[Source: SportAccord] SportAccord is delighted to confirm Raffaele Chiulli was unanimously elected President of SportAccord at the SportAccord General Assembly which took place on Wednesday 8 May 2019 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Dr Chiulli is President of UIM (International Powerboating Federation), President of ARISF (Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations) and leader of GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations).
Commenting on his new appointment as President of SportAccord, Dr Raffaele Chiulli said:
“I am proud to have been unanimously elected as SportAccord President.
“Sport has never been more relevant as a means of bringing people together around the values of inspiration, unity and respect. I am very excited by the scope for us to do more really valuable work in the future.
“SportAccord is a powerful brand, going from strength to strength and widely known as the place to connect. It is a great platform for learning and sharing, which brings together International Federations and the wider sports world. And our gathering here in Gold Coast will be one of the biggest and most relevant of the year.
“SportAccord includes the United Through Sports festival, which brings sport directly to youth and local communities, ensuring a positive social legacy for our events. This year’s edition featured IOC President Thomas Bach, H.E. Ban Ki-moon, eighth Secretary General of the United Nations, HRH Prince Feisal of Jordan, and other leaders of sport and civil society, alongside more than 250 children and young people representing 150 schools throughout Queensland.
“This year we launch SportAccord regional conventions starting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in December and we can look forward to much more in the future.”
SportAccord focuses on driving positive change internationally and dedicated to engaging and connecting; international federations, rights holders, organising committees, cities, press and media, businesses and other organisations involved in the development of sport.
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Raffaele Chiulli unanimously elected President of SportAccord
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“Sharing experiences is one of the key factors of becoming better” – FIG VP Nellie Kim reaches higher with Host City 2019
Host City: The theme of Host City 2019 is “Innovate; Reformulate; Co-Create” – what are your expectations of this event?
Nellie Kim: To be an active participant in a big sports forum is, indeed, one of the greatest incentives to the person to continue developing their natural talents and enlarge the boundaries of their personal achievements. In this respect, all that relates to the organisation of big and inspiring events is a point of interest for us.
To share experiences and to hear about the innovative ideas of all the stakeholders in the sector – be they representatives of city councils, national governing bodies, business, potential, or actual sponsors, event organisers, technical experts and all the parties contributing to the success of major events – is vital for us as the world’s governing body for gymnastics. Learning from each other and sharing experiences is one of the key factors of becoming better and reaching higher.
Host City: As Chair of the Innovation Commission at FIG, what are you doing to bring new ideas, formats and disciplines such as parkour into gymnastics?
Nellie Kim: The idea about introduction of the parkour into the FIG programmes belongs to our President Morinari Watanabe who was personally involved in the development of the project.
In his official report from May 2019 he stresses on the fact that the future belongs to urban sports, like cycling with BMX, basketball with 3×3, volleyball with beach volleyball, as well as skateboarding and climbing etc. So, gymnastics has come up with parkour. Urban sports are booming, and we must keep in pace with this process.
Parkour World Cups have already been successfully held in Chengdu, China, and then in Hiroshima, Japan, where it was part of the Urban Sports Festival that attracted a big crowd of spectators.
As for the proposals the Innovation and the Ambassadors Commissions which I am chairing, we have submitted to the attention of the FIG authorities a number of projects over the last few months, some of which are:
– Changes to the Olympic Games 2024 Qualification Programme;
– Live streaming from the Qualification stage of the FIG World Championships using our IRCOS system;
– The Innovation Commission is exploring possibilities to include new disciplines into the FIG programme.
Host City: How is the Ambassadors’ Commission helping FIG to engage young people in its events and their co-creation?
Nellie Kim: The most direct approach to this matter is of course, the Volunteer programme applied by many of our member-Federations.
We, at the Ambassadors’ Commission also pay specific attention to the fact that there is no bigger inspiration for any child or young person than meeting their sport idols in person. Meetings with young gymnasts and fans is only one of the long list of Gymnastics Ambassadors’ activities prior and during the World Championships since the programme was introduced in 2017.
The role of Gymnastics Ambassador has already been taken by legends like Nadia Comaneci, Kyle Shuffelt and Svetlana Boginskaia in artistic gymnastics; Alina Kabaeva and Maria Pertova in rhythmic gymnastics, Alexander Moskalenko and Irina Karavaeva in trampoline, to name but a few. I was nominated as Ambassador of 2nd European Games, which will be held in Minsk in June 2019.
Many of our greatest champions from the past also visit clubs and conduct workshops in various countries across the globe to promote gymnastics and to inspire young people.
Big attention should also be given to continue promoting Gymnastics as the base for all other sports. This means Gymnastics like it existed in the schools in the past and helped children to develop basic body skills, discipline and healthy habits for the rest of their lives.
At the same time our ”Gymnastics for All” division caters for people of any age, from toddlers to old age, giving them the chance to enjoy organised classes and even take part in a massive international event called Gymnaestrada which is held every four years and attracts tens of thousands of people from all over the world.
Host City: And how is FIG raising the profile of women and disabled people through its events?
