FIFA’s executive committee met today to take the first steps towards transforming the organisation, discussing key areas of reform and setting the date for the presidential election and Extraordinary Congress at 26th February 2016 in Zurich.

This is significantly later than expected, with most observers predicting a December election. 

The meeting was chaired by outgoing FIFA President Blatter, who will not be standing for president again as “a new FIFA President will be elected”, according to a FIFA statement.

Candidates can now declare their interest in running for the office of FIFA President, with a deadline of 26 October. The Ad-hoc Electoral Committee will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, 21 July.

Domenico Scala, chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee delivered presentations on the proposed topics for reform. These include “enhanced centralized integrity checks for Executive Committee members, the introduction of term limits, higher standards of governance at all levels of football structures including confederations and member associations as well as individual disclosure of compensation.” 

FIFA is to set up a “Reforms” Task Force with a “neutral chairman”.

The “concrete and comprehensive reform proposals” will be presented at the next ordinary FIFA Executive Committee meeting in Zurich on 24 and 25 September and submitted for approval at the extraordinary Congress in February.

FIFA said its bidding procedure is being reformed in line with the guidance of the United Nations’ strategy for “Safeguarding against Corruption in Major Public Events”. Future World Cup bids will have to recognise the provisions of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, with which suppliers must comply. 

The Executive Committee also stated its firm commitment to reform and “its full cooperation with the on-going US and Swiss investigations”. 

Djimrabaye Bourngar from Chad has been appointed as the deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee.

The themes of sports governance and bidding procedures will be discussed at HOST CITY 2015 in Glasgow on 9th and 10th November.

Papau New Guineau is aiming to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026, the country’s president Vidhya Lakhan announced at the close of the Pacific Games in Port Moresby on Saturday. 

"Can Papua New Guinea host a Commonwealth Games?" he asked a cheering audience at the closing ceremony, adding “Yes, together we can!”

The Commonwealth Games is usually hosted in a single city, with only a small number of events hosted outside the city. 

Lakhan said a bid from Papua New Guinea would involve the rest of the nation more widely than in previous Commonwealth Games.

"Papua New Guinea must bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games here in Port Moresby, and at venues around the country," he said.

With the exception of Delhi in 2010 and Kuala Lumpur in 1998, Commonwealth Games have historically been hosted in the cities of the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 

The South African city of Durban is set to be awarded the 2022 Commonwealth Games. 

Under the new leadership of David Grevemberg, the Commonwealth Games Federation is engaging with cities in the wider Commonwealth that are aspiring to host the Games. 

The Pacific Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event administered by the National Olympic Committees of the islands and territories of the Pacific community. 

David Grevemberg is speaking about “How Cities and Events Innovate to Thrive” at HOST CITY 2015 on November 9th and 10th in Glasgow.

FINA’s growing partnership with Chinese domestic appliance company Midea will run to 2017 and boost aquatics events in China, the international sports federation said on Thursday.

For Midea, the partnership brings access to the Russian market through FINA’s flagship event.

“We are very excited by the increased involvement of Midea and the sponsorship activation deployed for the World Championships in Kazan,” FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu said at a press conference in Russia.

“FINA is overall very satisfied with this agreement with Midea, a strong partner for the two biggest events in the aquatic calendar, the FINA World Championships and the FINA World Swimming Championships.

“Being a Chinese partner, this association will also enhance the popularity of these two events in a key market for FINA, where our six disciplines have a long standing tradition."

FINA and Midea’s partnership for the FINA World Championships, the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) and the World Record Programme was launched in 2010 and renewed in 2014.

The 16th FINA World Championships take place in Kazan, Russia, from July 24 - August 9, 2015.

Midea is using the event to launch their brand in Russia.

General Manager of Midea Russia, Mr. Alexey Obukhov, said: “Midea is certainly one of the biggest producers in the world, and while our launching product range here today appears modest in comparison to what we sell in other markets, today’s conference is also to give everyone a clear idea about the future for Midea in the Russian market.”

