The international media expresses prejudice within developed nations against the capacity of developing countries like Brazil to host global sports events, the country’s deputy sports minister said on Wednesday. 

Speaking at a press conference in response to a question from HOST CITY about the severe delays in Brazil’s preparations to host mega events, Luis Fernandes said “In sectors of the public opinion of richer countries, there is prejudice directed against developing countries and their capacity to deliver major global sporting events such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games.

“I’ll give you an example: We had a sad tragedy in the preparation for the World Cup in a city in Southern Brazil where there was a fire in a nightclub and in which a number of youngsters were killed. And sectors of the press, both international and national, took up that specific case to question Brazil’s capacity of organizing the World Cup and Olympic Games. 

“When similar accidents occurred in the UK, in France, in Russia, in China before hosting major global events, the same questioning or the same scepticism was not directed against those countries; so that is a prejudiced point of view from our perspective.”

HOST CITY asked if he thought that FIFA’s deadlines should be more lenient in certain countries where there may be a tendency for preparations to take longer. 

“We are not happy with whatever delays exist," Fernandes said. "It would have been better to have all World Cup stadiums delivered already by December 2013 so that we could, in sequence, test all aspects of operations of those stadiums throughout the first semester.

“We had two stadiums that were delivered late and that had more acute problems of delays; those were the stadiums in São Paulo and Curitiba, so that put extra pressure on our organizational capacity because we had to make a number of tests in parallel that would have been held easier and in a more calm fashion if they could have been done in sequence.”

Fernandes drew parallels with the Confederations Cup, preparations for which also ran behind schedule. “The same type of doubts or scepticism or prejudice also manifested itself with respect to the Confederations Cup, saying that Brazil wasn’t prepared to hold that event—and the event was a huge success.

“We also had stadiums that unfortunately were delivered late, but the operation was a success. So we already showed the world that we can organize such a competition efficiently and with success, although maybe, personally, the operational cost of organizing such an event is greater due to certain delays. 

“But our message is one of absolute confidence that we will have a spectacular World Cup here in Brazil starting two weeks on."

The Organising Committee for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games announced the appointment of Mondo as the Official Provider of athletic track surface on Wednesday – after the company had already supplied the material for the athletics track surface. 

“Not only has Mondo provided the track surface but they are now part of the Glasgow 2014 sponsor family,” a spokesperson for Glasgow 2014 told HOST CITY.

Mondo is also providing specialist sports equipment for the field of play.  “As a sponsor, Mondo has been granted exclusive rights to market and associate itself as a sponsor of the Games in connection with athletics sports equipment and track surface manufacture,” the spokesperson said.

Glasgow 2014 declined to comment on the financial terms of the sponsorship or to what extent the value of the sponsorship will offset the cost of laying the track, saying “We cannot comment on the financial arrangements of any sponsorship contracts as this is commercially-sensitive information.” 

The running track is the top layer of the major transformation that Hampden Park, Scotland’s national football stadium has undergone to become Glasgow 2014’s athletics venue.

A revolutionary solution has raised the stadium surface by almost two metres, gaining the width and length required for the athletics track. The track has been laid in sections, laying 20 sq m rolls one at a time. Around 14,000 sq m of pre-fabricated and pre-tested Mondo material has been laid inside Hampden Park.

Maurizio Stroppiana, Sport&Flooring General Manager at Mondo said “Glasgow has created a venue that is not only an engineering feat but a world-class example of environmental and social responsibility. Mondo is proud to be part of this achievement.”

A further 6,000sqm has been installed at Lesser Hampden, which will be the main warm-up area for athletes prior to competition.

Mondo supplied athletics track surfaces for the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

David Grevemberg, Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive, said “The solution we’re implementing to transform Scotland’s National Stadium is a world-first on such a scale and it’s great to have the quality of track material supplied by Mondo providing a first-class platform for the best athletes of the Commonwealth to shine.”

Manchester City star Yaya Toure got more than the hospital treatment he was visiting Doha for this week. The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy made the most of the occasion, showcasing their plans for the 2022 World Cup tournament to the Ivorian midfielder.

“At Manchester City we talk about the World Cup in Qatar, but sometimes only because you hear very negative things,” Toure said. “If I’m honest, I had questions before I came to Qatar, especially about the weather. It is very hot and you ask yourself how it will be possible for players to play in this heat?”