Nellie Kim: At the 2018 FIG Congress the decision was taken to have at least 30 per cent women amongst elected authorities, and this was a big step forward. Because of the specifics of our sport, the majority of our athletes are female, and it is only very logic to apply their experience and knowledge after they have ended their sports career. In this respect our FIG Women’s commission is very active. It has recently organised the Women in Leadership Forum held right after the FIG Council meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia in May. To add to all this, our President Mr Watanabe is the President of the IOC “Women in Sport” Commission.
As for Gymnastics for people with physical impediments – several of our national member-federations develop this discipline. Here again, in charge is our “Gymnastics for All“ commission which comes up with projects encouraging the progress of Disability gymnastics and promotes the best practices in the field. The FIG President wanted to move even further and has asked our commission to study the problem and look at the possibilities for gymnasts with disability to participate at the Paralympic Games.
Host City: The FIG World Championships in Glasgow in 2015 were hailed as a new benchmark in event presentation. What is FIG and its host cities doing to reach even greater heights?
Nellie Kim: Yes, the World Championships in Glasgow demonstrated several novelties which became a norm in the organization of major gymnastics events across the world in that the entertainment flavour of the competitions was strongly interwoven with the traditional technical requirements of our sport. The scale of Glasgow 2015 World Championships was possible due to the enormous support from the UK Sports Governing Bodies, the Glasgow City Council and British Gymnastics.
However, not many countries in the world enjoy and can rely on such enormous financial support, marvellous venue, logistics in place and professional expertise in every respect, as they were demonstrated in Glasgow 2015.
To draw the most rational and applicable ideas, the FIG conducts a “Transfer of knowledge” meetings from one Local Organizing Committee to the next. However, I must stress the fact that the organization of each World Championships is a prerogative of the relevant National Federation. Sadly, many of our member-federations have the enthusiasm, the ideas and the knowledge, but do not enjoy the above-mentioned attributes for success.
Nellie Kim is speaking at Host City 2019, which takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November. View the full agenda and speaker line up -
EXCLUSIVE: Santiago gets to work on the 2023 Pan American Games
Host City: How would you describe Santiago’s journey towards hosting the Games?
Eduardo Della Maggiora: Santiago has been highlighted in Latin America for its good quality of life, safety, connectivity and most recently was ranked as the most technological city in Latin America. Chile is a country that has been growing very rapidly in the previous decades, and has a very open economy, with Free Trade Agreements with more than 60 countries worldwide. The country is generally recognized as one of the most developed and stable economies in Latin America.
The sports community has been growing very quickly as well, with notable international results like becoming Copa America Champions two years in a row and two Olympic gold medals in Tennis. Hosting the Pan American Games was going to happen eventually.
Host City: What were the decisive factors in being awarded the Games?
Eduardo Della Maggiora: Political stability, economic stability and already existing sport infrastructure where probably at the top of this list. The country’s love for sports, and everything sports represents, was also probably very high.
Santiago’s connectivity is also a big positive for athletes and visitors of the games; close to 70 per cent of disciplines will take place in five main venues, including where the athletes’ village will be, which are very well connected to public transportation buses and subway.
Host City: How much new infrastructure do you need to build?
Eduardo Della Maggiora: There isn’t very much new infrastructure that we need to build, if you compare Santiago 2023 with Lima 2019 for example, which is hosting the Games this year, because we have many venues which are a legacy of the Santiago 2014 South American Games.
New infrastructure that has been announced are a new Hockey fields and a new Paralympic pavilion. The athlete’s village in Ciudad Parque Bicentanario is the largest and most urgent infrastructure project to be started. The project will be 100 per cent privately funded. The Ministry of Housing is in charge of leading the public tendering process, which should kick-off in the coming months.
So, the existing infrastructure is a very good starting point, but some investment will be needed to prepare the city for the Games four years down the road.
Host City: What is public support like for the Games?
Eduardo Della Maggiora: Public support– starting from President of Chile – is very high. Everyone is very eager to make it happen as the country has never hosted an event of this magnitude. The Santiago 2014 South American Games were already a big party in the city and country – with full stadiums and lots of interest from the community – which showed the city and country’s interest in these type of sporting events. Santiago 2023 will be the biggest sporting event in our county’s history and Chileans are ready to participate in one way or another .
In November Santiago is hosting the COP 25 Climate Change Conference – this is the biggest event we’ve done in a while and will be a good opportunity to learn how an event of this magnitude works in Chile.
Host City: Are the opportunities mainly for local or international suppliers?
Eduardo Della Maggiora: We want to help the local community and thousands of local businesses – but also invite international suppliers. We haven’t hosted an event of this magnitude in the past and there’s a lot of expertise we will need to import. We want to learn from that.
One of the legacies we want to leave is developing local talent in the organization of mega events. We are developing talent within the country, but part of the legacy we want to leave is to bring outside talent into the country. So, it’s going to be a mix of local and international.
This is basically the planning stage, making sure we have the right team and people, that the stadiums and the baseline is compliant with Pan American Games standards, and start working on Gantt chart from today until October 2023 and make sure it happens in the best and most seamless way.
We are assessing what needs to be done in next four years. Right now we are working on branding, mission and values. We are also reviewing the sports programme, speaking to potential sponsors and starting to work on our legacy programme.
Host City: How are sponsors engaging with your legacy programme?
Eduardo Della Maggiora: Chile has the sixth highest incidence of childhood obesity in the world – and the highest in Latin America. Improving these figures is an important part of the legacy programme.
