion of SPORTELAsia on Wednesday, the organisers announced a 12 per cent increase in the number of registered participants as compared to 2013. A total of 603 participants, representing 299 companies of 42 countries, participated in the 2014 Asian Convention.
Ms. Amparo Di Fede, General Manager of SPORTEL said “All participants are extremely satisfied of the high quality and number of exhibitors, especially Asian. Among the new ones were SMIT, Kosmogo, LETV, PPTV, Super Sport Media and Slam Ball.
“The loyalty of the global sports media community has grown strongly over the years and shows that SPORTEL continues to be their ‘must attend’ event”.
The conference and panel programme was organised in collaboration with Sports Video Group and TV Sports Markets. A symposium was hosted in partnership with local agency Oceans Marketing entitled “Insight into the Chinese Sports Media Industry”.
The next SPORTEL spring convention will return to Miami, where it was hosted in 2011. “Our community has anticipated and clearly chosen America for their next spring convention. SPORTELAmerica will once again welcome the international sports media community from 17 to 19 March 2015, at the JW Marriott in Miami, Florida.”
The next SPORTEL event will be the 25th anniversary of SPORTELMonaco. “The constant success of SPORTELMonaco conventions looks back on 25 years of dedication to our industry and to you, the SPORTEL community that has shared the same dedication and loyalty to us. We very much look forward to welcoming you once again in Monaco from Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 october 2014.”
Registration for SPORTELMonaco opens on 2 April 2014. -
Olympic effect triggers interest in hosting Rugby Sevens
The International Rugby Board (IRB)’s elite international Rugby Sevens events have attracted an unprecedented level of interest from potential host nations.
As the expression of interest deadline closed on February 28, 25 Unions formally confirmed their interest in hosting a round of the HSBC Sevens World Series from the 2015/16 season. Fourteen Unions are also interested in hosting the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018.
The level of interest underlines the global appeal of the newest Olympic sport. IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “This unprecedented response truly reflects the enormous prestige and appeal of Rugby Sevens in the global sporting market place ahead of our Rio 2016 Olympic Games debut.
“The submission features a blend of interest from every continent and includes existing and emerging Rugby markets. It reaffirms Rugby Sevens as a young, exciting and thriving sport that is reaching out, engaging and inspiring new audiences around the world.
“International Rugby Sevens is truly competitive, showcasing great skill and speed to full, vibrant stadia and strong and ever-growing global broadcast audiences and that is why we believe that Rugby Sevens will be a great fit for the Olympic Games and also why the Olympic Games will be great for Rugby.
“We look forward to collaborating with each interested party as we look ahead to the next phase of the process.”
The deadline for tender submissions for Unions interested in hosting Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 need to submit tenders by 5 December 5 2014, with the IRB Council selecting the winning bid at its May 2015 meeting.
The deadline for formal tender submissions for hosting a Sevens World Series tournament is set for 27 June, 2014 and the 2015/16 Series hosts will be selected by IRB EXCO in October 2014.
The dual process follows a detailed strategic review of Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Sevens World Series hosting models and key overall considerations include growing hosting and participation opportunities for the 119 IRB Member Unions, tournament format, increasing Sevens-related global commercial model values, and for the series specifically, the number of events in the calendar.
The full list of Unions that have expressed an interest to tender for IRB Sevens World Series 2015/16 is: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, England, Fiji, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, USA, Wales.
The list of Unions that have expressed an interest to tender for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 is: England, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, USA, Wales. -
Big names announced for Soccerex Asian Forum
Three leading figures in football have been added to the bill of the Soccerex Asian Forum, organised in partnership with the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP).
Speaking alongside AFDP founder HRH Prince Ali Bin Hussein, Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie announced that Moya Dodd, AFC Vice President and FIFA Executive Committee Member will be playing a key role at the event.
Dodd will speak on the future of football in Asia and the development of women’s football. She will be joined at the event by Singapore FA General Secretary and AFC Executive Committee Member, Winston Lee.
In addition to these two leading football administrators, Revie also confirmed that Argentinean football legend and World Cup winner Osvaldo Ardiles will be attending the event and sharing his vast football knowledge, including his experiences of playing and coaching in Asia and winning the World Cup.
Mr Ardiles will join fellow football legends, Bryan Robson and John Barnes as part of a special panel discussion at the event.
