Rio's venues will be ready to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016, despite the slow start to construction, the event's communications director said at Host City: Bid to Win on Tuesday.

“There is not a chance in the world that Rio will not be ready venue wise,” said Mario Andrada, executive director of communications, Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games.

“The construction of the Barra Olympic park is coming off the ground and the whole Olympic village will be ready around mid-2015,” Andrada said.

The comments were made at Host City’s unique Bid to Win event in London, where event organisers, bidding committees and rights holders were able to discuss issues related to bidding for major sports and cultural events.

Many observers have questioned Rio’s ability to meet its obligations for the 2016 games.

Long-term legacy issues underpin investment plans for Olympic construction projects and Rio intends to transform areas of the city using the Games as a catalyst, by using a mixture of public and private investment.

“This [the Barra Olympic Village] is a private enterprise and after the Games will be sold as condos – and there has been a complete redesign of the transport system in the area.”

Andrada explained the reasons why certain aspects of its Olympic Games preparations have been called into question.

“The Deodoro was a little late but we are now moving ahead and catching up. It is important to know in our case the bar is set really high following London but we have to mindful of our spending and our obligations to the Brazilian people. This is one of the reasons why we started the Deodoro a little late,” Andrada explained.

Poland recently hosted the 2014 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Championship to great acclaim and will stage the 2017 men’s tournament across four cities. Six cities – Bydgoszcz, Gdansk, Lodz, Katowice, Krakow and Wroclaw – have been shortlisted.

Poland’s last and only gold medal at the men’s European Championship dates back to the 2009 edition held in Turkey. Polish Volleyball Federation and CEV vice-president Miroslaw Przedpelski said that plans are in place to host the final match at Warsaw’s National Stadium – the same venue that hosted the opening match of this year’s FIVB World Championships in front of a record-breaking crowd of more than 61,000.

For the women’s event, Baku and Guba will host games in Azerbaijan alongside Georgia’s capital, Tblisi. It will be the first time the CEV’s flagship event will travel to the two countries.

The CEV also revealed hosts for other events in 2016 and 2017 at its general assembly in Antalya, Turkey. The 2016 Beach Volleyball European Championship Final will take place in Biel/Bienne in Switzerland, while the 2016 women’s U19 European Championship will be co-hosted by Slovakia and Hungary in the cities of Nitra and Gyor, respectively. 

Hungary and Slovakia will also organise the 2017 men’s U19 European Championship, with Puchov in Slovakia joining Gyor in Hungary as a host city.

CEV president André Meyer said that the bidding process for the 2019 and 2021 editions of the European Championships would be opened in the coming weeks. This is a change of strategy aimed at providing the eventual organisers with more time to prepare for hosting the events. 

Half of the money is set to be released for immediate use, with the remaining €10m handed over when the tournament concludes. Uefa’s additional funding package will be used to develop new sports facilities close to the urban populations of the host cities. The funds will not be directed towards stadium development for Euro 2016, the cost of which is currently estimated to stand at €1.7bn.

A resolution to the contentious issue of host cities seeking additional financial support was reached at a meeting of the Euro 2016 steering group in Bordeaux. According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Uefa initially offered no additional funding as the cities aimed to secure €10m each.

Quoted on Uefa.com, Alain Juppé, Mayor of Bordeaux and president of the Club des sites – the host cities' association – pointed out that an allocation of tickets for underprivileged youngsters will further enhance the social benefit of Euro 2016.

He said: “It is a gesture from Uefa following our request and is designed to facilitate the social acceptability of the event. The 10 cities are full of enthusiasm and approved this proposal unanimously. I wish to stress that beyond this €20m, Uefa will rent the stadiums throughout the competition and has decided to allocate 20,000 tickets to underprivileged young people. The help given will probably amount to around €50m.”

Uefa president Michel Platini was pleased to have reached a satisfactory conclusion to the dispute.

“Any potential misunderstandings have been resolved,” he said. “Everything is fine and we are all satisfied. I am very happy, particularly because not since 1998, when I was co-president of the organising committee of the (Fifa) World Cup in France, have we felt the love and desire that exists for Uefa Euro 2016.”

Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, St-Etienne and Toulouse will join Bordeaux in hosting matches at Euro 2016 - the first edition of the tournament since Uefa decided to increase the number of teams at the finals from 16 to 24.