We want to tailor the experiences of sponsors in a way that helps them connect with consumers in a very different way, but at the same time positively impacts the lives of millions of Chileans through sports, volunteering and legacy programmes.
The Pan American Games take place in Santiago in October 2023, with approximately 10,000 athletes from 41 nations competing in 39 sports. It is followed by the Para Pan American Games in November. -
New President Raffaele Chiulli underlines the value of SportAccord as crucial platform for sport
[Source: SportAccord] New President Raffaele Chiulli of SportAccord and GAISF hailed the successful Gold Coast edition of SportAccord and the many accomplishments achieved during an action-packed week, was down to the ‘energetic participation’ of everyone involved in the 17th edition of SportAccord. President Chiulli went on to say:
“The success of SportAccord 2019 proves the importance and commitment of our organisation to our stakeholders and members, delegates, exhibitors and partners involved in the sport landscape. SportAccord will continue to adapt to the needs of our delegates and provide a platform that allows us to gather and move forward on the activities and collaborations crucial to the development of our sports, athletes and fans, ensuring a voice for everyone.”
Held in the Oceania region for the first time, SportAccord 2019 followed hot on the heels of the XXI Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast – billed as the Games of Firsts.
The SportAccord Review magazine looks back at some of the many highlights that took place across the event.
Delegates were treated to a traditional Aussie welcome when SportAccord 2019 was officially launched with an Opening Ceremony welcoming a global gathering to include: 1700 delegates from 830+ organisations, including 109 international sports federations, 176 cities and regions, and over 80 nationalities present.
At the annual General Assembly Raffaele Chiulli was unanimously elected as President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) at SportAccord. President Chiulli’s ‘Work Programme’ for GAISF comprises 4 pillars, aimed at addressing the needs of its members and the wider sports movement, and building on the services it offers.
H. E. Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary General of the United Nations, Chairman of the IOC Ethics Commission and Honorary President of 2019 Chungju World Martial Arts Masterships, delivered the Welcome Address at the SportAccord Summit conference, and highlighted the ‘transformative power of sport’ as well as the importance of big data and analytics. Commenting to The Daily, Mr Ban said: “SportAccord can play an important role in solving the problems and developing and promoting a sporting community through Conferences, Summits, Sports Festivals and other events, helping to disseminate the values of sport and a healthy community to people worldwide.”
The SportAccord Summit theme focused on ‘The Future of Big Data and Analytics’ with technology and learning being the key focus this year. Delegates heard how technology can influence ‘the spirit of sport’, and IFs were encouraged to forge brand partnerships and collaborate on big data, this being instrumental in helping to drive fan engagement.
The SportAccord Conference programme saw nearly 100 speakers participating in the event across: the Summit, LawAccord, HealthAccord, CityAccord, and MediaAccord.
Following its debut in Bangkok, the 3-day SportAccord United Through Sports Festival took place in Kurrawa Park in the Gold Coast, and enabled 5,000 children to try around 60 different sports with federations. The United Through Sports Youth Conference highlighted the need to continue to build on the outstanding legacy from Bangkok, with several projects being identified during the SportAccord Sports Festival in the Gold Coast.
The SportAccord event platform was used by World Lacrosse, the global governing body, to unveil its new name, logo and brand. Other exclusives at SportAccord came from: UK Sport confirming London will host the World Skate Street League Skateboarding World Championships and Birmingham will host The World Trampoline Championships in 2023; Gracenote offered its first look at the virtual medal table forecast for Tokyo 2020; and the Commonwealth Games Federation returned to meet representatives from the 2018 Games, to continue to learn from their experiences, in preparation for the best possible Games for Birmingham and the West Midlands.
The organisers of the Gold Coast’s biennial Pan Pacific Masters Games used the SportAccord platform to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the team behind the Kansai 2021 World Masters Games in Japan.
The World Academy of Sport released research findings on the challenges for student-athletes maintaining a dual career; and the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) announced Moscow will host the first University World Powerlifting Championship. IPF also attracted many delegates to their exhibition stand to test their strength, including IF Presidents and dignitaries including H. E. Ban Ki-moon.
At the International World Games Association’s (IWGA) General Assembly during SportAccord, the Chinese city of Chengdu was confirmed as host of The World Games 2025. “By signing a contract with one of the most forward-looking and dynamic cities in China, we have signalled our arrival as a major power in international sport,” IWGA President José Perurena told The Daily.
At other General Assemblies, AIOWF praised the 2026 presentations given by both city candidates, Stockholm-Åre (Sweden) and Milan-Cortina (Italy) via video at SportAccord 2019, and acknowledged the progress being made for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
ASOIF took the opportunity to discuss their recently published report, ‘Vision for the Future of Sports 2019 to 2040’, which sets out 10 recommendations under the themes of governance and entrepreneurialism. ASOIF’s President Francesco Ricci Bitti also advised IFs to use the SportAccord platform to continue discussions with the Tokyo 2020 delegation.
At the AIMS General Assembly, President Stephan Fox’s continuing role as the Alliance’s representative on the GAISF Council was confirmed. Stephan Fox is also the Vice President of GAISF, and a leading supporter of the SportAccord United Through Sports Festival – one of the key highlights of SportAccord.