Midea, a Forbes 500 company headquartered in China, is a leader in developing and manufacturing domestic appliances. As well as Russia, the company has its sights on Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Canada, the US, Egypt, India, Russia, Belarus and Southeast Asian countries for future development.

The Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES) has launched its Industry Partner Program with a partnership with EY (Ernst & Young). Representing the category “Assurance, Tax and Legal”, EY will use its expertise to support AGES in developing standards, procedures and any other appropriate tools to support the members of AGES when developing their business.

“Our members often need to assess business opportunities outside their core markets quickly and comprehensively before they enter into any commitments,” said Daniel Cordey, chairman of AGES.

“It is key to know exactly the import and export regulations or the tax implications when delivering works at an event in a new country, so we are pleased to get the expertise of EY to elaborate the necessary tools.”

EY has already supported AGES members. Wim Kurvers, partner at EY said “In recent years, sustainability has become one of the most important criteria in organizing large events. This has led to a significant increase in the use of temporary infrastructures.

“We see our partnership with AGES as a unique opportunity to further develop this fast growing industry and thus help building a better working world.”

AGES’ Industry Partner Program (IPP) is created for leading industrial companies who are directly connected with the business of its members and associate members and are willing to support the objectives of AGES in specific thematic categories.

Through knowledge transfer and active involvement by the partners, new standards and policies will be established for the event suppliers industry.

The IPP has identified 5 categories and AGES is now seeking an industry Partner for each of these categories.

The Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES) is a not-for-profit organisation based in Switzerland which has been formed to become the label for quality and reliability for temporary infrastructure works for major events.

The IOC’s new approach to issuing broadcasting rights in Europe will reduce free-to-air obligations to a minimum, according to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The IOC on Tuesday sold the broadcasting rights for the Olympic Games from 2018 to 2024 to Eurosport, through a competitive tendering process in which the EBU also bid.

“The EBU submitted a serious bid for the European television rights for the Olympic Games on behalf of its Members which reflected the free-to-air value of future events taking place mainly in the Asia Pacific region and thus in less attractive time zones,” the EBU said in a statement sent to HOST CITY.

“We understand that Discovery, together with Eurosport submitted a successful proposal to the IOC shaped by their strategic objective to newly position themselves in Europe. 

“This development illustrates the shift in the IOC’s previous positioning of the Olympic Games as a free-to-air event that reached all of the European television audience – to a pay and other platforms event with minimum free-to-air obligations. 

“Nevertheless, we congratulate Discovery/Eurosport on its successful bid – particularly as Eurosport was initially established within the membership of the EBU.”

Under the agreement, Eurosport is committed to providing 200 hours of the Summer Olympic Games and 100 hours of Winter Olympic Games to free-to-air broadcasters.

“We are indeed concerned for audiences in our Members' countries not getting full access to all the Olympic sports at the Games, but we understand the 200 hours that must be free-to-air is the minimum set by the IOC,” an EBU spokesperson told HOST CITY. 

National broadcasters will have to buy additional broadcasting rights to the Olympic Games from Eurosport.

The EBU, with 73 members in 56 countries, describes itself as the world’s most influential broadcasting union that negotiates on behalf of and advocates for the interests of public broadcasters across Europe and beyond.

In a historic deal valued at EUR 1.3bn, Discovery, the owner of Eurosport, has been awarded the rights to broadcast the Olympic Games from 2018 to 2024 across all media platforms in all European countries, excluding Russia.

The rights, which were issued after a competitive tender process, extend to the development of the IOC’s planned Olympic TV Channel.

“This is a historic partnership, innovative and ground-breaking on a number of fronts,” David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications told journalists in a press conference. 

“We can reach more than 700m people across Europe. This agreement will bring the Olympic Games to more viewers on more screens than ever before.” 

According to IOC President Thomas Bach, a major deal-breaker was the broadcaster’s ability to reach young people via digital platforms.

