Tokyo 2020’s 39-year old Executive Board member and Olympian, Koji Murofushi, has been appointed Sport Director of the organising committee. 

The position of Sport Director is a crucial role within the organising committee and one that requires the experience of a top athlete. 

“I've had the honour of competing in four Summer Olympic Games from Sydney 2000 to London 2012 and I know what it takes to make a great Olympic experience for athletes,” said Murofushi.

“In 2020, we will host the entire world and I want to create an environment at the Tokyo Games that will enable athletes to compete and perform to the peak of their abilities. I am 100 per cent committed to making these Games the best ever,” said Murofushi.

Murofushi won gold in Athens 2004 and bronze at London 2012 Games. Earlier in June, he won his 20th successive hammer throw title at the national athletics championship. 

Tokyo 2020 is making efforts to actively involve athletes at all levels of its preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. He was appointed as a member of the TOKYO 2020 Executive Board last January.

Appointing the 39-year old will also help the hosts of the 2020 Olympic Games to deflect criticism that its leadership has not yet represented younger people sufficiently.

The appointment will be particularly welcome to Murofushi, given that he missed out on the opportunity to join the IOC Athletes’ Commission in 2012. Despite ruling against Murofushi's appeal against claims of excessive lobbying, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Murofushi's "reputation and sportsmanship were intact."

“I am delighted and flattered to have been chosen as the TOKYO 2020 Sports Director,” he said. “I want to contribute to organising an athlete-focused Games that will deliver a long-term legacy and benefit for the sporting community in Japan and beyond.”

Representatives from National Olympic Committees across Europe and other overseas dignitaries converged on the capital of Azerbaijan to celebrate the start of a yearlong countdown to the Baku 2015 European Games.

More than 25,000 spectators watched the fireworks and laser light show on Wednesday night, indicating strong public support and enthusiasm for the inaugural European Games.

 “The whole of Azerbaijan is passionate about hosting the European Games – you could feel the excitement all over Baku for our 1 Year To Go celebrations,” said Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports and Chief Executive of Baku 2015. 

“The European Games will have a long term positive impact on our country, and particularly on the lives of our young people. We look forward to welcoming people from across Europe to Baku to enjoy world class sport in an amazing city.”

Baku was awarded the Games by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012. The Baku European Games Operations Committee (BEGOC) will organise and run the Games in co-operation with the EOC.

 “The scale and pace of development here in Baku have been remarkable,” said Patrick Hickey, president of the EOC. “But we do not have a moment to lose: two years of excellent work have given us the opportunity to stage a truly outstanding inaugural European Games, and we must make the most of that opportunity. 

“Baku 2015 is already in the home straight, and under the leadership of Minister Rahimov I am positive BEGOC will deliver an innovative, sustainable, impactful and athlete-centred European Games.”

Baku 2015 will be the first ever European Games, an exciting and innovative new multi-sport event for the continent that will take place from 12 June until 28 June 2015. There will be a total of 19 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and three non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes are expected to represent their nations over the 17 days of competition.

Nine of the sports will offer Olympic qualification for the Rio 2016 Games: archery, athletics, beach volleyball, cycling, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and triathlon.

The President of the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC), HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, has launched a national communications initiative to boost sports participation among Jordanians.

Concerned over the Kingdom of Jordan’s collective health and what it describes as “the continuous threat of our young people falling victim to damaging and anti-social distractions”, the JOC has launched a series of initiatives under the banner of “Living Sport” with the aim of making sport play a part in the lives of all Jordanians.

 “We, in the Olympic Movement, truly believe in the power of sport to make a positive difference, and the Jordan Olympic Committee is taking responsibility, alongside like-minded organisations, in making that difference,” said HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, President of the Jordan Olympic Committee.

The programme was launched on Thursday during celebrations held in Al Hussein Sports City in advance of Olympic Day (23rd June). The JOC was joined by representatives from all 34 sporting federations under its umbrella, as well as 200 school children who took part in activities promoting Living Sport and the Olympic values.

The programme is set to run indefinitely. “There is no end date to sport making a difference to the lives of our citizens and so Living Sport has no end date,” said Prince Feisal.

A one-month campaign will be launched every year on Olympic Day to address key health and social issues. Specially created JOC committees will promote sport as universal and without barriers to participation, and organized in an environment-friendly way through green initiatives.

Living Sport will target six to 11 year olds through an “Ambassador” initiative, steering children away from anti-social distractions by bringing fun into sport.

Through the JOC News Service, sporting successes will be celebrated, bringing a sense of collective national pride. The JOC is also taking steps to make sport more marketable and attractive to all non-participants, from fans to sponsors. 