More high-level meetings took place including the ARISF General Assembly, where President Raffaele Chiulli confirmed the presence of President Bach from the IOC was ‘a very strong sign of his appreciation for what ARISF members are doing’.
Raffaele Chiulli was also confirmed President of SportAccord at its General Assembly.
Looking forwards to future events, in an exclusive interview with iSportconnect, Raffaele Chiulli shared his vision for the expansion of SportAccord into regional saying ‘relevance is the aim’. Regional SportAccord Pan America will take place for the first time, from 10 to 12 December 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
The Pan American sports business event will bring together around 500 delegates from 400 organisations, representing over 30 cities and regions, over 15 industry sectors and more than 40 international and regional sports federations. Event accreditation is priced at USD $1,500 and organisations who would like to take part can register here for Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019.
The 18th edition of SportAccord will return to Beijing, China from 19 – 24 April 2020. The key decision makers in sport will gather at the China National Convention Center for a week of networking and meetings. Organisations can register and take advantage of the myriad opportunities, high-profile events and social occasions being organised for SportAccord Beijing.
To take part in either event, organisations can register online or contact the sales team to become an exhibitor or partner.
Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord, or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook. -
EXCLUSIVE: “Continually evolve and be innovative” – Sarah Lewis OBE
Host City: Host City 2019 takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November, with theme of “Innovate; Reformulate; Co-Create”, in recognition of the fact that many major events are evolving and emerging through creative partnerships. To what extent are FIS and other Winter IFs innovating, reformulating and co-creating events?
Sarah Lewis: Collaborating with other stakeholders for the FIS major events, namely the World Championships, is fundamental to utilise the respective capacities to deliver the best possible event. We aim to continually evolve and be innovative, whereby it fundamental to respect the sport and ensure its DNA remains intact.
Partnership is normal practice for major FIS events, both within the FIS disciplines as well as with other stakeholders. For example, the three Nordic disciplines of Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined are staged as one Nordic Event that provides permanent action. Since the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Freestyle Ski and Snowboard are combined at major events and increasingly as part of the FIS World Cup series, in order to maximise the many synergies with the venues and operations.
I’m looking forward to interesting exchanges and discussions at Host City on innovating, reformulating and co-creating events where many different event stakeholders can contribute their own and shared perspectives.
Host City: The theme of SportAccord 2019 was “The Future of Big Data and Analytics”. What opportunities do you see from big data and analytics in skiing and other winter sports events?
Sarah Lewis: The main and important opportunity is to establish a direct online relationship and interaction with the 15 million online followers of the FIS disciplines, which is a key asset for the development of digital activities as well as sponsorship opportunities. Our objective at FIS is to create a digital ecosystem to serve viewers and fans, which will open up new commercial opportunities for the stakeholders.
Host City: What were your impressions of Gold Coast and Queensland as a host destination, as they consider applying to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games?
Sarah Lewis: Just as well you specified Summer Games, as the likelihood for the Winter edition would be tricky even with a very “New Norm” concept! The Commonwealth Games in 2018 have provided an excellent basis for future Olympic Games and during SportAccord there was certainly great enthusiasm expressed from the sports leadership, political authorities and tourism.
Host City: The growth of the sports industry in China is reflected by the growing number of conventions taking place there – with World Winter Sports Expo, Host City Asia and now SportAccord taking place in Beijing. What impact do you think the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games is having on the growth of winter sports in China?
Sarah Lewis: The catalyst of Beijing 2022 is already having a momentous effect on the growth of winter sports and even globally for the industry and tourism. China has a long cold winter and significant mountain regions and the country is now exploiting the potential of winter sports tourism and recreation for the benefit of the health of population, especially children, to combat the concerns about an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
The legacy of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games was established by the Government already at the outset with its candidacy to use the Games as a spur to develop winter sports for the general population and the economy, through developing tourism and winter sports industry. -
Scotland kicks off summer of women’s sport
[Source: VisitScotland] Scotland is one of the world’s leading event destinations and this summer it will reaffirm its position as it shines a spotlight on women’s sport.
Over the next three months the country will play host to six European and international sporting events kicking off with the UEFA Women’s U19 European Championship in July and culminating in the biggest event in women’s golf, The 2019 Solheim Cup in September.
The country will also host the Women’s Eurohockey Championships II, the inaugural Women’s Tour of Scotland, The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open and the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup T20 Global Qualifier during the summer months.
To mark the occasion, VisitScotland and its EventScotland team gathered players from each event to celebrate this special summer of women’s sport and showcase Scotland is leading the way in the development and promotion of world-class women’s sporting events.
Solheim Cup Team Europe Captain, Catriona Matthew, met with Scotland cricketer, Samantha Haggo, along with Katie Archibald, Women’s Tour of Scotland ambassador and Commonwealth, World and Olympic Cycling Champion; Becky Ward, Scotland’s Hockey Vice Captain and Scotland Under 19’s football player Michaela McAlonie to commemorate this occasion.
Talking about this unprecedented summer of women’s sport, Catriona Matthew, Solheim Cup Team Europe Captain said: “It is incredibly exciting that The 2019 Solheim Cup will be the culmination of a terrific year for women’s sport in Scotland, showcasing the very best of a range of sports across a number of events. There is no doubt that women’s sport is benefitting from an enhanced profile both domestically and globally and it is fitting that The Solheim Cup and golf plays a huge part of that in the country which gave the game to world. I hope the Scottish public turn out in force to support our world-class athletes, not just at Gleneagles in September but across all of our women’s sports events.”