“It is the first time one single media company has acquired all the rights across Europe,” said president Bach.

“This agreement concerns all the different platforms, so Discovery is the real gatekeeper for all these rights.

“This agreement allows us, in a very special and particular way, to address youth on the platforms they use. We can reach out to them directly through these platforms. 

“It will go from the telephones, over digital channels and many more. This is what made it very attractive for the IOC.”

Discovery is confident it will recoup the heavy price tag over time.

“This investment is consistent with our prudent approach to investing in content,” said Zaslav. 

“The EUR 1.3bn purchase price, to be phased in over time, will include the rights to four Olympic Games across all platforms, including the Olympic archives, and aligns with our strategy of acquiring world class IP to the Discovery Company.  

“And over the term of the contract, we expect the Olympic Games to be cash flow positive.”

The deal gives Discovery the exclusive rights to broadcast the most popular entertainment property in the world.

“There is no more exciting property than the Olympic Games,” said Zaslav. 

“The live, must-have and universal appeal of the Olympic Games make it unique and singular as a programming event. 

“The global reach, the fan engagement, the thrilling stories, the volume of content, the integrity of the brand – there is no rival in sheer global or mass appeal.

“Our ability to develop and follow the same characters and athletes all year, combined with access and rights to the Olympic archives, makes possible for the first time a programming strategy that can burn the Olympic flame with stories and content 365 days a year.”

The agreement includes cooperation on the IOC’s Olympic Channel, which is planned as part of the IOC’s “Olympic Agenda 2020” process of reform. 

“We are very happy that as part of the agreement we will cooperate with regard to the Olympic channel, which will be another tool to reach out to youth and to keep the awareness about Olympic sport and the Olympic values high throughout the year,” said Bach.

A launch date has not yet been set for the Olympic Channel. Timo Lumme, Managing Director, IOC Television and Marketing Services said, “This is not about speed, it is about quality and therefore we have not given a deadline for the start of the Olympic Channel.

“But today, this another milestone in the development of the Olympic channel, because with this agreement we can look forward to having the Olympic channel extended to other platforms and having a roll-out to ensure the whole continent.”

Eurosport already has agreements in place with many Olympic sports federations.

“As we look at the assets that we have, we have a real advantage as we sit down with the IOC to build the Olympic Channel,” said Zaslav.

“Almost half of what’s on Eurosport are Olympic sports that we have rights to for the next several years already.”

The agreement requires Discovery to broadcasting a minimum of 200 hours of the Olympic Games and 100 hours of the Olympic Winter Games on free-to-air television during the Games period, but it will sub-license a portion of the rights in many markets across Europe. 

“The flexibility to sublicense rights across territories will open up strategic partnership opportunities with a wide range of broadcasters and distributors on how best to exploit these and bring more coverage to more people on more platforms throughout the European continent,” said Zaslav.

This aspect of the deal is somewhat controversial as it introduces a middleman between the IOC and domestic broadcasters, who are seen to have played a crucial role in extending the reach of the Olympic Games.

“Of course they [European national broadcasters] have played a significant role in spreading and broadcasting the Games,” said Bach. 

“But Eurosport has also contributed to this in the past, so it is not the public broadcasters alone.”

The domestic broadcasters in Great Britain and France will retain the rights they have already been allocated to broadcast the 2018 and 2020 Games. 

“In Great Britain, you have the situation that the BBC has the rights for 2020 so there is ample time before 2022 and 2024 to have discussions with Discovery about their cooperation,” said Bach. 

“So this is not excluding anybody, but it is showing a new and broader approach to Olympic broadcasting by incorporating the Olympic Channel in a very intelligent and effective way and by offering the great experience of Discovery and Eurosport to work on their multiple platforms.”

Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC Executive Board Member and delegate IOC Member for European broadcast rights said: “Discovery and Eurosport will ensure the exposure of the Olympic Games through their own TV channels and media platforms, and, where relevant, by reaching sublicensing partnerships with other broadcasters in the various territories.”

