The Asian Football Confederation and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) on Friday signed a wide-ranging partnership agreement to strengthen safety and security in Asian football.

The agreement will strengthen existing safety and security regulations, develop training programmes and help assess safety and security within the AFC Member Associations.

The partnership agreement was signed by the presidents of the two organisations after the AFC Congress in Bahrain. 

“Safety and security is a top priority for the AFC, a basic requirement for any football match to take place. The AFC does everything within its powers to protect players, officials, coaches and spectators across Asia,” said Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who was reelected as AFC president on Thursday.

“The ICSS is at the forefront of safeguarding sport and this agreement is a significant step forward in enhancing safety and security practices within the AFC and our Member Associations.”

ICSS president Mohammed Hanzab said: “As sport and major events continue to increase in size and complexity, I would encourage other football associations and confederations to show the same proactive leadership as the AFC in sport safety and security to confront the new threats that sport now faces.

“This partnership with the AFC represents a significant milestone for the ICSS and builds on our growing portfolio with various sports organisations and other major events rights-holders around the world.

“As one of the fastest growing and most diverse football regions in the world, Asia is an important platform for the ICSS to showcase our expertise, as well as providing us with a unique opportunity to work on some of the world’s largest major sport events and venues.”

As part of the agreement, the ICSS and AFC will develop safety and security regulations within the framework of FIFA international guidelines. 

The partners will also deliver training programmes educate security officers within AFC Member Associations, including ‘Train the Trainer’ programmes.

They will also develop key requirements for the security design of sport infrastructure, security operations for clubs and international matches and tournaments taking place in AFC Member Associations

The growth of a professional network of security personnel will be supported, to ensure the appointment of qualified staff for clubs, international matches and tournaments.

Current safety and security documentation and reporting tools for clubs, international matches and tournaments taking place within the AFC will be reviewed.

ICSS will also provide safety and security assessments in collaboration with or on behalf of the AFC.

HOST CITY 2015, which aims to become the biggest EU-based conference and exhibition for cities, cross sector event owners and event suppliers, is to take place in Glasgow on the 9th and 10th of November.

The first HOST CITY, held in London in 2014, brought world class speakers and delegates from IOC, FIFA, World Expo, MOBO, ITU (Triathlon), FIS (Skiing) and numerous cities. It was acclaimed as the optimal environment for cities and events owners to network with and learn from peers in the business of bidding for and hosting cross sector events.

HOST CITY 2015 will build on this unique dialogue between cities and rights holders of sporting, cultural and business events by creating a much larger platform.

A new platform for Cities, Event Owners and Suppliers to work together

Calls have been intensifying for a one-stop event where city representatives, destination marketers, event owners and suppliers can all meet.

HOST CITY 2015 addresses this need and Glasgow is the perfect destination for enabling the event to fulfil its ambition of becoming the largest conference and exhibition of cities and cross-sector events.

Matthew Astill, CEO of Cavendish Group, which owns HOST CITY, said: “In an increasingly competitive global market, a growing number of cities are hosting a wider range of events to attract a greater share of global trade, talent, tourism, and investment.

“HOST CITY 2015 provides the platform for cities, event owners and suppliers to work together to bid for and host the greatest range of events at any single gathering in the EU. We are especially delighted to commit to HOST CITY growing up in Glasgow over the next three to five years.”

Sir Craig Reedie, Vice President of the International Olympic Committee and keynote speaker at HOST CITY in 2014 said: “I am pleased to see that the HOST CITY 2015 will be coming to Glasgow, building a platform for the growing marketplace of cities staging many different types of events. I enjoyed speaking at the inaugural 2014 conference and I look forward to doing so again in Glasgow.” 

A top events destination

HOST CITY 2015 will take place at the University of Strathclyde’s new state-of-the-art Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) in the heart of Glasgow. 

Scott Taylor, chief executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau said: “We are delighted that HOST CITY 2015 will be held in Glasgow. 

“Cities need a forum where they can meet the owners of all kinds of events and plan their future hosting strategies. The market for sports, cultural and business events is growing at a rapid rate and we anticipate that HOST CITY will develop into a major conference and exhibition for cities and cross-platform events.