VisitScotland’s Director of Events, Paul Bush OBE, said: “2019 is a big year for women’s sport with Scotland providing the perfect stage over the next three months for six key events on the international sporting calendar. As a world-leading events destination we have a proud history of supporting and championing women’s sporting events. From hosting the largest women’s annual golf event on the Ladies European Tour to supporting showcase events for national teams, we continue to shine a spotlight and build on the momentum shift behind women’s sport.
The Scottish summer of women’s sporting events are, in chronological order:
Football: UEFA Women’s U19 European Championship – 16 – 28 July
In the aftermath of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Scotland will be hosting UEFA’s flagship European Championship Youth Tournament, the Women’s Under 19 European Championship, which aims to expose talented youth footballers to elite level competition in preparation for stepping up to the senior stage to represent their country. Taking place across four professional football stadiums in Scotland – the grounds of St. Johnstone FC (Perth), Stirling Albion FC, Partick Thistle FC (Glasgow) and St. Mirren FC (Paisley) – Scotland will be joined by Belgium, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, and current holders Spain as they all compete for the trophy, which will be lifted by the winner on Sunday 28 July.
Michaela McAlonie said: “This has already been an exciting summer for Scottish women’s football, and will now culminate with the Women’s Under-19s Euros.
“Scotland has shown in the past that it can host world class events and this one will be no different.
“The players can’t wait to play in front of a passionate home crowd and hopefully the country gets behind us, like they did for the ‘A’ squad’s World Cup debut in France.
“Young girls now have female footballing role models and hopefully over the course of July we can continue to help inspire the next generation.”
For more information, including tickets, visit https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish-fa/wu19s-european-championships/
Hockey: Women’s Eurohockey Championship II – 4 – 10 August
Held every two years, the Women’s Eurohockey Championship Division II will see eight nations compete to join the first division and rank amongst the best in Europe. Featuring 20 matches spread over seven days at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre, the iconic legacy venue of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, all eyes will be on team Scotland as they go up against Wales, Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Austria and Turkey to gain promotion to the top tier and avoid relegation to the 3rd league. Scotland matches are due to take place at 17:00 Sunday 04 August, 18:00 Tuesday 06 August and 19:00 Wednesday 07 August ahead of a final on Saturday 10 August.
Becky Ward, Scotland Vice-Captain, said: “It’s such a big year for Scottish women’s sport and to have a massive women’s hockey tournament in Glasgow is amazing. The squad can’t wait to play at home and I hope there will be a great support cheering us on, as well as all the athletes across the other sports events in Scotland this summer. It’s really exciting to be part of it and the tournament will play a big part in promoting women’s sport in Scotland, and beyond.”
To find out more and get tickets, visit https://www.scottish-hockey.org.uk/womens-eurohockey-championship-ii/
Cycling: Women’s Tour of Scotland – 9 – 11 August
The Women’s Tour is a new and permanent fixture on the professional cycling calendar. This year’s inaugural the three-day, three stage 350km Tour will take place on Friday 9 – Sunday 11 August. Starting from Dundee’s iconic waterfront area, the 103km opening stage will take in the Tay Road Bridge and travel down through the Kingdom of Fife to finish in Pittencrief Park, Dunfermline. Stage Two is a 139.4km route departing on Saturday 10 August 2019 from Glasgow’s George Square, sweeping through The Trossachs and finishing in the centre of Perth.
The final stage will start and finish in the beautiful setting of Holyrood Park, the famous Royal Park in central Edinburgh. The 118.3km stage will include three Queen of the Mountain climbs.
Katie Archibald MBE, Commonwealth, World and Olympic Champion and Women’s Tour of Scotland ambassador, said: “I can’t wait for the summer. To be riding my bike in a professional women’s bike race in Scotland is so exciting. I’m really looking forward to taking part and hopefully there will be plenty of people out on the roads supporting us.
“Not only do we have the Women’s Tour of Scotland for the next few years taking place every August, but with the World Championships coming to Scotland in a few years, I think the enthusiasm for the sport in our country is only going to grow.”
To find out more, visit https://womenstourofscotland.com/
Golf: The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open – 8 – 11 August
The co-sanctioned ASI Ladies Scottish Open is one of the premier events on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA. It will be held at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick for the first time just three weeks after the men’s Scottish Open. Tickets for this event are FREE and it is the final qualifying event for players looking to make Team Europe ahead of The 2019 Solheim Cup.
To find out more, visit https://ladiesscottishopen.com/
Cricket: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup T20 Global Qualifier – 31 August – 7 September
The Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier will take place in Dundee and Angus. The event is the final global qualifier for the T20 Women’s World Cup, which is being staged in Australia next year. The qualifier will see eight teams – Scotland, Netherlands, Ireland, Papa New Guinea, Thailand, USA, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh – compete for the final two qualifying places at next year tournament.
Samantha Haggo, Scotland cricketer, said: “2019 has been a big year for us and we’re really excited to be hosting the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in Dundee and Angus.
