The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Evaluation Commission has recommended that the CGF General Assembly votes for Durban, the sole bidder for the 2022 Games, on 2 September, but that the Host City contract should not be signed until a “critical” financial guarantee is provided.

On publication of the CGF Evaluation Commission Report on Monday, commission Chair Louise Martin said “We are 95% there, and very close to the finish line. We thank our colleagues in Durban and South Africa for their passion, ambition and assurances that many of our comments and requirements will be actioned in time for the vote.

“It is our recommendation that the CGF General Assembly votes to award the 2022 Commonwealth Games to the Host City of Durban, South Africa, but subject to the final and timely delivery of a limited number of outstanding Host City Contract requirements”.

The report described Durban 2022 as an “attractive proposition for the Commonwealth Games” with “long-term development plans that the Commonwealth Games can actively reinforce… Importantly, Durban presents the opportunity for the Commonwealth Games to be hosted in the continent of Africa for the first time… One of the most powerful propositions presented in the Durban 2022 bid is the opportunity for a far-reaching legacy aligned with existing long term development plans of the South African Government and the City of Durban.”

However, the report said it was “critical” that a financial guarantee must be in place before a Host City contract is signed.

“The guarantee covering a potential financial shortfall was not received at the time the Report was finalised, but is expected to be submitted before the General Assembly. This is a critical requirement,” the report stated. 

"The Bid Committee is continuing to work across the three levels of government to secure the guarantee and has advised that the requirement will be achieved. The Ministerial support enjoyed by the bid is also noted. 

“However, should this guarantee not be received prior to the CGF General Assembly, it is recommended the signing of the Host City Contract be deferred until the Guarantee is provided.”

The commission proposed that this must be resolved within 90 days of the General Assembly. 

The report praised SASCOC’s leaders in gaining “strong engagement from and the support of the three levels of government (city, province and national)”, but said the formation of a cross-government committee is essential. 

“The critical coordination role anticipated for the proposed (but not currently constituted) Inter-Ministerial Committee needs to be enabled by an effective cross-government delivery coordination entity, with a focus on integration of government and city support for the Games and the assurance of legacy programmes,” the report said.

“This should be supported by a clearly-defined set of roles and responsibilities for the various government departments, public authorities and other entities that will have a role in the planning and delivery of the Games.”

The commission proposed that this issue be resolved within 180 days of Durban’s appointment as Host City, along with clarification of “integrated development and financing arrangements to ensure delivery of all venues”.

The report also laid down requirements concerning the athletes village. “Delivery obligations, land ownership and funding arrangements need to be fully documented to remove any risk for the future Organising Committee… Durban 2022 is required to confirm to the CGF that the Village design principles and standard of amenity required by the CGF will be met… within 180 days of appointment as Host City.” 

The report also commends and highlights the many positive impacts of Durban’s bid for the Games. 

“Durban’s vision supports and contributes to South Africa’s 2030 National Development Plan and is rooted in the desire to engage citizens (especially young people), athletes and the Commonwealth,” the CGF said in a press release.

“The Games concept features a compact venue plan centred around the sporting super-precinct of the Moses Mabhida Stadium and adjacent coastline, providing excellent opportunities for innovative sport presentation and enhanced athlete experience.”

The report acknowledged that “the CGF should provide more direct and active support for Durban 2022” in line with the CGF’s Transformation 2022 objectives. 

The CGF resolved to “By Q2 2016, and enshrined in the 2022 Host City Contact, establish a Games Delivery Partnership model that positions the CGF and Host CGAs as delivery partners and supports financial, operational and reputational efficiencies and outcomes”.

The Beijing 2022 bid committee has promised to keep costs down on being elected as the host city of the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games at the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, with the International Olympic Committee citing manageable infrastructure costs as a key factor in the success of the bid. 

“Just as with the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, the Olympic Family has put its faith in Beijing again to deliver the athlete-centred, sustainable and economical Games we have promised,” the newly elected host of the 2022 Olympic Games said in a statement issued to the press. 

Existing venues, such as the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium built for the Games in 2008, will feature in the Games. US$1.5bn will be spent on Olympic villages, sports venues and other infrastructure, a sum that is “significantly less than for Olympic Games in the past”, according to the IOC.

“Olympic Agenda 2020 calls for a stronger focus on sustainability, legacy, and transparency, while making it easier for host cities to tailor Games that meet their needs rather than trying to fit a template,” the IOC said in a statement issued after the election.

“Beijing took advantage of the flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020 to improve its plans for the Games and reduce costs.”

Despite being widely viewed as the runaway favourite, Beijing won the vote narrowly with just 44 to Almaty’s 40. Only 84 of the 100 International Olympic Committee members participated in a vote that had to be recast after technical difficulties. 