“Glasgow is one of the world’s top 10 sporting cities with a phenomenally diverse, annual cultural calendar and we’ve been named the UK’s Best Convention Bureau for the past nine years – a reputation that we’ve built through a strategy of attracting the best international events and conferences, continued investment in state-of-the-art facilities, the launch of a dedicated Major Events Charter and a powerful city brand.”

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “We are delighted HOST CITY 2015 is set to take place in Glasgow, this November. Scotland, and indeed Glasgow has a strong track record and international reputation as the perfect stage for major events and I have no doubt this prestigious event will once again place Scotland on the map as a pre-eminent destination for major cultural, business and sporting events.”

What's it about?

The conference and exhibition will focus on how cities and rights holders can work together to bid for and host sporting, cultural and business events. These range from mega events such as the Olympic Games and World Expos to major business, scientific and cultural events. 

HOST CITY 2015 is set to include VIP speakers from event owners: IOC, CGF, FIFA, sports federations, BIE, MTV, EU Capital of Culture, Rock in Rio, major scientific congresses; city event leaders from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Japan, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, USA and many more.

Speakers who have confirmed their intention to speak include: Dimitri Kerkentzes, Chief of Staff, Bureau International des Expositions (World Expos); Tessa Jowell, Former Secretary of State, Olympics, UK; Antonio Arimany Fernandez, Director General, International Triathlon Union; Louise Martin, Honorary Secretary, Commonwealth Games Federation; Alexander Koch, Corporate Communications Manager, FIFA.

Rights holders will announce plans for their events and share insights on bidding for and hosting their properties. Cities will share their experiences of building a portfolio of sports, business and cultural events that attract investment and benefit society. 

With a mix of panel discussions, keynote addresses and case studies focussed on mega events, transport, security, business and cultural events, HOST CITY 2015 highlights the issues and opportunities facing everyone in the business of city events.

Press coverage of HOST CITY Bid to Win 2014 included: The Telegraph, Daily Mail, O Globo, Bloomberg, Associated Press, ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, Huffington Post, Star Africa, Yahoo, China Sports, Indian Express, Yomiuri Shimbun, Sports Illustrated, Washington Times, Kyiv Post, La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Omnisports, MSN, beIN Sports, Eurosport, Fox Sports.

Media Partners for HOST CITY 2015 include Sportcal; SportsPro; Fcbusiness.co.uk; iSportConnect; Around The Rings and TheFootballStadiums.com.

Who Should Attend?

•City representatives, destination marketing organisations, national sports and event bureaus;

•Owners of all large-scale events and exhibitions (sports, business, science and culture);

•Suppliers of infrastructure, technology and services for events.

Cavendish Group looks forward to welcoming you to HOST CITY 2015 in Glasgow on the 9th and 10th of November, 2015.

For more information visit www.bidtowin-hostcity.net 

Book your place and discuss speaking, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities with Ben Avison at +44 (0) 7876 682072 or ben.avison@hostcity.net

European Athletics, the rights holder for events including the biennial European Athletics Championship, has created a new company to market its activities, through a joint venture with Tridem Sports.

European Athletics Marketing, based in Switzerland, will act as a service company for commercial strategies and sales activities, including sponsor account management and rights delivery.

Its first priority will be to develop the sponsorship programmes of European Athletics’ major events and work with local organising committees to optimise event revenues.

The company will also actively look for partnerships for European Athletics’ other activities and programmes, including the European Athletics Convention, Young Leaders programme and a new “Running for All” initiative to position European Athletics as the natural authority for running on the continent.

The new company is a joint venture with Swiss-based sports marketing agency Tridem Sports. European Athletics is the main shareholder of the new company and will maintain ownership and control of its commercial properties.

“We are confident that this new company will help us create additional values and revenues from our events and activities,” said European Athletics president Svein Arne Hansen.

“Tridem brings to the table expertise and know-how in sales, marketing and event implementation, and has the experience in networking and developing relationships with business companies.”