“In the past, the qualifier has been held in places such as Thailand and Sri Lanka so we’re looking forward to being able to play in our own backyard this time around and will be aiming to capitalise on our home advantage.
“We’ve been working really hard on our skills over the past 12 months, never losing sight of our goal of reaching our first ever World Cup. The girls can’t wait to get going and hope that people get behind us and come to watch.
“Women’s cricket is one of the world’s fastest growing sports and so this is a great opportunity for people to see what we’re about and the skills we have to offer.”
Entry will be free for all games. For more information, visit www.cricketscotland.com
Golf: Solheim Cup – 9 – 15 September (comp days 13 – 15)
Hosted by VisitScotland, The 2019 Solheim Cup aims to be the biggest ever European edition of the event and the most family-focused golf event in history, with around 100,000 spectators expected at Gleneagles in September. It is the pinnacle of women’s golf with the best players from Europe and the USA going head-to-head in match play formation. The 16th edition promises to be one of the highlights on the women’s world sporting calendar in 2019.
To find our more and get tickets, visit https://www.solheimcup2019.com/ -
IAEH, ESA and AGES join Host City 2019 as first Strategic Partners
The International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), the Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES) and the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) are the first Strategic Partners to support the development of Host City, the largest meeting of sports, business and cultural events.
Host City Expo & Conference is a “one-stop shop” for the owners, organisers, hosts and other stakeholders of sports, business and cultural events. Now in its 6th year, the 2019 event takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November and highlights the need for the sector to Innovate, Reformulate & Co-create.
Through the Strategic Partnership programme, Host City and the supporting organisations have opportunities to:co-produce the event agenda, with a combination of keynotes, panels, presentations, workshops and side meetings
increase opportunities to enlist new members
increase access to the event for all stakeholders in major events
consolidate the major event hosting community around this unique focal pointRick Traer, IAEH Co-Director and CEO of the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance said: “The partnership with Host City provides a platform to deliver against a number of our strategic objectives, including the opportunity to share best practices, promote a standard set of event impact standards and to build a network of individuals and organizations involved in hosting major events around the world.”
Daniel Cordey, Chairman of AGES said: “The partnership with Host City is a win-win situation and offers benefits at different levels for us. Our members get additional opportunities to meet industry professionals and the Association is co-organising interesting thematic talks embedded in the Host City event programme.”
Andy Westlake, ESA Chairman said: “ESA is excited to be partnering with Host City in November, as we think it’s important to explore how we can continue to enhance the contribution of sponsorship for major event host cities and organising committees. Sponsorship of course helps to drive additional revenue and offset major event budgets, but it also significantly enhances the spectator’s experience, contributes powerfully to the event marketing agenda and will often leave a strong and long-lasting grass roots legacy afterwards. We’re looking forward to being part of the discussion”
Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director of Host City said: “The launch of the Strategic Partnership programme is an important development for the Host City community. We are delighted to have the world’s leading associations joining us to further consolidate this unique focal point of all the various stakeholders involved in staging the world’s greatest events. We are very grateful to IAEH, AGES and ESA for their support in developing Host City and look forward to welcoming their members to Host City 2019, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events.”
About Host City
Host City Expo & Conference brings together cities and sports, business and cultural events for two full days of unrivalled insight, networking, workshops and business on 26-27 November at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow.
This is where representatives of host destinations, federations and other rights holders, organisers, event suppliers and services from all over the world meet to discover opportunities and discuss the challenges of major event hosting. Participants are encouraged to use Host City as a platform to develop, workshop and announce new events, partnerships and formats.
www.hostcity.com
About IAEH
The International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH) exists for representatives of international destinations to collaborate to generate the best possible value from hosting major sporting and cultural events and provide a voice for ‘not for profit’ hosts of events.
IAEH provides a platform for members to learn from the successes and challenges of major events, share knowledge and generate greater long term social and economic benefits from hosting events.
www.eventhosts.org
About AGES
The purpose of the Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES) is to build up awareness for industry-specific aspects and to promote and defend the interests of its members in the international event marketplace.
The objective is to become a professional and business-oriented association which offers to share and manage valuable information related to the temporary infrastructure industry in order to streamline business for buyers and sellers.
AGES wants to develop a roadmap together with governmental bodies and key stakeholders to create procedures, standards and other tools to facilitate interaction and business with event suppliers, and through this contribute to lowering the burden on future organisers.
www.ages.international
About ESA
The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to inspire, unite and grow the sponsorship industry for the benefit of its members. ESA does this through education, guidance, representation, the recognition of excellence and the sharing of best practice and performance.
ESA’s reach encompasses all types of sponsorship activity from sport, broadcast, education, charity, the arts and culture through to environment and the community. Its membership includes sponsors, rights holders, agencies and consultants, professional advisors and suppliers.
www.sponsorship.org -
How AIPH-approved international horticultural expos create lasting legacies for hosts
Since the 1950s, the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) has been approving international horticultural exhibitions as the pre-requisite for an event to receive the recognition of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE). Through this official approval process, hosting countries and regions gain the ability to invite the participation of other nations through the very highest diplomatic channels.