Also in attendance at the press conference was Sunando Dhar, CEO of I-League, who discussed the All Indian Football Federations involvement with the Soccerex Asian Forum, which will see General Secretary, Kushal Das participating in a panel discussion on commercial development within Asian football.
It was also confirmed at the press conference that the Marriott Hotel Jordan Valley will be the official event hotel. Soccerex also announced a new global partnership with leading international law firm, Pinsent Masons.
HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein said “The Asian Forum is a platform for all the major Asian leagues, clubs and other stakeholders to get together and discuss the development of football across the continent; to share best practices in coaching development, stadia development, women’s football and most importantly for me, social development. Soccerex is the best platform for this.”
Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie added “My thanks goes to his HRH, and to all those participating in this unique event, in this unique setting. We will be truly be bringing the world of football, not just Asia, to this wonderful country.”
The Soccerex Asian Forum will take place on 13-14 May at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre by the Dead Sea in Jordan. The two day event, featuring a conference and exhibition, will bring together over 1000 senior decision makers from the football industry across Asia and the rest of the world, providing a platform for networking and knowledge sharing, with the aim of developing football throughout the continent.
For further details about the Soccerex Asian Forum please go to www.soccerex.com/asia or contact Soccerex on +44 208 987 5522 -
London 2012 infrastructure boss to address Middle East
The UK-based Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has announced that its first lecture tour of the Middle East will take place on 13-17 March. Sir John Armitt, Vice President International of ICE and Chairman of the London Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is to speak in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai.
The series of evening lectures, entitled “Developing Modern Infrastructure”, will specifically address the challenges of planning and executing large-scale infrastructure projects.
The chairman of the London 2012 ODA and former chief executive of Network Rail, Sir John will share his knowledge and insight into the challenges of planning and delivering large-scale infrastructure projects.
The lectures will make particular reference to the London 2012 Olympic Games in the light of the many new and ongoing infrastructure projects in the Middle East, such as World Expo 2020 Dubai, Qatar 2022.
Sir John will speak in Abu Dhabi at 6:30PM on 13 March, Doha at 6:30PM on 16 March and Dubai at 6PM on 17 March. For more information about these free lectures, contact melanie.hill@ice.org.uk -
FIFA seeks single host for two Women’s World Cups
Countries interested in hosting a FIFA event are now spoilt for choice. FIFA has invited its 209 member associations to register their interest in the Women’s World Cup 2019, Club World Cups from 2015 to 2018, Beach Soccer World Cup 2017, U-17 Women’s World Cup 2018 and the U-20 Women’s World Cup 2018.
With women’s football growing in popularity in recent years, FIFA will be particularly hopeful of a large number of members applying to host the Women’s events. “The development of football for girls and women remains one of FIFA’s top priorities,” it said in a statement on Thursday.
FIFA said it would prefer the Women’s World Cup and U-20s World Cup events to be hosted in one country. “In principle, FIFA would prefer the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2018 to be hosted and organised by the same member association.”
The Women’s World Cup 2019 will involve 24 teams, while 16 teams will compete in the U-20 Women’s World Cup 2018.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup has grown significantly in stature and significance over the last few editions. Now with 24 teams, it enjoys the second-biggest profile of all FIFA’s flagship events,” FIFA said.
“The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is the second most important women’s FIFA event. The so-called ‘springboard for the stars’ tournament serves as a staging post towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup, not only for players but also for the hosts.”
The Women’s World Cup 2010 in Germany holds the attendance record of 395,295 spectators, achieving an average global in-home audience per live match of 2.8 million.
The bidding timeline for these women’s competitions requires the member associations that wish to host these events to submit a declaration of interest by 15 April 2014. The deadline for delivery of the hosting agreement together with all the signed bidding documents is 31 October 2014, with the final decision on the hosts currently scheduled to take place at the first FIFA Executive Committee meeting in 2015.
Club World Cups
After successful editions of the Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Morocco – which will also host the 2014 edition– FIFA has also opened the bidding processes for the 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 editions. Two host nations will host the events for two years.
Member associations that are interested in hosting the event are invited to submit a declaration of interest by 30 March 2014. The complete set of bidding documents has to be provided by 25 August 2014 and the Executive Committee will select the host in September 2014.
Beach Soccer World Cup
2017 will mark the ninth edition of the biennial Beach Soccer World Cup. Sixteen teams will participate in the ten to 12 day final competition, which requires just one stadium. “The location of the venue should reflect the sun, sea and sand of the Copacabana beach, the birthplace of beach soccer,” said FIFA.