The Supreme Committee welcomed the world-leading midfielder to the Legacy Pavilion – one of the venues that FIFA inspectors visited in 2010 before Qatar won the right to host the tournament. He was shown how stadiums will be cooled in environmentally-friendly ways and how and modular construction techniques will benefit developing countries after the tournament.

“Now that I have seen the plans and watched this amazing presentation, I have the answers. It is amazing,” Toure said.

“I didn’t understand the plans Qatar has. I didn’t know about the cooling technology or anything like this. I am so surprised. It has everything.

“I have played in the World Cup before. I am about to play in another one. I know what you need for this sort of tournament to be successful. Qatar looks like it has the plans to succeed.”

“For sure I will be telling my teammates about these plans because Qatar is planning to have everything. It’s fantastic.

After helping his team to win the English Premier League, Toure went to Doha’s Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital for treatment on a minor injury. He joins the Ivory Coast national team in Dallas, Texas on Thursday to prepare for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Toure hopes to still be playing by the time Qatar is hosting. “In 2022 I will be 40 and maybe that’s too old to play at a World Cup. I’m trying to work out how I can be involved because this is the future. It looks amazing.”

The World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte has revealed plans for its fan fest, which will show matches and a programme of other world class entertainment for a live audience of up to 21,000 people for free.

Belo Horizonte’s announcement is in sharp contrast to problems elsewhere in Brazil. 

Providing a fan fest is a contractual obligation for all FIFA World Cup host cities. FIFA is still waiting for confirmation about whether the host city of Recife will be able to fulfil its obligation to provide a fan fest during the World Cup. Funding for the project has yet to be confirmed.

Salvador might also have to break its obligation to provide a fan fest, for similar reasons. The Secretary of Ecopa Salvador, the municipal office responsible for World Cup activities there, admitted last week that fulfilling the Fan Fest depends on the outcome of continuing sponsorship negotiations.

Belo Horizonte is hosting six World Cup matches, including a semi-final on 8th July. Its fan fest will be open on all match days in Belo Horizonte and every weekend during the World Cup. 

The site, encompassing three pavilions and located in the city’s 16,000 sq m Expominas centre, will host more than 40 events during the World Cup tournament in a celebration of Brazilian music, entertainment and cuisine. 

The programme will feature a selection of famous Brazilian musicians including Daniela Mercury, with at least one major national artist will perform every day. ABRASEL, Brazil’s association of bars and restaurants, has partnered with the fan fest to provide high quality catering including local specialities.

The fan fest site will also host the media centre for accredited and non-accredited journalists, with 84 working stations, free wifi, televisions for transmission of the games and a direct view of the Belo Horizonte fan fest arena. 

Work stations and leisure space will also be provided for all volunteers taking part in the World Cup project. Embassies and consulates of national teams competing in the tournament will also have a dedicated area onsite.

“We have spent a lot of time looking at how we can deliver the best visitor experience for all of the football fans that will come to Belo Horizonte and we believe that they will have a fantastic time celebrating this festival of football at our FIFA fan fest,” said Camillo Fraga, Municipal Secretary for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil – Host City, Belo Horizonte.

“We have also invested in our local infrastructure to ensure that all of our visitors and residents will be able to move swiftly and safely from our fan fest site to the stadium and around our city. We cannot wait for this global football experience to start and welcoming fans from across the world to Belo Horizonte.”

Russia, with a population of just over 140 million, spans continents. Its sheer scale, coupled with some harsh weather conditions and very large cities, provides plenty of challenges for transportation.

As Igor Levitin, Russian Minister of Transport put it, “Due to the geographical peculiarities of the Russian Federation and those of the territorial location of its production forces, transport has always been considered in Russia as a key economic sector providing for the country’s economic and political integrity.

“In some major cities such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod, which are in a critical situation with regard to road congestion, a range of measures is underway aimed at increasing the capacity of the cities’ road network, limiting the use of personal vehicles and motivating the population to use public passenger transport.”

According to Vladimir Kryuchkov, CEO of ITS Russia, “The understanding is growing gradually that the limited access of personal and cargo vehicles to central parts of the cities and more tough parking policy are inevitable.”

In Moscow, the average traffic jam lasts 2.5 hours – the longest in the world. With 2.6 million cars in the city on a daily basis, a lack of parking space is also on the list of problems.

Speaking to the ITS Moscow conference in 2013, the city’s deputy head of transport, Tatiana Malashenkova announced plans to reduce the length of average journey times in the city to 50 minutes. This is to be achieved by reducing car journeys by 30 per cent and increasing public transport journeys by 40 per cent.