The Beijing 2022 Winter Games will immediately follow the 2018 edition in PyeongChang, South Korea. Developing winter sports further in the Asian market promises to be a valuable effect of hosting the Games in Beijing.

“Beijing aims to use the Games to accelerate the development of a new sport, culture and tourism area, and to encourage interest in winter sports in a region that is home to more than 300 million people in northern China,” the IOC said.

The Beijing 2022 bid committee said “This will be a memorable event at the foot of the Great Wall for the whole Olympic Family, the athletes and the spectators that will further enhance the tremendous potential to grow winter sports in our country, in Asia and around the world.”

Beijing will be the first city to host both a summer and winter edition of the Olympic Games – facilitated in part by hosting many skiing events at Zhangjiakou, 220km away from Beijing. Artificial snow is also likely to play a role in enabling the competitions to take place. 

The host city contract signed by Beijing representatives and IOC president Thomas Bach has been made public for the first time. 

Meanwhile, the “Olympic capital” city of Lausanne was elected as the host of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games at the IOC Session, garnering 71 votes to Brasov’s 10. 

The IOC Evaluation Commission singled out Lausanne for its good use of existing, temporary and demountable venues, which is in line with Olympic Agenda 2020 sustainability reforms.

Dutch event company Jaarbeurs has partnered with international media specialist Cavendish Group to organise the first RAID conference in Utrecht on 8th and 9th June.

RAID, which stands for Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Internet-of-Things and Data, aims to be Europe’s largest cross sector Disruptive Innovation Conference and Exhibition. 

The event will feature the highest level of conference content, with an accompanying trade show and marketplace showcasing technology solutions that will disrupt the way Europe’s largest companies operate.

As innovative technologies and solutions will emerge from, and be applicable across, multiple sectors, RAID is aimed at large established business sectors including insurance, automotive, pharmaceuticals, banking, energy utilities, logistics, and advanced industrial manufacturing. 

RAID will look at how C-level executives from different sectors can learn from each other about how Europe’s largest companies approach disruptive innovation. There is also a significant crossover of senior executives between different sectors and disruptive thinking must start first and foremost with Europe’s business leaders.

RAID will be an international event with a strong pan-European theme. Disruptive innovation is positioned as the logical and natural solution for kick starting the more productive economic growth that the EU needs, Cavendish Group said.

This event is about the impact of technology convergence and disruptive innovation on large cross sector companies.

RAID will take place in the Jaarbeurs Media Plaza and exhibition area in the heart of Utrecht, ranked by the European Commission as the most competitive centre for business across the EU. The venue is walking distance from the Utrecht train station, with the airport express train to Schipol, 30 km away and with direct links to many leading German cities. 

The aim for the first RAID conference and exhibition is to attract more than 700 attendees and exhibitors from Europe’s largest companies and most innovative technology and solution providers. 

Cavendish Group is the publisher and owner of a number of leading international media brands including HOST CITY, Oil & Gas Technology, Renewable Energy Technology, Automotive Manufacturer, the International Capital Conference and many more. 

More details of the event can be found on the RAID website. You can also keep up to date by following the RAID Twitter feed.

RAID Utrecht takes place on the 8th and 9th June, 2016. The conference agenda and event details will be announced in early September 2015.

For more information please contact: RAID@cavendishgroup.co.uk.

Nashville is to host IBTM America 2016, the meeting place of the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry, following IBTM America 2015 in Chicago. 

“The excitement behind delivering our event in different key convention cities in the US adds variety and new experiences for all our attendees,” said Jaime McAuley, Event Director, IBTM America.

“Nashville is one of the hottest convention cities in America right now and whilst its very roots are in music (the Country Music Hall of Fame) there is also history, the arts, food – the city recently was nominated in the top 10 best BBQ cities in the US – and of course a variety of venues to benefit this industry.”

IBTM America will take place from June 15 to 17 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center – the largest exhibition and meetings venue in continental US, with 2,882 guest rooms onsite, 6 ballrooms, more than 100 technologically advanced conference and breakout rooms, 600,000 sq ft of meeting, convention and exhibit function space and 4.5 acres of covered tropical gardens.

“We fully expect many will want to either arrive early or stay on to make the most of the facilities, whether it’s to spend more time in downtown Nashville or at the Gaylord as this resort is certainly one of a kind in the USA,” said McAuley.

In addition to its growing business events industry, Nashville is the world’s capital of country music with more than 120 live music venues.

Japanese media giant Dentsu has been awarded the exclusive broadcasting rights for the Olympic Games from 2018 to and 2024 in 22 Asian countries. 

World leading advertising agency Dentsu was the Asian broadcast partner for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games and is the broadcast partner in the region for the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

The agreement means Dentsu will continue to distribute broadcast rights in Afghanistan Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

In a statement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) described Dentsu as the “exclusive gatekeeper for broadcast rights” in all languages and all media platforms, including television, radio and the Internet. 