Member associations should declare their interest in the Beach Soccer World Cup by 15 April 2014 and submit their definitive bids, including all signed bidding and hosting documents, by 1 October 2014. The host will be appointed by the Executive Committee at its meeting in December 2014.
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2022 Games host must be “unique” – IOC
Five cities have submitted their application files for the Winter Olympic Games by the deadline of Friday 14 March. The IOC Executive Board has until 9 July to select the successful candidate cities.
While safety concerns have exerted a major influence on recent hosting decisions, individuality will the critical factor for future host cities, IOC Executive Board member Prof. Dr. Ugur Erdener told HOST CITY.
The pool of applicants – Krakow, Oslo and Almaty, Lviv and Beijing – presents a strong emphasis on growth markets, with only one Western European city and none from America. This is particularly notable given that the 2022 Winter Olympic Games will be preceded by two editions in new territories.
“There was a very successful organisation in Sochi and everybody was very happy being there,” Erdener told HOST CITY. “It was one of the very best Olympic Games organised. The next Winter Games will be held in PyeongChang, and now we have potential candidates from Europe and Asia again.
“We will have to see their applicant files, their projects and some of their explanations and then we can have some ideas. At the moment we don’t have any idea of the projects details, budget et cetera.”
Under the new leadership of Dr Thomas Bach and his revitalised top table, the IOC is keen to uphold the value of its flagship events. “The Olympic Games is the top priority for the IOC and the Olympic Movement,” Erdener said.
However, this does not necessarily give an established, known host like Oslo an advantage. The IOC will always be interested in something new to promote.
“It should be a unique activity; it is very important that all Winter, Summer and Youth Olympic Games should be unique – this is very important for the IOC,” said Erdener.
“We have to be more attractive, especially for TV – because TV is the most important factor for all kinds of sports facilities, especially for the Olympic Games.”
As President of the Turkish Olympic Committee, Erdener led Istanbul’s bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. “I congratulated my friends in the Tokyo team; it was a very fair competition and there was only one place for the winner for 2020.
“After having seen some delays in Rio 2016 project, probably some of our colleagues thought that a safe city would be better. As we all know, still there are some discussions about Rio project.”
IOC members will vote for the host city of the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games during the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur on 31 July 2015.
Prof. Dr. Erdener is also president of the World Archery Federation and president of the Organising Committee for SportAccord Convention, which takes place in Belek, Turkey from 6-10 April.
For the full exclusive interview with Prof. Dr. Erdener, register for HOST CITY and make sure you get the next issue. -
Madrid to host World ATM Congress until 2017
Following a second successful event in Madrid, the World Air Traffic Management (ATM) Congress has announced that event will remain in the Spanish capital until 2017.
The 2014 World ATM Congress, which took place at the IFEMA exhibition centre last week, attracted more than 6,000 aviation and air traffic management professionals – up by more than 1,000 on the inaugural event in 2013.
President and CEO of the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), Peter Dumont and the executive chairman of IFEMA, Luis Eduardo Cortes, signed an agreement confirming Madrid as the host city of the World ATM Congress, which will be held at IFEMA for the next three years.
“This year’s World ATM Congress was a tremendous success,” said Dumont. “This was further evidenced by the wide variety of attendees from around the world and from all aspects of the industry. Not only was the event larger – it was better. With 190 exhibitors and visitors from 128 countries, the exhibition floor was rich for business.
“There was clearly a demand for access to the ATM community in an environment that encourages innovation, and we have provided it.”
Jeff Poole, director general CANSO, said: “Once again, World ATM Congress has successfully provided an important and truly global forum for the air traffic management industry and its partners not just in terms of the numbers but also in quality. The success of World ATM Congress reaffirms the strong need and support for a single global ATM forum by the industry for the industry.”
This endorsement from the international aviation industry will be a welcome boost for Madrid’s important hospitality and event sectors. Madrid was placed fourth in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA)’s most recent ranking in 2012, just ahead of Barcelona – making Spain the world’s third most popular destination for meetings.
The next World ATM Congress will take place on 10–12 March 2015, bringing together all sectors of the air traffic community. -
Mandela’s spirit to drive athletes at Glasgow 2014
Team SA is hoping to make a historic impact at Glasgow 2014.
“As a nation, we are proud that on the five occasions that South Africa has competed to the Commonwealth Games since democracy, the medal tally has been very impressive,” said Tubby Reddy CEO of South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC).