Uefa announced last month that Wembley Stadium in London will host the semi-final and final of Euro 2020 as part of a one-off staging model for the event.

Bach wants the often criticised bidding framework to be transformed into an “invitation for discussions and partnership” as opposed to a generic tender process.

Recent struggles with the selection process for the 2022 winter Olympic Games have cast the current method in an unfavourable light.

Only Beijing, China and the Kazakh city of Almaty remain as candidates after Oslo this month became the latest potential host to drop out the running. Norway’s government opted out of providing the necessary financial support to host the multi-sport showpiece amid concern over prohibitive costs.

Oslo followed Lviv in Ukraine, Krakow in Poland and Stockholm in Sweden by pulling out of the race for the 2022 winter Olympics, while public referendums put paid to bids from Munich in Germany and St Moritz in Switzerland.

At its two-day meeting in Montreux, Switzerland, the IOC executive finalised proposals that its full membership will vote on this December in Monaco. 

As quoted by the Associated Press news agency, Bach said: “What we did in the past was send out a paper at a certain point in time saying, 'If you want to bid for the games, here are the conditions you have to fulfil, so you better tick all the boxes in the questionnaire because otherwise you have no chance.

“In the future, we want to invite potential bidding cities to study how Olympic Games would fit best into their social, sports, economic and ecological environments, then present this plan to us. Then we are ready to discuss and give our advice rather than just judge what has been presented to us.”

One measure rejected under Agenda 2020 was the reinstatement of member visits to candidate cities, which were barred in light of the 1999 vote-buying scandal that marred Salt Lake City’s successful bid for the 2002 winter Olympics.

In other news, Israeli company International Security & Defence Systems (ISDS) claims it has secured the contract to plan and coordinate security arrangements at the Rio 2016 Games under a deal worth $2.2bn (€1.7bn).

ISDS vice-president Ron Shafran told IsraelDefense magazine of the firm’s tie-up with the local organising committee. ISDS has previous Olympic experience at Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000, while it also worked on the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa.

IOC Vice President Sir Craig Reedie will discuss bidding procedure with other rights holders and cities at HOST CITY: Bid to Win in London on 28th October. Register at www.bidtowin-hostcity.net

The Rugby Sevens tournament at Glasgow 2014 was named best Rugby event of 2014 by industry experts on Wednesday at Rugby Expo 2014. 

The event beat off competition from the Women’s Rugby World Cup in August, hosted by France and the Super League Magic Weekend in May which featured seven matches and 14 elite teams competing at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester.

“Rugby Sevens as a sport was born in Scotland, so it’s really wonderful to see Glasgow and Scotland’s Commonwealth Games showcase for the sport recognised as the top rugby event this year,” said David Grevemberg, Chief Executive of Glasgow 2014. 

Glasgow’s two-day extravaganza at Ibrox stadium saw 16 of the world’s top Rugby Sevens sides battle it out for Commonwealth Gold in front of 171,000 people – a new global record tournament audience for the sport.

Around 192 athletes contested 45 matches over two days of fierce competition which saw South Africa clinch Gold for the first time in Commonwealth Games history, beating New Zealand, winners of every previous Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens Gold medal since the sport was introduced to the Games in 1998.

“The two days of Rugby Sevens at Ibrox were remarkable and memorable not just for the incredible sport but also for the sheer energy and enthusiasm generated by the crowds. We’re really proud to have played our part in sharing Rugby Sevens with new audiences,” said Grevemberg. 

“This award is for the amazing athletes and the wonderful crowds which supported them as well as the world-beating experience of Rugby Seven they all helped create at Glasgow 2014.”

Rugby Expo 2014 is an important gathering for the industry which is supported by leading bodies including Premiership Rugby, RFU, SRU, WRU, Pro12 and Championship. 

David Grevemberg, who is also the CEO designate of the Commonwealth Games Federation, is speaking at HOST CITY Bid to Win conference on 28th October about “Winning for the Future” alongside city event leaders from Beijing, Barcelona and Istanbul.

F1 failed to secure the necessary backing to make the temporary track developed in the car park of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas a permanent fixture on its calendar following races in the US city in 1981 and 1982.