“Living Sport is a long-term programme which will be at the heart of all JOC activity and operations, and which will evolve as needed through time to remain relevant to all that we do,” said Prince Feisal.

On 21-22 October, the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on the tropical island of Barbados will be the venue of the Soccerex Americas Forum. The event promises to connect the leading administrators and business figures within the Americas with their global counterparts.  

The confederation has plans for a Caribbean Premier League to emulate the success of Mexico's Liga MX, which recorded the fourth highest average attendance of any professional league in the world, and the MLS, which is set to add four new franchises over the next three years.

 “We are proud and privileged to be the host location for this year’s Soccerex Americas Forum,” said Petra Roach, interim president and CEO, Barbados Tourism Authority. 

“As a nation of sporting enthusiasts, we take football very seriously, and thus are delighted to be able to facilitate an event whereby the beautiful game is at the core of the discourse.”

Major events will be an important focus of the conference programme, with the 2016 Copa America and a potential CONCACAF 2026 World Cup bid high on the agenda. 

Sport tourism will also figure prominently, due to the region’s attractive climate and rich sporting culture. The conference programme will also cover league development and player development and retention.

The event will also feature a review of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with a number of footballing legends appearing.

Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said: “I am delighted that our first Americas Forum will be held in Barbados, a country with a huge sporting passion. It will provide a great location to start our time in the region and to continue our efforts of strengthening football business within the Americas.  With all the beautiful island has to offer, there isn’t a better backdrop to do business.”

For further details about the Soccerex Americas Forum, please contact Soccerex on +44 208 987 5522 or email us on enquiry@soccerex.com. 

The world’s largest multi-sports rights holder has partnered with the world’s largest tyre and rubber company. 

In an agreement through to 2024, The Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, has joined The Olympic Partner (TOP) programme – the IOC’s small group of sponsors with exclusive marketing rights.

This is the first sponsorship agreement is the first to be signed under the watch of the IOC’s new marketing commission chairman, Tsunekazu Takeda.

“I am delighted that a leading Japanese company, Bridgestone, will become the 11th Worldwide TOP Partner and the second TOP Partner to commit through to 2024,” said, the IOC’s marketing commission chairman, who is also president of the Japanese Olympic Committee and vice president of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee.

“As the first Partner the IOC has signed under my Chairmanship of the Marketing Commission I am also personally very happy that we were able to make this global announcement in Tokyo,” said Takeda.

Alongside 10 other Worldwide TOP Partners including McDonalds, Coca Cola and Visa, Bridgestone will not only partner with the IOC but also all 204 National Olympic Committees and their Olympic teams.

The tyre manufacturer will also partner with the organisers of future Olympic Games, including the Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as well as the 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games – the host cities of which have yet to be elected. 

Bridgestone will supply tyres and related services to support the transport operations at Games time, including the vehicles for the athletes, media and officials. 

“The long-term, global support the TOP Programme provides is essential to the entire Olympic Movement, as well as to the staging and operations of each Games,” said Takeda.

As well as tyres, the product categories covered by the agreement include seismic isolation bearings and non-motorised bicycles. The company also manufactures industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods.

Bridgestone CEO and Chairman Masaaki Tsuya said, “As a global corporation, Bridgestone is excited to partner with the entire Olympic Movement, a group of organisations that not only brings together the world’s athletes at the greatest athletic festival, but also blends this celebration of sport with a spirit of service to community, social responsibility, a respect for diversity and a commitment to the fundamental principles of Olympism.”

As a Worldwide TOP Partner, Bridgestone will partner with the IOC and all 204 National Olympic Committees and their Olympic teams.

“The TOP programme is a truly global sponsorship programme, as it benefits all future Games organisers and all the National Olympic Committees and their athletes, ensuring that athletes from all over the world, and not just the largest countries, are able to compete at the Games,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.

“Indeed, the IOC redistributes over 90 per cent of its revenues to the wider sporting movement. Bridgestone is a global leader in its field, and we are delighted to welcome the company to the TOP programme and are excited about the long-term commitment they have shown to the Olympic Movement.”

After bidding for the 1996 and 2008 Summer Olympics, Toronto turned to the 2015 Pan American Games to bring an international mega event to the city. The Ontarian city was picked by the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO) over rival cities Lima and Bogota to host the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games.

The organising committee of Toronto 2015 has heralded these Games as being particularly environmentally friendly as well as being twice the size of the Winter Olympics held in Vancouver in 2010. The organising committee is planning a spend of US$2.2bn on the event – the most ever spent on a Pan American Games.

A Games this big, held in Canada’s most populous city, needs a huge yet reliable level of infrastructure. US$641 million has been set aside for building and renovating infrastructure in the city. That’s where Allen Vansen, the executive vice-president of operations, sport and venue management, comes in.