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This agreement ensures Olympic broadcast coverage for fans across the region, including on free-to-air television. Having begun our broadcast relationship with Dentsu at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, I am pleased we will continue through to 2024.”

The deal also encompasses Youth Olympic Games.

Kiyoshi Nakamura, Executive Officer of Dentsu said: "Following the acquisition of the broadcast rights for the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, we are delighted to strengthen the ongoing relationship between the IOC and Dentsu through the distribution of the broadcast and exhibition rights for all the Olympic Games until 2024. We are dedicated to contributing to the long-term development of the Olympic Movement and to deliver the excitement of the Olympics to the fans in these Asian countries and territories.”

IOC Vice-President Zaiqing Yu, Delegate IOC Member for Broadcast Rights in Asia, said: “Dentsu has a good understanding of the region’s commercial and broadcast environment, and their expertise and insight will help the Olympic Movement develop its presence and ensure excellent Olympic broadcast coverage of future Games.”

The agreement follows the IOC’s recent awarding of 2018-2024 broadcast rights to Eurosport in Europe and beIN in the Middle East. 

The Global Entrepreneurship Network has awarded Johannesburg the hosting rights to its flagship event, the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC), in 2017. 

This will be the first time Africa has hosted the event, which typically attracts business professionals from more than 150 countries. The 2015 edition brought 10,000 delegates to Milan in March, according to organisers.  The Colombian city of Medellin is hosting the 2016 edition. 

Johannesburg’s bid to host GEC 2017 was a project involving the City of Johannesburg, Barclays Africa, the South African government and Sustainable Entrepreneur Accelerator  (SEA) Africa. 

Minister of Small Business Development Lindiwe Zulu said "GEC will help sustain the momentum of an entrepreneurial revolution which President Jacob Zuma set in motion last year when he announced the establishment of our separate department that would focus on small businesses and cooperatives. 

“I am confident that GEC 2017 will further thrust entrepreneurship and small business development firmly on the national agenda and the collective consciousness of our nation.”

The event will be co-hosted by Johannesburg and SEA Africa. Kizito Okechukwu, executive head of SEA Africa, said “This Congress will assist businesses and promote entrepreneurship across the African continent.

“We are therefore calling on entrepreneurs to leverage from various support structures and programmes being introduced by various partners. We are expecting leading global entrepreneurs and innovators to grace this occasion."

Craig Bond, CEO of Retail and Business Banking at Barclays Africa, said, "The GEC is a platform that can open doors for our youth, ignite entrepreneurship and put our youth in the global arena. It contributes to the overall Pan-Africanism objective by strengthening common perspectives amongst nations, creating partnerships and collaborative efforts, and encouraging inter-regional trade."

Jonathan Ortmans, president of Global Entrepreneurship Network, which holds the rights to the event, said, "GEC 2017 is just one example of the Global Entrepreneurship Network commitment to helping the next generation of African entrepreneurs start and scale—rebranding the continent and permanently shifting perceptions around the world.

The US Olympic Committee is due to speak with Boston’s bid team today to re-evaluate whether they should remain the US city of choice to bid for the 2024 Olympics Games – but comments made to Host City earlier this month by the USOC’s lead advisor indicate that the choice of city is not the critical issue.

“I think the biggest challenge that any US city faces has to do with the host city agreements and being able to provide the appropriate guarantees to the IOC. It’s no secret that that’s a challenge for any US city.” USOC advisor Doug Arnot told Host City in early July.

“Being able to put together a programme that is risk-averse, that minimises and mitigates risk to the extent that it can be acceptable to fitting in state government is always going to be a challenge for any US city, not only Boston.

“Boston has responded very well to what I would call democratic pressures. They have had to take a look at their plan and make sure that it made sense from a financial perspective, from a legacy perspective – they’ve had to examine it much more carefully than a lot of bids would at this time. 

“They’ve been under the gun, it’s definitely been a challenge but they’re responding very well to the challenge.” 

Asked whether the USOC chose the right city in Boston, Arnot said: “We had four great cities to choose from. There were some very good reasons to pick Boston and there were some very good reasons that we could have gone with the other cities. We have all put our energy behind Boston and are trying to help them to continue to advance the plans.”

National Olympic Committees interested in bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games must present a city to the IOC by 15 September. 

Budapest, Hamburg, Paris and Rome have so far been announced as bidding cities, with Toronto said to be considering applying. The Russian city of Kazan has also recently been linked to a possible bid.

The Organising Committee of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games revealed the design of the Games emblem today.

The unveiling coincided with the five year countdown until the Games, and comes just days after Zaha Hadid’s ambitious design for the national stadium was rejected. 