In 1960 the first AIPH-approved international horticultural expo was held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Over the ensuing sixty years, AIPH has approved thirty A1 world horticultural expos, around the globe, attracting millions of visitors for the benefit of gaining knowledge and inspiration of the positive power that plants and flowers have on the lives of a region’s population.The Floriade legacy
Profusely aware of the multitude of benefits that world horticultural expos bring to a host region, the Netherlands hold a Floriade every ten years. In 2022, Expo Floriade Almere will be the sixth international horticultural expo to be held in the country.
Floriades play a critical role in the development or regeneration of a city. Hosting a Floriade stimulates significant regional infrastructure investment which initiates a boost to the region’s trade, industry, international relations and even education.
Floriade 2012, held in Venlo, testifies to the long-term benefits a region can reap from hosting an international horticultural expo. Since hosting the Floriade, Venlo has experience on-going levels of economic growth above the national average. The project also led to the establishment of two new university campus sites which today attract talent and skills, of all age groups, to the region. The location has become a thriving community of development and innovation.
Hosting the expo also provided a powerful means for branding the region, achieving national and international recognition and establishing a strong and purposeful reputation. Venlo is now familiar not only to the horticulture industry but also beyond. Obtaining a strong sense of regional identity also had the impact of strengthening a sense of social cohesion within the area. As a ‘cradle-to-cradle’, project Floriade 2012 has created significant lasting benefits across numerous areas, including employment, innovation and education, for many generations to come.
The AIPH Green City Concept
Alongside AIPH’s role for approving international horticultural exhibitions, AIPH’s work in Green City involves spreading awareness of the AIPH Green City Concept and supporting city greening through AIPH Green City Guidelines. The objectives of international horticultural exhibitions are synergistic with AIPH’s Green City work. The growing imperative to address salient issues of climate change, air pollution, biodiversity, mental health and social cohesion can be directly addressed through the development of green cities. As stronger evidence builds daily to prove the direct correlation between plants and flowers and a healthier and happier place to live and work, cities around the world are embracing the concept of city greening. Through AIPH’s Green City Concept and approved international horticultural exhibitions, AIPH supports cities in developing their genuine commitment to becoming an internationally recognised green city. AIPH’s global platform for disseminating knowledge; sharing studies, research and best practices; for enabling discussion and encouraging networking offers the unique opportunity for galvanising the pace of ‘living green’ infrastructure development with the multitude of benefits this brings to a region.
Four categories of AIPH-approved horticultural exhibitions
AIPH approves horticultural exhibitions for large public audiences, smaller public audiences and industry only. Approved horticultural events are categorised into four different classes: A1, B, C and D.
A1: World Horticultural Exhibitions
A1 class events are major, large scale world horticultural exhibitions that are held for a long duration of three to six months. AIPH approval and subsequent BIE recognition gives organisers the authority to invite the participation of other countries through the highest diplomatic channels. A country is allowed to organise one A1 horticulture exhibition every ten years. The minimum exhibition area is 50ha, the minimum number of participating counties is 10 and applications are required 12 to 6 years before the event opens. AIPH approved A1 exhibitions have been held in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Turkey, Japan, China and Thailand.
The next AIPH Approved (A1) world horticultural expos are:
Expo 2019 Beijing, China
Expo 2021 Doha, Qatar
Expo 2022 Floriade Almere, the Netherlands
Expo 2024 ?ód?, Poland
B: International Horticultural Exhibitions
B class events are horticultural exhibitions with international participation, held for three to six months. These are organised more at city level, rather than involving national governments. International participation is secured through city to city contact. The minimum exhibition area is 25ha, the minimum number of participating counties is 10 and applications are required 10 to 3 years before the event opens. AIPH approved B class events have been held in France, Germany, China, Japan and Canada.
C: International Horticultural Shows
C class events are held for the purpose of inspiring and entertaining the public. They are held for a period of between four to twenty days. The minimum exhibition area is 6,000m² and the minimum number of participating countries is 6. Applications are required 5 to 0.5 years before the opening of an established show and 5 – 1 years before the opening of a new or non-annual show. AIPH approved shows include Floralies in Nantes, France.
D: International Horticultural Trade Exhibitions
D class events promote trade, innovation, development, knowledge sharing and networking in the global horticulture industry. These B2B events are often held annually and there are no restrictions on their duration. A minimum of 60 per cent of exhibitors must be involved in horticultural production or supply, exhibitions can incorporate symposia and applications are required 5 to 0.5 years before the opening of an established exhibition and 5 to 1 years before the opening of a new or non-annual exhibition. AIPH approved trade exhibitions include Flormart (Italy) and GreenTech (the Netherlands).
Bringing cities to life
All AIPH-approved events are regulated, monitored, supported and promoted by AIPH to ensure that the highest possible standards and recognition are achieved for the benefit of organisers, participants, visitors and citizens of the hosting region.
AIPH is committed to championing the power of plants around the world and welcomes the partnership of any city that is committed to developing its horticulture industry, ‘living green’ infrastructure and has the ambition to bring the AIPH Green City Concept to life.
This article first appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of Host City magazine. Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General of the International Association of Horticultural Producers is speaking at Host City 2019 -
Applications open to host world’s first-ever electric air race
Air Race E plans to run a series of international electric air racing events, starting with the inaugural race in 2020, in an effort to facilitate the development and promotion of cleaner, faster and more technologically-advanced electric engines.