Vansen was the former vice-president of Triathlon Canada as well as being the vice-president of Workforce Operations and Integration at the Vancouver 2010 Games before coming to work on the Toronto 2015 organising committee.

His experiences in Vancouver were vital in providing a benchmark for the level of service required at the Pan-American Games, he says. “Working on the Pan-American Games has given us a license to be as innovative as we can be and I think that’s one of the things we’ve really taken to heart as we’ve looked at London and some elements of Sochi in terms of things we can do a little bit differently.”

The organising committee selected two vastly experienced organisations as technology partners in order to achieve this innovation. IT services corporation Atos and networking equipment giant Cisco were chosen as two of the ‘Premier Partners’ of the Games. Atos are the official Games systems integration partner and official provider of timing, scoring and results – crucial Games infrastructure, according to Vansen.

“When you get down to it, nothing’s more important in a Games than the sport and competition and of course timing, scoring and the publishing of those results in critically important. We know with Atos we have a fantastic provider who has tons of Games experience to bring to the table to ensure we deliver those core critical systems.”

Meanwhile, Cisco will be providing the event with wireless network security, unified computing, cloud services, customised Cisco operated stadium Wi-Fi and stadium vision solutions. “With Cisco one of the things we’re pretty excited about is the video and telepresence opportunities that happen for our media at our main press centre,” says Vansen.

But with innovations in technology, communications and networking comes heightened security risks.

To read the rest of the article, register to receive the next issue of HOST CITY magazine

FIFA’s embattled president Sepp Blatter took the opportunity of addressing his organisation’s congress in Sao Paulo on Wednesday to speak up for integrity in football and highlight the universal reach of the sport. 

Standing firm in the eye of a storm over alleged corruption, Blatter said "These are important times for FIFA.

“We must lead by example and we must listen to all voices; we must be responsible and upright in all that we do; we must do the right thing even if that comes at a cost.

“We must carry the flame of responsibility and honesty and always with respect. If not, we will be a traitor to this game we all love.”

Calling on FIFA’s members to unite against prejudice, he said “We can defeat it and we have to do it. 

“Suspension and empty stadiums are not enough,” he said, warning that FIFA could expel, relegate or dock points from teams that are linked to discriminatory behaviour. 

Blatter’s hard line rhetoric on discrimination echoes remarks he made to the Confederation of African Football on Monday, when he described the latest wave of allegations of corruption as a "storm against FIFA".

His response to allegations made by the UK’s Sunday Times that FIFA Executive Committee members were bribed into voting was to say that the western media is prejudiced. 

"Sadly there's a great deal of discrimination and racism and this hurts me. It really makes me sad," he told the Confederation of African Football on Monday. 

This accusation riled the European football community further still, with UEFA executive committee members Michael van Praag and David Gill having called for Blatter’s resignation. 

However, Blatter is expected to announce later in the FIFA Congress that he will not step down in 2015, as he once stated, but that he will stand for a fifth term as president.

"Football is not just a game; it is a multi-billion dollar business. I don't know if that is good or not. It creates controversial situations and then some difficulties. In this changing world little is beyond the reach of politics and economics,” he said.

As for future of football, the boundaries are limitless. “We shall wonder if one day our game is played on another planet. Then we will have not only a World Cup we will have inter-planetary competitions. Why not?”

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has appointed David Grevemberg, the chief executive of the Glasgow 2014 organising committee, as its chief executive.

Grevemberg will take up the new position in November. Commenting on his appointment in a statement from the CGF, Grevemberg said: “It will be an honour and privilege to lead the Commonwealth sports movement on the next stage of its journey. 

“This is a time of tremendous opportunity for the Commonwealth in which sport has an impactful role to play in empowering, inspiring and connecting nations and people in shared purpose.”

Grevemberg appointment was foreshadowed by exclusive comments he made in the cover story of the spring issue of HOST CITY magazine. “One of the biggest challenges is to continue to make sure that the Games represent quality, quantity and universality,” he told HOST CITY in April, when asked about the future of the Games.

“As the Commonwealth Games Federation moves forwards and future hosts come down, it’s about really making sure that the Games can manage all of that and perpetuate itself further by ensuring that it is continually relevant. That will be essential for its success.”

"Ambitious and positive"

In addition to his experience of delivering the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 41-year old Grevemberg has worked for a major event owner, as executive director of sport and international federation relations at the International Paralympic Committee. 

“I’ve spent a very long and rewarding time in the Paralympic sport movement,” Grevemberg told HOST CITY in April, when asked about his future plans. “And now to be on the other side of the fence in such a leadership role is really an honour and a privilege.