Tridem founder and CEO Christian Pirzer said, “We are pleased about this new joint venture with European Athletics, our first big project outside of winter sports. It will help to develop the commercial programme of athletics in Europe. It is our second joint-venture company with a major Olympic sport after the successful implementation six years ago of FIS Marketing AG with the International Ski Federation.”

The 2016 European Athletics Championships takes place in Amsterdam from 6 to 10 July and tickets are now on sale. 

The 2018 European Athletics Championships will take place in Berlin to coincide with swimming, cycling, rowing and triathlon events in Glasgow as part of the 2018 European Sports Championships.

2014 was a momentous year for Scotland and major events were at the heart of the excitement. The great success of the “best ever” Commonwealth Games in 2014 was followed by an acclaimed Ryder Cup.

“We’ve been putting Scotland forward as the perfect stage for events for a number of years,” Paul Bush OBE, chief operating officer of EventScotland told HOST CITY magazine. “What came out of last year is that it was a step change for us.”

The successes of 2014 have provided a platform for future hosting successes, building on proven strengths that EventScotland refers to as the “four Cs”: capacity, capability, credibility and confidence.

“Our capacity, in terms of number of volunteers, transport, infrastructure and accommodation, is now recognised around the world,” says Bush. “As for capability, all the events were delivered as the best ever or recognised some of the best.

“Credibility is about reputation; the experience of people coming to our events was high. And the feedback we had from the local population was extremely positive – they didn’t see the events as an impediment; they saw them as something to be proud of. 

“And that’s given us the confidence to look bigger and better in the future. The international federations now have great confidence in bringing their events back to Scotland this year.”

Glasgow is hosting the IPC Swimming World Championships and the World Gymnastics Championships in 2015. 

Outside the cities, Scotland is hosting seven golf tournaments back to back this year. The Open Championships takes place in St. Andrews this year while the Women’s British Open takes place in Turnberry in Ayrshire.

The World Orienteering Championships, which has record number of entries already this year, takes place in Speyside, the countryside around Aberdeenshire.

And the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is taking place in Fort William again in what has become an annual Scottish fixture. 

“We’re really cognisant of the fact that we’ve got to spread the benefit as much as we can across the country,” says Bush.

“That’s not always possible because the facilities and the infrastructure are often the driver, but using our natural landscape is really important to us. 

The European Eventing Championships, the final qualifying event for Rio 2016, is in the tiny village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire. “The infrastructure that will be needed to put up around that will be huge, and that will really showcase the landscape of that area.”

The 2014 Ryder Cup was hosted on a greenfield site at Gleneagles. Despite the influx of 50,000 people a day, there were no problems in getting people to and from the event – thanks to a transport infrastructure group set up by the Scottish government to look after major events. Initially set up for the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, this group has since maintained its position within Transport Scotland to ensure the smooth operation of all major events. 

Beyond sport

Major cultural events are also an invaluable part of Scotland’s hosting portfolio. Glasgow was the European City of Culture in 1990, hosted the MOBOs in 2009, 2011 and 2013, the MTV Awards in 2014 and is hosting the Turner Prize in 2015. 

“Glasgow is recognised as one of the cultural gems of Europe; it has a huge history and heritage within contemporary arts,” says Bush, pointing out that three of the last five Turner Prize winners were educated at the Glasgow School of Art. 

“The MTV Awards got to a totally different demographic in terms of young people. MTV communicates through social media –their ticket sales for Glasgow were activated through Facebook, they don’t rely on traditional routes at all.”

Scotland nurtures its own cultural events that are incredibly valuable to the economy. The Edinburgh Festivals bring in around £262m each year, while Hogmanay alone brings in over £30m each year. 

“We’ve got some great gems in the cultural portfolio that we want to sustain and grow,” says Bush.

Business events are also an increasingly important feature of Scotland’s event strategy. “Meetings, corporate events, incentives, associations – these have now become part of our portfolio and we are looking to see how the synergies work between these different types of events,” says Bush.

Mass participation is another area where Scotland is keen to grow and diversify. Bush cites the London Prudential Ride and Melbourne’s Ride the Night, which attracted a quarter of a million people into the city centre between dusk and dawn, as examples. 