Malashenkova also highlighted the introduction of two park and ride schemes: one on the approach to the outer ring road for 80,000 cars and one between the outer ring road and the third ring road for 30,000 cars.

Global positioning

NIS, a Russian public-private company, has been tasked with developing and deploying a ERA-GLONASS GPS system throughout the Russia, which involves fitting GLONASS satellite navigation communication devices, or terminals, into all new vehicles sold in the country.

In the event of an accident, the terminal is automatically activated and transmits the vehicle location and other key information to an emergency response centre, allowing the swift intervention of the emergency services.

The ERA-GLONASS system will help to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on Russia's roads and boost the safety of both freight and passenger transport. In addition, NIS plans to develop commercial applications for GLONASS and create a mainstream market for navigation services and devices.

The communication carrier for the ERA-GLONASS system is 3G. This requires additional infrastructure to be provided to ensure that there is sufficient coverage, not only in cities but also across the Russian strategic road network. This will open up the possibility for additional ITS devices to be utilised in Russia.

Commercial vehicles are also being targeted for ITS deployment. A nationwide tolling system is in development for vehicles weighing more than 12 tonnes, again using the GLONASS GPS system.

In November 2013, NIS and Kapsch TrafficCom were among four companies that tendered for the project, which is being administered by the federal road agency, Rosavtodor and is scheduled to run for 13 years.

Russia and Europe

ERTICO and ITS Russia are working together to research, develop and deploy ITS technologies. A number of areas for cooperation have been highlighted, including a pilot of the “eCall” system, which enables crashed cars to call emergency services automatically.

Another area for cooperation is ITS for large events, particularly in the context of the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018. Another target is to improve traffic and traveller information for transport corridors, especially the Helsinki to St Petersburg corridor.

The “Smart Transport Corridor: Helsinki – St. Petersburg” project aims to create a continuous and interoperable intelligent transport service between Finland and Russia, while increasing the interoperability of services between the EU and Russia.

The aim is to improve commuter services, boost traffic safety and make traffic flow more smoothly, especially at the border. The project also aims to increase cooperation between Finnish and Russian private and public sector operators and facilitate the growth of business in the intelligent transport area.

Five pilot services are scheduled to get underway in 2014: a weather and road condition service; a traffic incident information service; traveller services in real-time; a public transport information service on the Allegro train; and automatic emergency calling using eCall/ERA Glonass.

These services are being implemented by a consortium founded by private companies and will be demonstrated in Helsinki at the ITS Europe Congress 2014.

Sustainable construction has not historically been a leading concern when developers confront the challenge of erecting an arena from scratch to a pressing deadline. But gradually the green agenda has gained ground in the list of key considerations for hosting sporting events, while some leading clubs have also developed environmental awareness.

The US has been the trailblazer, with many of the biggest names in American sport now belonging to the Green Sports Alliance, a non-profit organisation that helps members enhance their environmental performance.

Founded in 2011 by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s investment company Vulcan, the alliance now has 125 venues, 105 teams and seven leagues as members.

As identified in the NRDC’s “Game Changer” report, greener stadiums not only benefit the environment and cut utility bills but also have potential to improve community ties, attract corporate sponsors and can boost the local economy.

We can expect even greater commitment to sustainability from big sports clubs globally in the coming years. The current issue of HOST CITY magazine looks at three stadiums that set standards for other developers to aspire to.

1: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US

This is the only stadium in the National Football League (NFL) that is home to more than one club. But the energy savings it has achieved since opening in April 2010 go far beyond the benefits derived from the ground-sharing arrangement between the New York Giants and New York Jets.

Find out more in the current issue of HOST CITY magazine.

2: Estádio Nacional, Brasilia

Few stadiums globally have earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design [LEED] awards of any level from the US-based Green Building Council.

Now, this US$640m stadium in Brazil’s capital is ready not only to host seven matches in the World Cup but to seek the highest LEED rating available: platinum.

Find out more in the current issue of HOST CITY magazine.

3: Marlins Park, Miami

The 37,442 capacity stadium became the first in Major League Baseball to achieve LEED gold certification for new construction in 2012, surpassing Miami Marlins’ initial ambition of achieving silver.

Find out more in the current issue of HOST CITY magazine.

Seeking support for its bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) treated representatives from fellow African Commonwealth countries to dinner in Botswana on Sunday. 