“The 2014 Commonwealth Games are no exception; we hope to win more medals as our athletes compete with the spirit of Tata Madiba in mind, that of a winning nation and empowering themselves through sport.”
2014 is a big year for Glasgow and also for South Africa, which is celebrating 20 years since the end of apartheid and its return to the Commonwealth Games in 1994.
South Africa competed at 11 of the 19 Commonwealth Games, from the original Games in 1930 to 1958. South Africa then withdrew from the British Commonwealth because of apartheid, but was later re-admitted and participated in the Games in 1994 – the year of Nelson Mandela’s election.
“We would like firstly to take part in the Commonwealth Games,” Mandela said shortly after his inauguration, and Team SA did indeed attend the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games and each edition thereafter.
“All credit goes to the late Madiba’s uniting spirit who believed sports can unite the world and redefine a country’s international image,” said SASCOC in a statement. “Sport’s power to change lives and move nations is often overstated and whilst imprisoned, Madiba supported international sports.”
Freedom of Glasgow
Nelson Mandela had a strong connection with Glasgow. In 1981, during his long period of imprisonment, Glasgow Council awarded Mandela the Freedom of the City. Some years after his release Mandela travelled to Glasgow to thank the city, saying “While we were physically denied our freedom in the country of our birth, a city 6,000 miles away, and as renowned as Glasgow, refused to accept the legitimacy of the apartheid system, and declared us to be free.”
Speaking to HOST CITY on Friday, Glasgow’s Lord Provost Sadie Docherty said: “Glasgow is extremely proud to be part of the Nelson Mandela story. We were proud to be the first city in the world to honour him with a Freedom of the City award Nelson Mandela was a true political and moral icon. His lifelong quest to bring freedom, justice and equality to the people of South Africa cost him his own freedom for many years. The participation of the South African team in the Commonwealth Games is part of his legacy and I have no doubt the South African team will want to dedicate their performance to his memory.”
The Commonwealth Games South Africa Chef De Mission, Patience Shikwambana attended the Chef De Mission Seminar in Glasgow from 28 January – 01 February. “The Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) is on track in their preparations for the Games. We visited some of the training facilities and competition venue facilities and they are of world class standard and it’s pleasing to note that our athletes should be happy to participate in such top of the range facilities.” -
World Cup worries send Valcke on mission to Brazil
Delays and uncertainty over World Cup stadiums have motivated FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke to make a special visit to Rio de Janeiro from 24 to 27 March, bringing an early end to a technical tour of host cities that began on Thursday 20 March.
“Any envisaged on-site host city visits will be rescheduled to the next tour planned for the end of April,” said FIFA in a statement.
Concerned about overlay projects and three unfinished stadiums, Valcke is travelling to Rio de Janeiro for a series of meetings. The visit culminates in a board meeting of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and media briefing at the Maracana Stadium.
“This is the last occasion for the organizers to take stock of the operational preparations before the respective FIFA World Cup installations begin to be implemented in all 12 host cities,” said FIFA.
The LOC is currently taking FIFA’s technical experts on a tour of stadiums in Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Cuiaba, Manaus and Natal – the six venues that did not feature in last year’s Confederations Cup. The tour was due to conclude in Natal on 26th March after a visit to Manaus on 24th March, but these two site visits now look set to be postponed to April.
“This inspection tour will be fundamental to consolidate operational plans and for each area to confirm the operations they have planned over the last few years,” said LOC Stadiums Operations Manager Tiago Paes.
The tour involves LOC and FIFA representatives from the areas of competition, press operations, broadcasting, protocol, communications, IT, spectator services, security, medical services, transport, catering, volunteers, hospitality and stadiums operations.
FIFA had originally requested that all venues be finished by December 2013, but three remain under construction. Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo and Curitiba’s Arena da Baixada are now unlikely to be finished until the middle of May – just a month before the opening match in Sao Paulo. Cuaiba’s Arena Pantanal is due to open in April.
The pitch at Manaus is also undergoing emergency repairs after the turf was damaged by excessive use of fertilizer. Manaus hosts England and Italy’s first World Cup fixture.
Valcke has reportedly voiced concerns about responsibility for temporary infrastructure. Local newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo said Valcke is concerned that some cities are refusing to pay for temporary items such as security equipment and temporary structures for media, volunteers and sponsors, causing delays to overlay works.