“We are looking at pressing different buttons, accepting the fact that we are not going to get the Ryder Cup or the Commonwealth Games every year, or even every lifetime. “The big thing for us is to ensure that people who come to events become repeat visitors in the future. 

“Last year, most people’s perceptions of Glasgow were changed and they realised what a great city it was to come to. A lot of cities have stigmas attached to them. But people thought this is a great city, it’s a really fun place to come to and the people are really welcoming.”

How to become a world class host

So, how can other cities and countries around the world follow this example build themselves into world-leading event destinations?

“The most important thing is you’ve got to have a very clear strategy and you’ve got to stick to that. It’s quite easy to buy events, as certain places in the world have successfully achieved. But you’ve got to work out your USPs, your strategy and your vision.

“You’ve got to invest in good people and you’ve got to give those people the time, the ability and the confidence. In Scotland we started this in 2001 – that’s 14 years ago. “But probably the most important thing in terms of long term success is your ability to deliver and the reputation that comes from that.” 

International conventions for the event hosting industry are precious few, but make the most of these, says Bush. “They are really important because they provide that ideal opportunity to get everybody in one place in the world to rekindle those relationships.”

This interview was first published in the Winter 2014/15 Issue of HOST CITY magazine. Since then, Glasgow has been awarded the hosting rights to the new 2018 European Sports Championship.

Durban, the only city bidding for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, is being subjected to full scrutiny as the Evaluation Commission conducts a full technical assessment of the bid this week. 

“We want to show the rest of the world that even the cities of South Africa can stand side by side with the great cities of the world,” said Gideon Sam, president of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC).

“We will see this as an African dream and the coming together of Africa.” 

Over four days this week, the Evaluation Commission and Bid Committee will visit several venues, analyse and learn more about the technical aspects of the bid and meet with the government and city partners essential to delivering the Games.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Evaluation Commission is chaired by CGF honorary secretary Louise Martin CBE, who also chaired Glasgow’s bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. 

“As a Commonwealth Sports Movement, we cannot fail to be excited by the prospect of a first Commonwealth Games in Africa, and warmly welcome Durban and South Africa’s bid and congratulate the Durban Bid Team and their local and national partners for all the hard work they have put in so far,” she said.

“This Evaluation Commission, however, has a very important job to do – to analyse and gain a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of the bid and hear firsthand the plans and strategies that will be put in place to deliver an inspiring and inclusive Games for everyone in seven years time. To borrow the bid team’s slogan, we are Ready to be Inspired.”

Addressing the Bid Committee at the start of the visit, she said “Our intention is to work with you and support you, to evaluate the current developments and help optimise them in partnership and in preparation for their endorsement by the CGF General Assembly in September.”

She added that the Commission intends this week “to be the beginning of a candid, collaborative and constructive partnership”. 

Martin is joined on the Commission by David Grevemberg, CGF chief executive; Andrew Ryan, executive director, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF); Ian Hooper, director of sport and special projects, Glasgow Life; and Maxwell de Silva, secretary general, Sri Lankan Commonwealth Games Association and National Olympic Committee.

“We will be working with the Evaluation Commission to clarify and strengthen the city’s bid,” said Mark Alexander, Chairman of the Durban Bid Committee on Monday.

“We are expecting robust discussion and debate from the Evaluation Commission, but we are confident that our bid is well-grounded, sustainable and will stand up to the most vigorous scrutiny.” 

Bid Committee CEO Tubby Reddy added: “There is no doubt that we have put up a quality bid which will far exceed the expectations of the CGF. We have been meticulous and sensitive to all the demands from the City as well as from the CGF, and we believe that Durban has produced a world-class bid.

“Our belief in bringing the Games to Africa remains firm and very optimistic.”

Durban’s bid will be voted on by all 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth Games Federation membership at their General Assembly on 2 September 2015. 

The Evaluation Commission will prepare a Bid Evaluation Report to present to the CGF membership no later than one month before the General Assembly.