Representatives from 16 African Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) attended the dinner.

Africa holds great sway in the voting procedure: with 18 of the 70 CGAs, the continent is home to more Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) members than any other region.

Tubby Reddy, CEO of SASCOC said in a statement “We do believe that with your support, our brothers and sisters of Africa, our bid will be successful, and to show the rest of the Commonwealth that it is indeed the African continent’s turn.”

Gideon Sam, President of SASCOC added “If there is any honesty in the world it’s Africa’s time. It’s been to Canada, it’s been to Australia, it’s been to England, it’s been to Scotland, it’s been to Asia but it’s never been to Africa. And we believe that it is our time. We have the infrastructure.”

The CGF does not employ a system of continental rotation for hosting the Games, but its constitution states: “The Commonwealth Games shall not be awarded in succession to countries in the same Region if countries from other Regions are making acceptable applications to act as hosts to the Commonwealth Games.”

In all its 22 editions, the Commonwealth Games has only been awarded three times to emerging cities outside Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 

In a previous interview in the Spring issue of HOST CITY magazine, David Grevemberg, CEO of Glasgow 2014 said “Durban is emerging in some ways, but it’s got some regenerative aspects it could use the Games for – it’s hosted a World Cup competition.”

Discussing the future of the Commonwealth Games, Grevemberg said “One of the biggest challenges is to continue to make sure that the Games represent quality, quantity and universality.

“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.”

Appealing to his African peers, Sam said “Hosting the World Cup gave the country vital experience and the necessary infrastructure which includes big stadiums, world class swimming pools, athletic tracks and cricket clubs to name but a few.

“We ask for your support as our fellow African counterparts so that we win this bid and host this prestigious event in South Africa.”

The Canadian city of Edmonton is also bidding for the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Formal bid proposals are due to be lodged in March 2015. 

The host city will be elected at the Commonwealth Games Federation’s General Assembly in Auckland, New Zealand in September 2015, when the 70 CGF Members will vote by secret ballot.

Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee announced the membership  on Thursday of 14 working groups that will develop “Olympic Agenda 2020” – the IOC’s roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. 

Agenda 2020 centres on five themes: the uniqueness of the Olympic Games, athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement, Olympism in action, the IOC’s role and IOC structure and organisation.

Each working group is to be chaired by an IOC member. John Coates, an outspoken critic of Rio’s preparations, is to head up the working group on bidding procedure. Sir Craig Reedie is to lead on good governance and autonomy. 

The working groups include athletes and representatives of the International Federations and National Olympic Committees. A number of experts have also been appointed from outside the Olympic Movement, including representatives from leading international non-governmental and business organisations. 

The aim of the working groups is to compile and discuss contributions to the Olympic Agenda 2020, which the IOC describes as a “strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement”. Many contributions to the debate of the future of the Olympic Movement have already been received from the Olympic Family and wider public via a call for feedback via email. 

The working groups will first meet in June, close to Olympic Day, and their findings discussed at the Olympic Summit in July and at an Executive Board Meeting on 22-24th October in Lausanne. The resulting proposals for Olympic Agenda 2020 will then be presented to all IOC members for discussion at the IOC Extraordinary Session in Monaco on 8 and 9 December 2014.

The 14 Working Groups are: Bidding Procedure (Chair John D. Coates, AC); Sustainability and Legacy (Chair Prince Sovereign Albert II); Differentiation of the Olympic Games (Chair Sam Ramsamy); Procedure for the composition of the Olympic Programme (Chair Franco Carraro); Olympic Games Management (Chair Mario Pescante); Protecting Clean Athletes (Chair Claudia Bokel); Olympic TV Channel (Chair Thomas Bach); Olympism in action including Youth Strategy; (Chair Gerardo Werthein); Youth Olympic Games (Chair Ser Miang Ng); Culture Policy (Chair Lambis V. Nikolaou); Good governance and autonomy (Chair Craig Reedie); Ethics (Chair Youssoupha Ndiaye); Strategic review of sponsorship, licensing and merchandising (Chair Tsunekazu Takeda); IOC Membership (Chair The Grand Duke Henri of Luxemburg).

The complete list of Working Groups can be viewed here.

Preparations to lay the foundations for Al Wakrah Stadium, the first stadium being built for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, began on Monday.

Local construction company HBK has started major excavation work on the site, which will enable the foundations to be start being laid in September 2014.