The European Capitals of Culture programme has grown immeasurably since its launch in 1985. 

“We started modestly 30 years ago and now we are typically having cities spend up to EUR 70-100m for a yearly programme being a European Capital of Culture,” says Karel Bartak, Head of the Creative Europe Coordination Unit at DG Education and Culture, European Commission.

“So it is very prestigious from the point of view that there is a huge interest in every country.”

Initiated by Greek culture minister Melina Mercouri and originally called “European City of Culture”, the programme was renamed “European Capitals of Culture” in 1999. Two hosts are now appointed each year, enabling a wider range of destinations to benefit. 

“In the past most of the bidding and winning cities were capital or very big cities, but now many of these have already been European Capitals of Culture, so now we are seeing smaller cities bidding and it brings a new and very interesting edge”.

“If you have a smaller place of 100-200,000 inhabitants, the impact is much, much bigger and also much more visible for the city's inhabitants than if you have a European Capital of Culture in say Paris or Athens.”

In 2013 the medium-sized Slovakian city of Kosice was a European Capital of Culture. 

“Everyone who comes from there says the city has been changed beyond recognition by the year, and it has really become a cultural hub including Ukraine, Hungary, Poland and so on,” says Bartak.

“In Umea last year in Sweden it was similar case; and this year the town of Mons in Belgium, which has only 80,000 inhabitants, is having a huge impact and the whole country is celebrating.”

Mons is joined by Pilsen in the Czech Republic as a European Capital of Culture for 2015.

How to bid

The bidding procedure is based on a “Decision” of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, which is the legal basis for the selection and monitoring processes.

“This legal basis determines which countries are concerned with European Capital of Culture for the next eighteen years, so we all know well in advance which countries are going to be concerned,” says Bartak.

The country concerned typically issues a call for applications six years in advance of the title year. Interested candidates submit a bid book of 80-100 pages and present it to a panel that pre-selects a shortlist of candidates. 

The pre-selected candidates then have another seven to eight months to prepare the final bid. 

The panel is now composed of 10 members who are selected by European Commission, Parliament, Council and Committee of the Regions, plus two selected by the governments of bidding country. This international jury of experts is renewed by a third every year. 

The process is democratic. “The chairperson, who is always chosen by the jury from among its members, is always trying to have a consensus. But if there is no consensus then there is a vote,” says Bartak. 

“It is always tense as the responsibility is huge, cities investing a lot of energy, hope and financial resources in their bid.”

Once selected, the host cities have four years to prepare their programme for the year. During this phase, the Commission convenes monitoring meetings during which the panel give cities advice and guidance and take stock of their preparations.

How are the bids evaluated?

The international jury judges the bid on criteria specified in the Decision of the European Union. 

One of these criteria is the European dimension of the programme: how it brings to the fore the cultural diversity in Europe and our common cultural features, how it leads to new or reinforced cultural partnerships and cooperation at EU level. Another is the participation of the citizens and of the various cultural, social and economic stakeholders of the city in the design and implementation of the yearly programme. The jury also looks at sustainability and legacy issues as the project must be embedded into the longer term cultural development strategy of the city.

“They make sure that once the year is over the overall level of cultural life and the investment in culture has long lasting effect, and the level of cultural life stays much higher than it was before the year,” says Bartak.

“Besides that, the jury is looking into the financial sustainability – the composition of the package of money that is available. We are always keen on having a good mix between private and public funding and so on.”

The financial contribution of the European Commission is relatively small.

“The Melina Mercouri prize which is given to each city which has won the title is 1.5m Euros, so it is just a kind of symbolic contribution; otherwise the city has to find the budget. Many hosting cities however use the money coming from the EU Structural Funds.”

Future hosts

The selection process for 2020 European Capitals of Culture is now underway. Ireland and Croatia are currently running their competitions for 2020 and the bidding process is set to change slightly. 

