With the crisis in the Ukraine deepening, SportAccord will no longer be taking place in 2022 in Russia as planned.

A statement sent to Host City, signed by SportAccord and GAISF President Ivo Ferriani, read: "The SportAccord Executive Committee met today and unanimously decided to cancel the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit, 15-20 May 2022 in Ekaterinburg, Russia".

The statement reached Host City shortly after the IOC Executive Board urged all International Sports Federations to relocate or cancel their sports events currently planned in Russia or Belarus.

"They should take the breach of the Olympic Truce by the Russian and Belarussian governments into account and give the safety and security of the athletes absolute priority. The IOC itself has no events planned in Russia or Belarus," the IOC statement said.

"In addition, the IOC EB urges that no Russian or Belarussian national flag be displayed and no Russian or Belarussian anthem be played in international sports events which are not already part of the respective World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sanctions for Russia.

"At the same time, the IOC EB expresses its full support to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for the upcoming Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

"The IOC EB expresses its deep concerns about the safety of the members of the Olympic Community in Ukraine and stands in full solidarity. It notes that the special IOC task force is in contact with the Olympic Community in the country to coordinate humanitarian assistance where possible.

"The IOC EB asks the task force to continue to closely monitor the situation and to keep the IOC EB informed and updated, also with regard to potential amendments of today’s resolution."

The Centre for Sport and Human Rights also contacted Host City with a statement, in which it said, "We welcome decisions to relocate events from Russia at this time, believe that discussions on sporting sanctions are appropriate, and salute the bravery of athletes from both Russia and Ukraine in taking a stand for peace and human rights."

Beijing 2022 has been hailed for setting new standards in engagement by Ivo Ferriani, President of GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations).

“Following 19 days of exciting winter sports action, I would like to congratulate the IOC, Beijing 2022, athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers for delivering a successful Olympic Winter Games and inspiring millions of people in China and around the world to engage in winter sports,” he said.

“I understand that the Opening Ceremony was the most watched broadcast in China in a decade; this is fantastic news for the future of ice and snow sports in China.”

Worldwide, the Opening Ceremony attracted achieved more viewers than any previous Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony.

Throughout the Games, more hours of broadcast coverage were made available than at any previous Olympic Winter Games edition. In China, broadcast coverage of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 reached over 600 million people through TV alone.

The IOC said the Games also achieved record coverage through digital platforms, with “billions of engagements across digital platforms, including Olympic and Rights-Holding Broadcasters’ properties”.

Ferriani said: “With more than 2.7 billion comments about the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on the IOC’s social media platforms, I have no doubt that millions more people will participate in winter sports activities as a result.”

More than a thousand journalists were accredited for the Games, in addition to close to a thousand other accredited members of the press from 520 organisations, plus 3,607 accreditations granted to representatives of rights-holding broadcasters.

The Games was delivered in the most challenging of circumstances amid the Covid 19 pandemic.

 “I can speak from experience and say that the closed-loop system was very successful and there was a fantastic Olympic spirit throughout the Games,” said Ferriani. “This would of course not have been possible if it wasn’t for all the hard work behind-the-scenes and everyone coming together to deliver a safe and secure Olympic Winter Games.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the GAISF Members of Olympic winter sports for your hard work and efforts to provide the best possible support for your athletes.”

At an thank-you event organised at the Big Air venue in Shougang Park in Beijing, the IOC’s Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission Chair, Juan Antonio Samaranch, thanked the thousands of Beijing 2022 workforce and volunteers.

“You and all your teams have done incredible work to tackle the different challenges. You have always been responsible, responsive and efficient to all our requests,” he said.

“Thanks for your strong commitment and dedication. You ensured that these Olympic Winter Games were memorable.”

With 45 per cent of athletes being female and 55 per cent male, Beijing 2022 also set a new standard as the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games.

Cai Qi, president of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee, said: “As the first city to host both summer and winter Olympic Games, Beijing 2022 will go down in history. We will continue to work with the IOC to spread the Olympic spirit, enhance inclusiveness and mutual understanding, promote friendship and solidarity, and jointly shape a better future.”

[Source: Commonwealth Sport] The CGF has been in discussions with multiple countries across the Commonwealth regarding hosting the 2026 Games, with negotiations accelerating following the launch of the 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap in October 2021. The Roadmap provides future hosts and sports with the renewed flexibility to be innovative and creative in delivering the Games.

Following ongoing discussions, the CGF, the Victorian Government and CGAus have signed a Heads of Agreement to formally enter an exclusive dialogue period to agree the parameters for a 2026 Commonwealth Games, to be hosted in the State in South-Eastern Australia.

Premier Daniel Andrews and the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula have confirmed that, if awarded, the 2026 Commonwealth Games would be hosted across the State.