“My main focus right now is to deliver a fantastic Games. I have enjoyed the opportunity to deliver on ambition, particularly at a very anxious time in the world – to be part of something that is so ambitious and so positive.

“I’ve learned quite a lot that’s going to really benefit me moving forward… it’s really given me a sense of what is possible when you get all the plans to align, in terms of the private, public and third sector. While we are all playing different instruments, the symphony sounds beautiful. It’s not just about alignment; it’s really about attunement.

“We are a force for social, cultural, environmental and economic impact, from a local to a global level. All those things play into a broader agenda, which is where I think the world of sport is heading.”

The appointment, which will not surprise HOST CITY readers, was confirmed on June 5th. The president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, HRH Prince Imran, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have a sports leader of David’s calibre join us at this important time for the Commonwealth sports movement. 

“He has an excellent track record for delivery and shows a real ambition for harnessing the power of sport within the Commonwealth. We look forward very much to the energy, vision and commitment he will bring to the Federation.”

In the statement from the CGF, Grevemberg added. “I look forward to working with HRH Prince Imran, the Executive Board and the whole Commonwealth Games family – in particular Samoa and Gold Coast, hosts of the next Commonwealth Youth Games and Commonwealth Games. 

“I’d also like to pay tribute to Mike Hooper for the commitment he has shown to Commonwealth sport over the past 14 years as the CGF’s Chief Executive.”

The Estádio Nacional in Brasilia produces more solar energy than 11 countries competing in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, according to a report by UK non-governmental organisation Practical Action. 

The solar production of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Iran, Ivory Coast and Uruguay all fall below the 2.5 MW capability of the stadium in Brazil’s capital. 

Ghana’s national solar capacity matches that of the stadium, which will host seven matches during the world’s largest single sport event.

Three other World Cup stadiums also have major solar power installations, the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte producing 1.4MW, the Itaipava Arena in Pernambuco producing 1MW and the rebuilt Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro producing 500KW. 

These observations were reported by Practical Action on Wednesday, on the back of their new Poor Peoples’ Energy Outlook report.

Simon Trace, CEO of Practical Action said: “The organisers and FIFA are to be congratulated for making a considerable financial investment and making this the greenest World Cup in history.”

The Estádio Nacional in Brasilia cost US$640m stadium, making it one of the most expensive stadiums in history and starkly contrasting with the economic situation of many of the competing nations.

“It is.. an indictment of the investment in renewable energy in the developing world that there are ten competing countries that do not even produce as much solar energy as a single World Cup stadium,” said Trace.

“Currently more than one billion people live without access to reliable sources of energy. Without that, people cannot develop and there will always be a substantial proportion of the world’s population living in poverty.

“Our report found that the only way of reaching the vast majority of these populations is not via traditional grid-based electrification as found in the west, but via smaller scale, renewable off-grid solutions such as solar, hydro and wind.

“It is therefore vital that we follow the example set by the World Cup organisers and invest heavily in the new technology we are seeing used so well in Brazil.” 

Speaking to a select group of international media including HOST CITY on Wednesday, Brazil’s deputy sports minister Luis Fernandes said the federal government should have worked more closely with the local organising committee in the earlier stages of preparing for the World Cup. 

The government also made the mistake of assuming that the Brazilian public would support the event and understand the benefits of hosting it, he said, acknowledging that these mistakes should not be repeated in the run up to the Olympic Games in 2016.

“We should have communicated more strongly the benefits that the World Cup brings to the country,” Fernandes said.

“I think basically we thought that the benefits were evident and that the World Cup addresses our main sport, which is football or soccer in the US, so that support and understanding of the benefits in the event would be almost automatic.

“That’s something that we will have to communicate stronger for the Olympic Games.”

The government should also have made it clearer that investments in civic infrastructure are not part of the cost of hosting the World Cup, Fernandes said. 

“In a lot of infrastructure investments, which are not essential for the event, but which the Brazilian government decided to anticipate, were sometimes understood as costs of the World Cup. 

“So, we’ve learned from that lesson and for the Olympic Games, we’re separating in our communications these two aspects. The matrix of responsibility will only include for the Olympic Games those investments that are specifically directed to the event, to the global sporting events.

“All communication about separate investments in infrastructure that will spur national and regional development are in a different plan, which is a plan for anticipation and exploration of investments in public policy. So, that’s maybe a lesson we learned from the World Cup experience.”

He also admitted that the federal government should have been more closely integrated with the local organising committee at an earlier stage.

“We were only included in the board of the local organising committees of representation of the federal government a little bit more than two years ago. I think that if we had been included from the very beginning, the level of integration in World Cup preparation would have been greater, and that would have been better.”