“The current situation is that the Commission is monitoring the process, but is not at all interfering in it. This is run by the independent panel, the jury. Until now, the national governments and then the institutions of the EU (European Parliament, Commission and Council) would then take on board the recommendation of the jury,” says Bartak.

“As of the 2020 titles, this will be done differently; the jury will recommend the city to the government concerned, so the institutions of the European Union will be left out of the process – to make it simpler and less bureaucratic.”

The pre-selection process in Croatia was completed in May 2015. “We had nine cities competing and four were preselected. The recommendation for the final selection will happen in January of next year.” 

By October, it will be clear which cities in Ireland are competing to host the 2020 European Capital of Culture. “I think all bidding cities have a chance. Each application is judged on its merits,” says Bartak.

Creating a network of cities

There is a great opportunity for the European Commission and its network of European Capitals of Culture to share experiences.

“As previous title-holders, Mons and Pilsen have organised a gathering of previous and future European Capitals of Culture, which was an interesting moment of brainstorming and bringing together their experiences and stories of preparation and implementation.

“We feel that with our thirty years of experience, we have more and more knowledge and advice to give and, with the lessons learned it becomes easier for cities to avoid mistakes made in the past.”

The European Commission will discuss these issues and opportunities in greater detail at HOST CITY 2015 on 9th and 10th November in Glasgow.

To find out more about the bidding process for European Capital of Culture visit http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/actions/documents/ecoc-candidates-guide_en.pdf or register to attend HOST CITY 2015

Paris officially launched its long anticipated bid for the 2024 Games on Tuesday, with a message of strong backing from the state and the public. 

The leaders of the bid also said a referendum was unlikely to be required. 

In its bid to host the Games, Paris is competing against Boston and Hamburg, which both face public referendums in order to progress their bids, as well as Rome and a likely bid from Budapest and other potential contenders including Baku and Doha.

“We are all very much motivated and enthusiastic to be able to achieve unanimity in this ambition to make Paris an Olympic and Paralympic city in 2024,” said bid committee chairman Bernard Lapasset.

“Bidding for the Games is a unique and exciting project for a country. This is an ambitious project that goes beyond sport, as its reach is global and significant impact at all levels and for the whole country.

“As we move forward with our bid, it is very pleasing to see today that we already have the full support of the city, regional and national governments as well as the CNOSF and the French sports movement – it is wonderful to also receive significant public support and real backing from our athletes.”

Lapasset added that the bid would “excite, unite and enthuse the people of Paris, our entire nation and lovers of Olympic and Paralympic sport all over the world.”

Asked by Le Monde after the launch if there would be a referendum on the bid, Lapasset said “I don’t think there will be one.”

This position was backed up by Etienne Thobois, chief executive of Paris 2024 bid committee who told media: “As of today there is no plan for a referendum at this stage.”

Lapasset and Thobois reportedly both stressed that public consultation will be crucial as the bid progresses. 

The bid committee drew attention to France’s current form in hosting major sports events, which includes the World Rowing Championships and the Basketball European Championships in 2015, EURO 2016, the World Handball Championships in 2017 and the Ryder Cup in 2018.

2024 marks the centenary of the last and only time Paris has hosted the Olympic Games, in 1924.  The city unsuccessfully bid for the Games in 1992, 2008 and 2012. 

But Thobois said “We are looking forward, we are not looking backwards… we are into Agenda 2020, not Agenda 1920.”

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said Paris was “looking forward to an exciting and bold future whilst remaining true to its rich sporting and cultural traditions.

“We aim to highlight the unity and the solidarity of a cosmopolitan city, which I am sure will be one of the key strengths to win.”

The host city of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be elected by IOC members in a secret ballot at the body’s 130th Session in the Peruvian capital of Lima in September 2017.