The Government and CGAus will now develop Victoria’s 2026 Commonwealth Games Submission. It will focus on a new way to host the Games, showing how events could be held in multiple locations across regional Victoria to showcase the best of what the State has to offer and ensure a uniquely Victorian experience for the athletes and spectators. The CGF will assess this submission prior to any decision being made to award the Games to Victoria.

Australia has staged the Commonwealth Games on five occasions, with Victoria playing host to the Melbourne 2006 Games; widely considered one of the most successful editions of the event in history.

The country has also staged the Games in Sydney in 1938, Perth in 1962, Brisbane in 1982 and most recently Gold Coast in 2018. The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be staged in Birmingham, England from 28 July – 8 August.

Victoria is a world leading major events and tourism destination. The State has a strong track record for staging high profile sporting competition including The Australian Open tennis grand slam, the Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup. Victoria also regularly hosts elite cricket, golf and Australian Rules Football competition. 

Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin DBE said: “We are pleased to have entered into an exclusive dialogue with Victoria and Commonwealth Games Australia to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Following months of positive discussions, it is clear that Victoria has an exciting vision for a future Games which will provide many benefits for the community whilst leaving a significant legacy for the state.

This vision is aligned with our 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap, which has proved to be a catalyst for positive and exciting conversations on how our event will look in four years’ time.

Victoria is one of the world’s greatest sporting States and there is no doubt it has the venues, infrastructure, and people to stage a world class edition of the Games.

We are very excited to be working closely with Victoria and Commonwealth Games Australia to explore the potential staging of the event in the State.”

Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews said: “Victoria is Australia’s sporting state, and, if awarded, the 2026 Commonwealth Games would demonstrate to the world a new way to deliver the competition. We would hope to have the majority of events in our regional cities – to display the best of Victoria, create jobs and housing and infrastructure that will deliver for the long term.”

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said: “Bringing the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Victoria will showcase our state globally, deliver major economic benefits and support jobs across our great state.”

Commonwealth Games Australia President Ben Houston said: “Hosting Great Games is a key pillar in the Commonwealth Games Australia strategic plan and given our window for hosting the Games is 2026, we are thrilled to join the CGF in exclusive dialogue with Victoria to host the Commonwealth Games once again.

A home Games provides immeasurable benefits for our Member sports and athletes and we look forward to working with both the CGF and the Victorian Government to bring a final Games plan to life.”

[Source: The Sports Consultancy] The National Football League (NFL) has confirmed that Munich has been chosen to stage the first-ever regular-season game in Germany during the 2022 season.

Following a competitive application process, FC Bayern Munich Stadium, the home of the Bundesliga champions, was selected as the venue for two of the four International Series games to be played in Germany over the next four years. Frankfurt Stadium will also host two games.

The NFL engaged London-based agency The Sports Consultancy (TSC) to design and deliver a structured host selection process, commencing in June 2021. TSC supported the NFL to engage cities across Germany, with in-house law firm TSC Legal providing contract drafting and negotiation services.

“We are very pleased to welcome Munich and Frankfurt to the NFL family and are excited to reward our fans in Germany for their passion by bringing them the spectacle of regular-season NFL football,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We look forward to staging our first game in Germany at FC Bayern Munich’s fantastic stadium later this year and to exploring areas of broader collaboration with the Bundesliga.”

The game in Munich will be one of five international games staged by the NFL in 2022, including one in Mexico and three in the UK – two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a Jacksonville Jaguars home game at Wembley Stadium. Home teams for international games will be announced in the coming weeks, with dates and matchups to be confirmed in conjunction with the 2022 NFL schedule announcement later this year.

The NFL has staged 30 regular-season games in London since 2007. As part of the NFL’s 17-game schedule, each team is required to stage at least one international game every eight years

Dieter Reiter, Lord Mayor of Munich, said: “We are very pleased to welcome the NFL International Series to Munich. It is a great honor for the state capital Munich to be the first German city to stage a regular-season NFL game. Many Munich residents are big football fans and they will be thrilled that this spectacular sporting event is coming to their city.”

"We have been collaborating with the NFL since 2014 when we opened our US office,” said Oliver Kahn, CEO of FC Bayern Munich. “Our ambition was to reach and engage fans in each other’s respective home countries. We are delighted to take this next step in our long-term partnership to host a regular-season NFL game at our home stadium.”

Frankfurt Sports Councillor Mike Josef said: “American football was and still is at home in Frankfurt. That’s why I’m very pleased about the NFL’s decision to come to Frankfurt on a regular basis. The NFL is not just coming to Frankfurt for a game. With its sustainable engagement in our community, we are sure to achieve a great boost for sports in Frankfurt. We are looking forward to working with the NFL.”