Transformation 2022 in Africa

On the way to Durban, CGF chief executive David Grevemberg visited the IOC’s Sport for Hope Centre in Lusaka, Zambia to meet with 18 Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) from African nations as part of a Commonwealth-wide consultation with the CGF membership on Transformation 2022, the Commonwealth Sports Movement’s ambitious agenda for growth and innovation.

“Transformation 2022 aims to place athletes, and the transformational impact of their achievements and performances on citizens and communities, at the heart of the Federation’s vision. And there is no better place to have such powerful discussions than in the incredible sporting continent of Africa,” said David Grevemberg in Lusaka.

“This is a defining moment for our African colleagues, as they unite to support the ambitions of Durban and South Africa in their bid to host an inclusive and inspiring Commonwealth Games in 2022. It is also a defining moment for the Commonwealth Sports Movement, as we plan ambitiously for the future and develop and deliver Transformation 2022 in partnership with our members”.

Welcoming the delegation, Zambia’s Honourable Minister of Youth and Sport, Hon Vincent Mwale MP, said: “African Commonwealth Games Associations have a vital role to play in achieving the Commonwealth Games Federation’s Strategic plan for 2022. 

“The CGF provides a unique arrangement bringing diverse nations together for a common cause - sport. The Commonwealth Movement embraces unity and humanity, impacting citizens and communities across our region and this is critical to foster mutual collaboration and prosperity through sport.”

St James’ Park stadium in Newcastle, UK, has unveiled its newly refurbished Sir Bobby Robson Suite, designed and decorated in tribute to the late England and Newcastle United manager.

The Sir Bobby Robson Suite holds up to 80 guests and is situated on level 3 of the stadium.

“Sir Bobby Robson held a very special place in the hearts, not just of Newcastle United supporters, but of football fans the world over and this suite is a lovely and lasting tribute to him,” said Samantha Doyle, sales and marketing manager for Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events, which manages conferencing and events at St James’ Park.

Along with the Sir Bobby Robson suite, St James’ Park has one of the biggest banqueting suites in the north east of England, capable of holding up to 1000 guests. Executive boxes with views of the pitch are also available for smaller meetings.

The walls of the suite, which have been lined with images of Sir Bobby from his playing days and managerial career at clubs such as Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, Ipswich Town, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto, Barcelona, England and Newcastle United.

St James' Park is the second biggest sports ground in England outside London. Home to Newcastle United Football Club since 1892, the stadium has also hosted international and 2012 Olympic football, as well as concerts from the likes of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. 

In Ocotber, St. James Park is hosting three matches involving New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, Samoa and Tonga during Rugby World Cup 2015.

The International Committee on Thursday launched a Register of Consultants representing cities bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games. 

The register was one of the recommendations of Olympic Agenda  2020, the “strategic roadmap for the Olympic Movement” initiated by IOC president Thomas Bach and unanimously approved by IOC members last year. 

The news was welcomed by Mike Lee OBE, chairman of Vero Communications, who has been involved in a number of successful Olympic bids including London 2012, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018 and Buenos Aires 2018. 

“I think the idea of a register and codes of ethics and conduct are a very good way forward; we are very pleased to see that.” he told HOST CITY. 

“Like others, we will be making an application to be on that register and I think it’s a healthy development and it’s something which the business in sport in general should embrace. 

“Certainly you see it in other walks of life – it’s been around in the public affairs industry in many countries, so it’s a good thing and all part of increasing the opening and transparency of the bidding process."

According to the IOC, all consultants wishing to participate in or support a candidature for the Olympic Games must be entered in the IOC’s Register of Consultants list for the city concerned.

Entry in the Register is a prerequisite for providing any service and/or signing any service contract by the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and/or the city.

The Register and Rules of Conduct form part of Olympic Agenda 2020’s Recommendation 3, which aims to reduce the cost of bidding for the Olympic Games, stating: “The IOC to create and monitor a register of consultants/lobbyists eligible to work for a bid city. Formal acceptance of the IOC Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct by such consultants/lobbyists as a prerequisite for listing in the register.”

The IOC considers a consultant to be any individual or company not linked by an employment contract to the NOC, the city or the bidding committee, and which/who participates in or supports a candidature by providing consultancy or similar services in any way and at any time.