Based on the letter ‘T’, said to be inspired by the words ‘Tokyo’, ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Team’, the emblem was designed by award-winning Japanese designer Kenjiro Sano.

British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid’s futurist national stadium design, which formed part of the bid for the Games and which was due for completion ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, was finally rejected last week amid growing concerns over the cost of building the stadium. 

"If the decision was made to save money, it should go right in line with the IOC's Agenda 2020," Tokyo 2020 President Mori said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Mori today called for stakeholders to unite under the new emblem. 

“The Tokyo 2020 Games emblem is a wonderful work of art that represents the aspirations and the ultimate goal that athletes around the world aim to achieve – taking part in the Olympic Games,” he said.

“The emblem is also a symbol behind which the whole of Japan can unite as a single integrated body and join the collective endeavours of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the national government, the Japanese Olympic Committee, the Japanese business community, as well as the Games volunteers and everyone who is assisting with the preparations for the 2020 Games. 

“Let us all unite our efforts under the new Games emblems and work together as one to ensure the realisation of a truly inspirational Olympic Games in 2020.”

IOC Vice President Coates, who is leading the IOC Coordination Commission that monitors Games progress, said “I congratulate the Tokyo 2020 team on their work and believe that this emblem will have an important influence on the future of Olympic design.”

The Brighton Centre will host the autumn 2016 conference of Liberal Democrat party members. 

The number of Liberal Democrat party members has shot up by a third, to reach more than 60,000, since the party’s heavy losses in the May 2015 general election, which left the party with just eight members of parliament. 

Brighton hosted the Liberal Democrats in 2012 and 2013 and the Labour party in 2014 and 2015. 

The governing Conservative Party is holding its 2016, 2018 and 2020 conferences in the Birmingham International Convention Centre (ICC), after Manchester Central hosted its 2015 conference. Conservative party membership is around 150,000, according to the latest estimates.

The Labour Party, which has the largest membership of more than 200,000, will hold its 2016 and 2018 conferences at ACC Liverpool.

The Scottish National Party, which now has the third largest representation in Westminster parliament after the Conservatives and Labour, is hosting its 2015 conference at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre. SNP membership has grown 300 per cent since the Independence Referendum of September 2014, when Scotland narrowly voted against independence.

Lasting four to five days, party political conferences bring a significant economic boost to the host city. According to Birmingham ICC, 14,000 delegates attended the 2014 Conservative party conference, bringing an economic benefit of GB£17m to the local economy.  

Mayors of the world’s cities are meeting at the Vatican on Tuesday and Wednesday to tackle climate change and human trafficking, in advance of the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Paris later in the year.

The mayors are discussing how cities can help solve these problems in a workshop on Tuesday on “Modern Slavery and Climate Change: the Commitment of the Cities” and a symposium on Wednesday on “Prosperity, People, and Planet: Achieving Sustainable Development in Our Cities”.

The conference, called by Pope Francis, is hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. 

Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the academy said: “We intend for the mayors to commit to promoting the empowerment of the poor and of those who live in vulnerable conditions in our cities and in our urban settlements, reducing their exposure to extreme weather events caused by radical environmental, economic and social instabilities, which create fertile ground for forced migration and human trafficking.”

Mayors attending the conference come from cities in all continents, including many Olympic bidding and hosting cities. 

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said: "I am honoured to have the opportunity to represent the City of Boston at the Vatican to discuss the vital issues of human trafficking and protecting our environment. I look forward to joining my peers from around the world to collaborate on how we can prepare our cities for the future." 

Kingston Mayor, Angela Brown Burke said: “Here in Jamaica we are constantly reminded of our contribution to and the effects of human-induced climate change as we experience hotter days and nights, less rainfall and longer periods of drought.

Oslo Mayor Stian Berger Røsland said: "When we say humans must, and can, reduce our climate gas emissions, people do not envision a good public transport system or responsible building legislation. But when cities emit 70% of the world’s CO2, clearly, we do have game-changing tools."

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said: "Modern slavery and climate disruption are two major and intertwined issues for our capital cities.  We shall face these challenges collectively, engaging the political and spiritual forces of our local communities.”

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes said: "C40 cities have the potential to reduce their annual cumulative greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion tons by 2020, which shows that together and coordinated, leaders have the power to protect the cities, our common home.”

Rome Mayor Ignazio R. Marino said: "Rome is committed to create a permanent network between cities wishing to engage in the fight against climate change thanks to good energy saving practices.” 

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said: “Pope Francis' leadership will build on the resounding unity of big cities worldwide in calling for meaningful and binding emissions targets, and for a climate agreement signed in Paris that respects the needs of our cities, our planet and the generations to come.”

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP21, will be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11, 2015.