Climbing, surfing and roller sports are among eight sports left in contention to feature in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has shortlisted the following IOC-recognised International Federations (IFs) proposing events to be considered for inclusion in the Games: World Baseball Softball Confederation; World Bowling; World Karate Federation; International Roller Sports Federation; International Federation of Sport Climbing; World Squash Federation; International Surfing Association; and the International Wushu Federation.

The organising committee will propose one or more of events proposed by these eight federations. The primary selection criteria are that the additional events must “serve as a driving force to promote the Olympic Movement and its values, with a focus on youth appeal” and “add value to the Games by engaging the Japanese population and new audiences worldwide, reflecting the Tokyo 2020 Games vision.”

The following sports are no longer in contention: air sports; American football; billiards; bowls; bridge; chess; dancesport; floorball; flying disc; korfball; netball; orienteering; polo; racquetball; sumo; tug war; underwater sports; waterski and wakeboard.

In the next phase of the process, the shortlisted federations are invited to submit further details by 22 July 2015. The organising committee will interview the federations in Tokyo on 7-8 August 2015 before make a decision on which event(s) to propose to the IOC in September 2015. 

Since the IOC’s approval of Olympic Agenda 2020 last December, hosts of the Games are able to propose one or more events to add to the IOC’s sports programme.

The final decision will be made at the 129th IOC Session in Rio in August 2016.

Glasgow City Council on Tuesday revealed plans to provide quality volunteering opportunities, with demand for opportunities is growing in the wake of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The council says its new volunteering policy is “designed to create new volunteering opportunities, recognise the contribution that volunteers make to the city and the added value they bring to the council family”.

Volunteering opportunities are currently encouraged through services provided by the council and associated organisations, including mentoring and befriending, tutoring, sports coaching, outdoor activity and assisting with events. 

But the council has discovered that Glasgow’s residents are increasingly seeking volunteering opportunities to allow them to contribute to their community, as a means of social engagement and to increase their experience and employability.

The volunteer effort was one of the most successful elements of the acclaimed Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. More than 1200 Host City Volunteers and 15,000 Clydesiders were praised for their efforts as well as the cast ceremony volunteers, Queen’s Baton Relay batonbearers and event teams giving up their time and putting in the effort to help deliver the  best ever Games. 

This has encouraged many people to seek out new volunteering opportunities, but there is currently a gap between the number of people who want to volunteer and the number of quality opportunities being advertised.

“We have seen a significant increase in public awareness and interest in volunteering in Glasgow, but only a moderate growth in opportunities in which people can get involved,” said David Maxwell, Operation Manager at Volunteer Glasgow.

"The city’s partners including the council, Glasgow Life and Volunteer Glasgow, are challenging themselves and other organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors to take the chance of benefiting communities by enabling more people to donate their time, skills and energy in different and inventive ways.”

The council says it hopes to encourage volunteers to become more involved in their local communities and contribute to the design and delivery of services in their area to better meet the needs of the local community.

Special effort will be made to recruit volunteers from all backgrounds and be more inclusive – making sure those not usually able to access advertised opportunities will be able to do so. Guidance is expected to be issued on encouraging young people under 16 and asylum seekers to volunteer. 

Councillor Archie Graham, Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council said: “We want to foster a mutually beneficial relationship with volunteers, where they can bring new skills and perspective to us while fulfilling their volunteering ambitions.

“This new policy is certainly not about replacing staff with volunteers. These new opportunities will be things that wouldn’t ordinarily have been undertaken if it weren’t for volunteers.

“It’s about recognising that there is a demand from people who want to volunteer for a whole host of reasons and about helping to fill that gap to benefit the individuals, our local communities and society as a whole.

“The added bonus is that our organisation will also benefit from the wealth and breadth of views, skills and experience that the volunteers will bring with them.”

The announcement was made after Volunteer Glasgow held its first Alistair Malloy Inspire Awards in the City Chambers on Monday night and national Volunteers’ Week drew to a close.

The Inspire Award nominees demonstrate the impact of volunteering in health and social care, housing and homelessness, refugee integration, sport and events, the environment, employability and community development.