Axel Hellman, CEO of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt, said: “We are totally excited to be hosting two matches in the next years here in Frankfurt. Welcome to Eintracht Frankfurt. Welcome to the heart of Europe.”

Bundesliga CEO Donata Hopfen said: “We are pleased that the NFL has consulted with the Bundesliga in the planning of its first regular-season NFL games in Germany. These conversations have led both leagues to agree to explore the potential of a mutually beneficial collaborative partnership, which is very exciting for clubs in both leagues.”

Host selection process

The selection process for NFL games in Germany began last year with initial expressions of interest from nine cities, after which Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich were invited to participate in a full evaluation of the opportunities offered by each city. The partnerships between the NFL and Munich and Frankfurt include a joint commitment to deliver fan engagements activities, community participation programs and other NFL initiatives.

“We are looking forward to partnerships with Munich and Frankfurt that will extend beyond the games and help us to deliver accelerated growth in Germany,” said Brett Gosper, NFL Head of Europe and UK. “The strong interest we received underlined what a fantastic opportunity regular-season games offer for a host, ranging from significant economic benefits and global exposure to the chance to become a hub for the growth of the NFL’s fan engagement, community and grassroots activities.

“We also thank Düsseldorf, which presented a strong aligned consortium with ambitious plans. We look forward to developing a partnership there, with a potential for hosting games in the future.”

The staging of regular-season games is part of the NFL’s growing commitment to Germany. The League has recently appointed Alexander Steinforth as its dedicated general manager for the territory and is committed to establishing a permanent headquarters in the country. It has also committed to investing in grassroots and community programs in Germany.

In December, the NFL announced that four NFL teams – Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – have been granted access to Germany for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of its International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA) initiative.

The NFL has enjoyed a number of strong years of fan growth in Germany, where it now has 19 million fans.  Weekly NFL television viewership on partners ProSieben and DAZN has grown by more than 20 percent annually since 2017, and millions of fans tuned in for Super Bowl LV last February, making it the third consecutive season of record German Super Bowl viewership. Germany is a leading market outside North America for NFL Shop sales, fantasy football participation and sales of the Madden NFL video game.

A new survey by AFG Videoforschung found that American football has become the second-most popular television sport in Germany, with one in three people having watched in the past year.

FC Bayern Munich has won 30 national championships, 20 domestic cups and six UEFA Champions League titles, making it the most successful German team in history. The club’s unique ownership structure sees more than 290,000 club members own a majority share

Florian Kraus, Munich’s Head of Department, Education and Sport said: “It's great for the image of the sports city of Munich to be able to present this sports event, which has such international appeal. After the European Championships, it will be the second major sporting highlight this year. Anyone who follows the current NFL playoffs knows that an exciting spectacle awaits us.”

Andreas Jung, FC Bayern Munich Board Member for Marketing said: “Our state-of-the-art stadium was opened in 2005, providing one of the best atmospheres within sports. The 2022 NFL game will become our first-ever non-soccer event at the stadium, making this a landmark event. We look forward to hosting the NFL and welcoming American football fans.”

Mike Josef, Frankfurt Sports Councillor said: “Having NFL games at two venues is ideal. It shows that we as the city put a lot of effort into it and delivered, together with Eintracht Frankfurt and many supporters, a good overall concept. This gives us the opportunity to enable more fans to enjoy an NFL game after our stadium extension in 2023. The stadium will be broadcast around the world and presented to an audience of millions. The event will be a tremendous asset, not only for sports, but for our hotels, hospitality and retail in the city. Particularly in the current times, this is an important signal to all sectors of the economy in the city and the region. This strengthens the reputation of Frankfurt as a sports-city and delivers another success story for the many football fans in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region.”

Patrik Meyer, Managing Director, Eintracht Frankfurt said: “As well as our glorious home team, Eintracht Frankfurt, this stadium has seen a lot of amazing events. But with the NFL coming to town we are really taking it to the next level. We are absolutely excited about NFL games coming to Frankfurt.”

David Knower, Frankfurt Galaxy/Advisory Board of the European League of Football: “As an American in Germany I am thrilled the NFL has chosen to play games here. We love the old days of the NFL Europe. We are very excited by the Frankfurt Galaxy here now, but the ultimate prize is an NFL game in Germany and in Frankfurt.”

Those wishing to register their interest in attending and receiving further information about the first NFL regular-season game in Munich should visit: www.nfl.com/munich  

[Source: Global Esports Federation] The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum will be staged in Birmingham, England this summer. The Championships is a tangible result of the Strategic Partnership between the Global Esports Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation, announced in May 2020. The new competition in Birmingham will be supported by the British Esports Association, the not-for-profit national body established in 2016 to promote esports in the UK, increase its level of awareness, improve standards and inspire future talent.