The groundwork is scheduled to be completed by March 2015, with the entire stadium project expected to be finished in 2018. 

AECOM is providing design consultancy and construction supervision services on the stadium, which was designed by Zaha Hadid. The preparatory works at Al Wakrah were carried out by AMANA, a Middle Eastern firm with headquarters in United Arab Emirates. The contractor for the main construction phase will be announced at a ceremony in September.  

“As a Qatari contractor, the decision to award HBK the contract following a tender process implemented for a number of Qatari contractors with local knowledge and proven capabilities follows the Supreme Commitee’s vision to develop the private sector,” the Supreme Committee said in a statement.

The 40,000 seater stadium will be surrounded by a 560,000 m2 (60-hectare) precinct, which will include a new sports centre and a range of community facilities including a park, mosque, school, hotel, wedding hall, vocational training centre and retail outlets.

The stadium’s modular design will allow 20,000 modular seats to be removed after the World Cup, when they are planned to be donated to countries in need of sporting infrastructure, according to the Supreme Committee. 

The contract with HBK contains the Supreme Committee’s new Workers’ Welfare Standards, aimed at protecting the rights of workers through all stages of contracting. “The new Al Wakrah Stadium will contribute to a significant legacy of enhanced workers’ welfare in the country,” said the Committee. 

Al Wakrah is one of at least eight stadiums that will form part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

By the end of 2014, at least five World Cup stadiums are scheduled to be under construction, with the total number of venues to feature in the tournament to be confirmed by December. Three existing stadiums – Khalifa, Al Gharrafa and Al Rayyan – are to be expanded for the 2022 World Cup.

HOST CITY: Which areas of preparation will require the greatest focus and dedication in the final two months before the Games?

David Grevemberg: The final areas are security and transport. You want people to have an absolutely safe time; you want things to be secure and people to really be able to trust that. It’s the same with transport: you want reliability, accessibility and making sure people are connected and able to get where they need to.

There are so many great learnings from London 2012, like good contract management when it comes to security in particular. What we’ve done is to diversify in terms of private contracting and stewarding: we have put together several lots on a site-specific basis. This requires good contract management but gives us better resilience.

HOST CITY: What impact do you think hosting the Games will have on the perceptions of Glasgow?

David Grevemberg: Glasgow has seen a reputation and recognition enhancement over the last 10 years of pursuing the Games.

It has garnered more recognition in terms of tourism, entertainment and sport, because of the number of events that are being awarded to Glasgow. Great examples beyond 2014 are the World Gymnastics Championships and the IPC Swimming World Championships. All these are testament to Glasgow being recognised as a place where great sport lives.

This is a huge confidence boost. We are raising the bar; we win together and we deliver – that’s going to make the history that Glasgow wants.

HOST CITY: What do you think Glasgow 2014 will contribute to the Commonwealth itself?

David Grevemberg: We’ve asked people what the Commonwealth means to them and they’ve said that the leadership of the Commonwealth is something that is admirable and inspiring: people like Her Majesty, Ghandi and Mandela.

We’ve also been incredibly provocative in challenging the Commonwealth, understanding the good the bad and the ugly: the tremendous industrial renaissance, but also some of the more uncomfortable connections that we have, such as empire, colonialism and slavery.

This has been a great occasion for a refreshed conversation about the modern Commonwealth. These values of peace, prosperity, democracy, humanity, equality and destiny are all at the heart of the Commonwealth secretariat.

Our focus is about looking at the citizens of the Commonwealth and truly empowering young people in a way that has not been done before. Whether that is offering the opportunity for young children to create our mascot or our tartan, or allowing 16-year olds to become volunteers – that has been seldom done at an event of this level.

What do you think the future holds for the Commonwealth Games?

David Grevemberg: There are very different markets right now in terms of hosting the events. You have emerging markets and regenerative markets, and some are a bit of a combination. Both have different opportunities and challenges, and it’s making sure that fits right for your event and your rights, as a rights owner.

One of the biggest challenges is to continue to make sure that the Games represent quality, quantity and universality. 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.

Do you have any plans or hopes for your own next moves after the Games?

David Grevemberg: 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, in whatever roles I take on next, because 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.

When you look at sporting events not only as multinational events but also “multi-rational” events, with multiple rationales for why you are doing this, you are not just having an event that goes from city to city and becomes very nationalistic.

Beyond all that, 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.

For the full interview with David Grevemberg, please read the current issue of HOST CITY magazine