Hermann Tilke, the designer responsible for the majority of new circuits developed for Formula One in recent years has made numerous recent visits to Las Vegas with a view to developing a race venue, according to UK newspaper the Independent, and Ecclestone is set to hold discussions over adding a second US race to the F1 season on his way to next weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

“There is a consortium in Las Vegas that wants to arrange a race. They are very serious and want me to go out there on the way to Texas so we will see,” he told the Autoweek.com website.

Ecclestone added that casino impresario Steve Wynn and Cirque du Soleil co-founder Guy Laliberte - both counted by the 83-year-old as personal friends - are not members of the interested consortium.

As opposed to the USA, where home-based motor racing series such as Nascar and IndyCar hold sway, Spain represents an important market for F1 following the rise of Fernando Alonso and, according to the El Confidencial newspaper, Ecclestone is also in negotiations with a group of businessmen to stage a street race in the country’s capital.

El Confidencial added that the F1 chief has received bank guarantees and a detailed business plan. The proposed race would rely exclusively on private funding, and the group aims to secure financial assurances and Ecclestone’s backing ahead of going before the local authorities.

Barcelona’s has staged the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991, with its contract running through until the 2016 season. Spain staged two races per season between 2008 and 2012, with the European Grand Prix held on a street circuit in Valencia.

The additions of new races in consecutive years in Mexico City and Baku means Formula One is set to have 21 rounds by 2016.

The International Crown was formed as a national team matchplay tournament and its inaugural edition was held in Owings Mills, Maryland from July 24-27, at Caves Valley Golf Club.

The next edition of the biennial event had already been confirmed for Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois in 2016. However, the LPGA has said the 2018 International Crown will be staged in Korea, with dates and a host venue to be confirmed at a later point.

Korea is a key market for the LPGA with the second-most players, 41, represented from the nation in the world rankings. World No.2 Inbee Park is one of three Koreans in the top-10.

“The Republic of Korea has clearly demonstrated their support for the LPGA by hosting 18 different tournaments over the years with tremendous fan support.” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said. “It made perfect sense that the first time we take the International Crown outside of the United States was to a country with so many dedicated fans and supporters of women’s golf.”

The announcement has coincided with safety consulting and certification company Underwriters Laboratories signing on as the first title sponsor of the International Crown, in a deal spanning the 2016 and 2018 events.

UL served as an ambassador sponsor for the inaugural International Crown, which saw Team Spain crowned the event’s first champion. 

Whan added: “When we came up with the idea for the International Crown our goal was to launch a truly global event for women’s golf which we did earlier this year at Caves Valley Golf Club. We were looking for a partner to help grow it globally and I can think of no better partner than UL, whose business aligns perfectly with the LPGA.”

Host City: Bid to Win, a conference which will be held at the St James’ Court, A Taj Hotel, London on 28 October 2014, is set to bring together experts and decision makers to explore the challenges and benefits of bidding for major global events. At a time when the bidding process for events has never been more highly scrutinised, Host City: Bid to Win promises place further expert insight into the heart of the ongoing debate. 

The conference will examine engaging themes central to the debate including the IOC’s proposed Agenda 2020 reforms and emerging trends in the bidding for and hosting of large-scale, multi-sport and cultural events.   

Keynote speaker Sir Craig Reedie, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice-President, believes there has never been a more important time for rights holders to engage with cities.

Speaking about Host City: Bid to Win, he said: “I am supporting Host City: Bid to Win as it is a great opportunity to get rights holders and cities together debating the key issues. Rights holders and cities are both seeking new ways to showcase their unique qualities, attract new audiences and enhance their reputations – I’m looking forward to sharing insights and opinions with experts from across the global landscape.”

Mario Andrada, Rio 2016 Director of Communications, said: “Host City: Bid to Win will be a great arena for debate on major event bidding and hosting. I am looking forward to sharing my experiences and insights into the bid and delivery of Rio 2016 and this is a great opportunity to connect, learn and share ideas about how cities and countries can truly benefit from hosting a major sports event.”

Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and CEO of marketing communications giant WPP and an advisor to the IOC sees the conference as an important platform for furthering the debate on major event hosting in the current climate. 

“We clearly need to articulate more effectively the tangible, intangible and legacy benefits of sporting, cultural and business events.” Sorrell said.