The register will be published on www.olympic.org

With just over a month to go before the FIFA presidential election, candidate HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein met with His Holiness Pope Francis at The Vatican on Thursday to discuss the global development of football and how to promote peace and social responsibility through sport.

In the private meeting, Pope Francis and Prince Ali discussed the challenges and opportunities around developing football globally. They also talked about how sport and football can help to promote peace and social responsibility. 

“I have been greatly inspired by Pope Francis’s work to use sport to build bridges between people of differing faiths and cultures,” said Prince Ali.

“Pope Francis is a true innovator in this regard; it was a great honour to meet with him not only in his capacity as the leader of one of the largest faiths in the world, but also in his capacity as a much-admired champion for peace, tolerance and inter-faith dialogue and understanding. Our discussions were very fruitful and we share a common vision of using sport as a force for good in the world.”  

Pope Francis is a football lover and supporter of Buenos Aires-based team the Saints of San Lorenzo. Before the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he published a video message in which he described football as “a game and at the same time an opportunity for dialogue, understanding and reciprocal human enrichment”.

Last year, the Vatican hosted an interfaith charity football match to promote peace, in which he welcomed past and present greats of the football world for the high-profile game at the Vatican.

Prince Ali is said to be a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed.

The development of football is a key concern of Prince Ali, who has been vice president of FIFA since 2011. In January 2012, he founded the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP), a non-profit youth commission headquartered in Amman, Jordan.

The AFDP works to develop football across Asia with a focus on youth development, empowering women, social responsibility and the protection and evolution of the game. AFDP led the successful campaign to lift the ban on head scarves in football.

Prince Ali has worked to promote unity and develop football since becoming President of the Jordan Football Association in 1999. In 2000, he founded the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), of which he is president. WAFF’s members are Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

The president of FIFA will be elected on May 29th.

The fifth venue plan for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup was unveiled on Wednesday. The new Al Rayyan stadium, which replaces an existing smaller football stadium, will have a capacity of 40,000 during the World Cup and be reduced to 21,000 after the tournament. 

The construction project is set to be complete by 2019.

Material from the old stadium is being reused and recycled. The new design incorporates renewable energy and cooling technologies to maximise legacy use.

“Unveiling the design of Al Rayyan stadium is another important step forward in our preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” said Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

“We will continue to work tirelessly as our vision for the tournament takes shape on the ground.”

The upper tier of 19,000 seats will be removed after the tournament and sent to developing nations in need of sports infrastructure.

“Qatar has moved from the stage of reiterating its bid commitments towards demonstrating its ability to deliver several important infrastructure projects to the highest international standards in accordance with the timetables set,” said Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, Qatar’s Minister of Youth and Sports.

Even though the 2022 World Cup is set to take place in the cooler months of November and December, the stadium will incorporate cooling technology to maximise the venue’s potential for legacy use. 

“The sophisticated modelling employed has heavily influenced the innovative designs for cooling systems and the advanced roof and wind screen design, with best practice being used to optimise designs for waste reduction and energy management strategies,” said Yaver Abidi, regional managing director Middle East and Asia at Ramboll, the lead design consultant on the stadium.

“The Al Rayyan Stadium will deliver an impressive and comfortable experience for fans and players alike and leave a strong legacy for the Al Rayyan community.”

90 per cent of materials from the deconstruction of the current stadium is being re-used. Some of the materials will be used by local and international artists to create works of public art.

Doors, windows, frames, water fixtures and fittings, light switches and sockets have been used in construction site accommodation and offices. Concrete has been crushed and stored for future site levelling works. Reinforcement bars and other metals will be recycled by Qatar Steel. Topsoil has been stockpiled for future precinct landscaping works, while scrap timber will be recycled by licensed centres across Qatar.

The stadium precinct’s carbon footprint will be reduced through the use of on-site renewable energy, lightweight building design, careful selection of materials and energy and water efficiency measures. 

The stadium is designed with the goal of certification under both the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings.