The series will be run by Air Race Events and led by world-leading air racing promoter Jeff Zaltman, the man behind the globally successful Air Race 1 series – the fuel-powered equivalent.
Applications are being received via a formal bidding process through which a shortlist of cities will be determined by October 2019. A final decision on the selection of the first race venue is expected by December 2019.
“Air Race E is the ideal catalyst for engineering teams to test cutting-edge electric propulsion technology, under the rigours of a proven racing format, while also providing high quality entertainment for international visitors and global TV audiences. We look forward to reviewing the host city bids and working with the successful destination to create a truly historic event,” said Zaltman.
Previous Air Race 1 events run by the company have attracted visitors and media from around the world, reaching an audience of over 1.3 billion people in 127 countries and a reach of more than 4.2 million on social media alone. Zaltman said the potential for Air Race E will be even higher, with support from industry leaders like Airbus, recently announced as the Official Founding Partner of Air Race E, providing industry insight and research to participating teams as they build their electric race aircraft.
Air Race E notes that a suitable airport would be a critical factor in the viability of a city’s bid.
For more information on becoming a host city go to https://airracee.com/content/host-cities/ or email info@airracee.com.
About Air Race E
Air Race E will become the world’s first all-electric airplane race when it launches its inaugural series of international races in 2020. Run by Air Race Events and led by world-leading air racing promoter Jeff Zaltman, the man behind the globally successful Air Race 1 World Cup, the race is set to revolutionise air racing and pioneer innovations in electric aviation. Air Race E will see electric airplanes race directly against each other on a tight 5km circuit just 10m above the ground and at speeds faster than any land-based motorsport. The demand for speed, performance and power management under the rigors of a competitive race environment provide the perfect platform for the development and promotion of cleaner, faster and more technologically-advanced electric engines. The Light Aircraft Association (LAA), has committed its support in developing the technical regulations and providing design oversight for the sport, soon to be sanctioned by the Formula Air Racing Association (FARA) and its counter-part in France, the Association des Pilotes D’Avions de Formules (APAF). -
Riot Games reveals impact on economy and tourism for first host city of the League of Legends European Championship finals
[Source: Riot Games] Riot Games today reveals the economic impact the first League of Legends European Championship (LEC) Finals had on the host city of Rotterdam. In association with Burson Cohn & Wolfe Sports, the leading firm within host city partnerships, Riot Games developed a programme inspired by traditional sports structures that saw over 40 cities bid to host the first LEC Finals. Analysis of the LEC Spring Finals held at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam on April 13th and 14th shows impressive economic impact that outperforms other sports events of similar size and length, in hockey, soccer and basketball.
This economic impact analysis concludes that the LEC Spring Finals contributed €2,358,417 to the local economy of Rotterdam. The study combines personal on-site surveys with Riot Games’ verified accounts and ticket-sale data from the event and found the average guest spent €52.6 per day and 87.13% of the event’s guests were non-local visitors. Alongside the measurable impact, the study also found additional impacts such as the future potential of tourism with visitors stating they would be willing to travel long distances to visit the LEC. The Spring Finals hosted visitors from China, South Korea, Peru and 37.83% of international visitors stated they would consider moving to Rotterdam if the right job opportunity became available.
The Riot Games host city process, which was the first of its kind in esports, has been in development since 2018 and the high demand from host cities has resulted in Riot Games expanding their programme with cities being invited to bid two years in advance with applications for 2021 now open.
“Esports is maturing. We’re establishing processes based on long-standing sports to elevate the industry and to develop the ecosystem further,” said Alban Dechelotte, Head of Business Development and Sponsorships for the LEC. “At the same time we’re offering something traditional sports doesn’t have, a younger tech-oriented audience, and this provides tremendous value for cities looking to attract a hard to reach demographic. Whilst the broadcast potential of esports means we’re able to promote a city on an international scale. Streaming knows no borders.”
“We’ve assisted many sports rights holders in their host city partnerships, but the interest for esports is at a level we have never experienced before,” said Ronnie Hansen, Director of Sports Practice for Burson Cohn & Wolfe Sports. “Our study shows an impressive economic impact, outperforming other sport events of similar size and lengths. The reason is very simple; the share of non-local guests is substantial and the spend from a young, well-educated demography is high.”
“We were thrilled to host Riot Games in our venue (2016 for the EU LCS and 2019 for the LEC Spring Finals). Our indoor arena is made for big and exciting sporting events and is the perfect location in Rotterdam, and even in the Netherlands, for esports tournaments. Amazing atmosphere, great audience and we would love to host more esports events in the future!”, according to CEO of Rotterdam Ahoy, Jolanda Jansen.
The LEC launched in January 2019 and quickly became the most viewed esport league in Europe with a 25% increase in average viewers per minute for the final weekend from 2018. The league has also signed a significant number of mainstream sponsors including Shell, Kia, Beko and Footlocker and the number continues to rise with more sponsors being revealed this Summer.
The LEC Summer Finals heads to Athens on September 7th and 8th for more information please visit eu.lolesports.com.
The bidding process for 2020 is already closed by applications are open for 2021.To find out more about the host city bidding process please visit: https://bcw-sport.com/league-of-legends-host/
Alban Dechelotte is speaking at Host City 2019, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. Register here