Alexander Koch, Corporate Communications Manager at FIFA, said: “This is an important time for all stakeholders involved in bidding and hosting and I’m looking forward to what should be an engaging debate between bidding cities and rights holders at Host City: Bid to Win.”

Host City: Bid to Win will host various structured and informal networking opportunities, as well as a series of thought provoking panel sessions on what cities need to do to win sporting, cultural and business events. 

Topics to be covered include: 

•How Event Owners and Cities Can Benefit From Improving Their Dialogue

•Emerging Trends in Large Scale Events

•Olympic Agenda 2020: Overview of Proposed Changes to the Bidding Process

•Attracting International Events to Cities

•Bidding for the Right Event

•Evaluating Bidding & Hosting

•Successes and Failures

•Meeting the Evaluation Criteria: Planning, Infrastructure, Transport & Security Strategies

•Campaigning to Win the Bid

•Beyond the Bid: Winning for the Future 

For further information on the engaging panel sessions and other top class speakers confirmed for Host City: Bid to Win, please visit: http://www.bidtowin-hostcity.net/

Join the conversation on social media by using the #HostCity hashtag.

For media enquiries, please contact: Robert Fawdon, VERO Communications, rfawdon@verocom.co.uk, m: +44 (0)7769 216649, t: +44 (0)20 7812 6589

The Tengrinews website said Kazakhstan’s Vice-Minister of Culture and Sport, Tastanbekov Yesentai, cited the example of this year’s winter Olympics in Sochi, where the Russia authorities successfully implemented a mixed funding model and also pointed towards Tokyo’s projected revenues for the 2020 summer Olympics as arguments in favour of his government’s approach.

Yesentai said: “Russia has used a mixed model at the Olympics in Sochi. Their income made $10bn (€7.9bn). Japan has officially declared that it would be able to earn $30bn from hosting the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in 2020.

“We also want to stick to the mixed model of financial management, in which the share of state involvement would be 33 per cent and the rest will be raised by investors. In that case we will be able to hold the Olympics in 2022 at a proper level.”

Concerns regarding state financing for hosting the 2022 winter Olympics have become a central theme of what is now a sparse bidding process.

Almaty and Beijing are the only two cities left in the running after Oslo withdrew from the race at the start of this month. The Norwegian government decided against providing the required financial support to host the multi-sport event due to prohibitive projected costs.

Oslo was the latest in a long line of cities to end a bid, following Stockholm in Sweden, Krakow in Poland and Lviv in Ukraine, while bids from St. Moritz in Switzerland and Munich in Germany were scrapped after public referendums.

Meanwhile, Kazakh Olympic Committee vice-president Pavel Novikov has rejected calls for Almaty to share Olympic hosting rights with Astana, acknowledging Olympic bidding rules that the Games must be awarded to a single city.

The International Olympic Committee will select the host city for the 2022 Games on July 31, 2015.

The season-ending tournament of the men’s tour has resided in London since 2009, with the world’s top eight singles players, and leading doubles teams, battling it out at the O2 Arena.

The North Greenwich venue, formerly the Millennium Dome, currently holds the hosting rights through the 2015 edition after extending its deal with the ATP by a further two years in November 2012.

However, Kermode has said interest is high in the contract from 2016, adding a decision will be made on the successful candidate next spring.

“We've got interest from four other regions and we'll make a decision by March or April,” Kermode told UK broadcaster BBC Radio Five Live.

The 2014 World Tour Finals run from November 9-16 with reigning champion Novak Djokovic having already secured his place amongst the top eight singles players, along with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Stanislas Wawrinka and Marin Cilic.

Since it commenced 44 years ago, the World Tour Finals have been staged in 14 different cities including Tokyo, New York, Lisbon, Sydney and most recently Shanghai, before moving to London.

Friday saw the start of a five-year residency for the season-ending showpiece of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in Singapore.

The WTA has introduced a number of changes to coincide with the tournament’s move from Istanbul, with the event set to run through to October 26 at the new Singapore Sports Hub's 7,500-seat indoor stadium. 

This year’s event is the first of a five-year deal between the WTA and Singapore, which also sees the tournament rebranded from the WTA Championships to the WTA Finals and expanded by four days into a 10-day event of competition, exhibitions and activities for fans.