David Barwell, chief executive Middle East and India of AECOM said: “As the project manager for the Al Rayyan Stadium and Precinct, we see our strength in connection, bringing together our global team of experts from previous major sporting and FIFA events, and the embedded knowledge in country, technology and cooling experts, all of which is led by our strong project, commercial management and delivery team. 

“We connect the collective knowledge, experience and innovative ideas to create an amazing sporting venue that brings people closer together and close to the action. The community and culture of Al Rayyan has been at the heart of what we are trying to achieve, creating a destination venue that will leave a meaningful legacy they can be proud of, now and in the future.”

The stadium design is intended to reflect Al Rayyan’s sporting heritage and Qatar’s environment, through patterns and designs on the stadium’s façade.

“The stadium’s distinctive façade was created using cutting-edge parametric design tools so that it also plays an important role in cooling the building.” said Dipesh Patel, architect and founder of Pattern Design, the lead design consultants on Al Rayyan. “The result is a landmark for Qatar that works effectively both as a world-stage for sport and, we hope, something that is genuinely meaningful and welcoming locally."

Al Rayyan Stadium is the fifth stadium design the Supreme Committee has unveiled. Work is now underway across the following stadiums: Al Wakrah, Al Bayt – Al Khor, Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar Foundation Stadium & Health and Wellness Precinct and Al Rayyan Stadium.

The leaders of 17 international Olympic sports federations have signed a letter saying statements made by SportAccord president Marius Vizer yesterday do not represent their views.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) and World Archery went so far as announce that they are leaving SportAccord.

In his opening speech at SportAccord Convention in Sochi on Monday, Vizer criticised the IOC for not acting in the interests of sports federations. IOC president Thomas Bach then denounced this criticism and the leaders of 17 Olympic sports federations have been quick to rally behind him. 

The presidents of the international federations for sports including swimming (FINA), modern pentathlon (UIPM), triathlon (ITU), archery (WA), equestrian (FIE), football (FIFA), badminton (BWF), athletics (IAAF), shooting (ISSF) and hockey (FIH), cycling (UCI), volleyball (FIV), World Rugby and World Archery co-signed the letter which stated that Vizer’s views do not represent those of international federations. 

“We the undersigned members of the SportAccord Association are expressing to the SportAccord leadership our disagreement on the opinions expressed this morning by the SportAccord president during the opening speech, which do not reflect the views of the international federations,” the letter said.

“We also express our strong support to the International Olympic Committee and to the Olympic Agenda 2020, which has been adopted under the leadership of the IOC president Thomas Bach in consultation and agreement with all the international federations.”

The signatories, from just under half of all the 35 Olympic sport federations, represent some of the most influential names in world sports, including Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA and IOC member; Ugur Erdener, president of World Archery and an IOC board member; Bernard Lapasset, the president of World Rugby who ran against Vizer for SportAccord presidency in 2013; and Lamine Diack, president of IAAF.

In a letter sent to Vizer yesterday, the secretary general of World Archery, Tom Dielen said: “We hereby declare that the World Archery Executive Committee based on what happened this morning at the General Assembly took the decision to suspend our membership of Sportaccord until further notice with immediate effect. 

“We will put this on the agenda of our next Executive Board in July 2015 for a final "decision. 

“We will discuss with Sportaccord – DFSU unit on what this means with our current contract but in the interest of both organisations, we suggest that the contract is ended at the end of this year.”

Amid the turmoil, Vizer was re-elected unopposed as president of SportAccord. In an address to the SportAccord Convention, Russian president Vladimir Putin congratulated Vizer, saying “Russia has worked very well with SportAccord and we are happy that the election has taken place in our sports capital.

“Sochi has given us the platform to organize big events and exhibitions. I hope that you will have a chance to enjoy all that is on offer,” president Putin told delegates.”

In a call to heal the rift between the IOC and SportAccord, Putin said: “Let me emphasise that the support of SportAccord and IOC means a lot to us. We will continue to work together and promote peace and sport. I am convinced that the sports movement should be united and not divided by contradictions.”

It was also confirmed that the SportAccord Convention will take place again in Sochi next year. Vizer said “I thank all stakeholders for participating in the Convention this year. Next year we hope to organise logistics better with chartered flights for participants from European destinations."