The Commonwealth Esports Championships will take place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham on August 6-7, 2022. The Commonwealth Esports Forum – a global convention of thought leaders and idea creators – will be held at the same venue in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Esports Championships, on August 5, 2022.

The Commonwealth Esports Championships will feature esports athletes from across the Commonwealth. Renowned multi-genre global titles are in the final stages of confirmation and will be announced shortly. The event is set to feature exciting demonstrations showcasing Active Esports and the powerful technologies that support the convergence of sport and esports.

The Commonwealth Esports Championships was sanctioned by the CGF Executive Board to be held at the same time as the 2022 Commonwealth Games whilst being independent of Birmingham 2022 and its sports programme. The Commonwealth Esports Championships will have separate branding, medals, organisation, and governance, led by the GEF and its community of partners.

Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation said, “I am delighted that we are announcing the first Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum to take place in Birmingham this summer. Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, particularly amongst young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth Sports Movement. Commonwealth Esports Championships provides an excellent opportunity to pilot esports close to the Commonwealth Games. This will allow us to review the long-term relationship between the Commonwealth Games and esports as we continue to evolve and explore future editions of our event and what they could look like. I would like to thank the Global Esports Federation for their partnership with this exciting event, including the British Esports Association and the Business and Tourism Programme, who will help us bring this concept to life.”

“We are proud to establish yet another first for the world’s esports community. The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships comes hot on the heels of the first-ever Singapore 2021 Global Esports Games staged in December 2021, capturing more than 500 million views from around the world. The Commonwealth Esports Championships offers our community another exciting event in the global esports calendar. We look forward to welcoming the esports community to Birmingham in August,” said Chris Chan, President of the Global Esports Federation.

The event is supported by the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), which aims to maximise the economic legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as the regional economic development agency, the West Midlands Growth Company, which drives long-term tourism, investment, and major events into the region.

Exploring esports is one of the recommendations outlined in the new Commonwealth Sport 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap. The aspiration is that the innovative inaugural event will engage new audiences, showcase the digital and gaming credentials of the West Midlands and enable the Commonwealth Sport Movement to further explore the impact and potential of esports as part of the roadmap.

Alibaba Cloud, founded in 2009, is a global leader in cloud computing and artificial intelligence, providing services to thousands of enterprises, developers and government organisations in more than 200 countries and regions. Committed to the success of its customers, Alibaba Cloud provides reliable and high security cloud computing and digital technology capabilities as part of its online solutions.

“We are focusing on sustainable development and innovation,” Kevin Li, Head of International Sports Industry Department, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence said at Host City on 7 December 2021.

According to IDC and Gartner, Alibaba Cloud is the number one public cloud provider in China and APAC, and number three in the world.

In January 2017 Alibaba Cloud became the official cloud services partner of the Olympics.

“Since then we have been continuously supporting to drive the digital transformation of the Olympics,” said Li.

In 2018 Alibaba unveiled the cloud data centre for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and OBS Cloud with Olympic Broadcasting Services. In 2019 Alibaba Cloud became the official partner of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and helped to support the first Asian games on cloud. And in 2020, Alibaba Cloud announced its support of Le Club Paris 2024 to enable fans to interact and engage with the Olympics. And in 2021, the most important milestone was to support Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which was delivered for the first time on cloud.

“Our teams are working to provide cloud technology support to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which will take place in February 2022. As a worldwide Olympic partner we share a vision with the IOC of using cloud technology and digital intelligence to improve the decision making of Games operations and create unique digital journey experience of Olympic sports fans.

“We believe technology will make the Games more inclusive and accessible to people of different genders, races and age around the world, all united by the Games."

Breakthroughs at Tokyo 2020

“When we look back at Tokyo 2020, breakthroughs in digitalisation were made at every moment fuelled by leading cloud-based technologies through Alibaba Cloud in partnership with IOC,” said Li.

“Alibaba helped IOC to integrate official digital channels of the Olympic games into the new olympics.com platform.

“Alibaba and the IOC released the cloud press conference platform, enabling the media to easily watch all press conferences on the cloud.

“We launched the cloud intelligence heatstroke prediction system with the Tokyo organising committee, to reduce the probability of a heatstroke.

“Alibaba Cloud supported OBS to launch the Olympic broadcasting cloud for the first time, using cloud technology to fully support ultra high definition and high dynamic Olympic broadcasting services.

“Through the digital cloud cheer platform, Make the Beat, we can cheer on the cloud and encourage athletes from all countries.

Digital operation, competition, communication and experience

“When we overview all these digital innovations based on practices by Alibaba Cloud in the Olympic Games, we can identify four domains in more general sports digitalisation. The four domains are: digital operation, digital competition, digital communication and digital experience. Each domain is composed with corresponding business solutions for specific stakeholders respectively.

“Digital operation will improve the operational efficiency of organising committees to make the events more sustainable. Digital competition will strengthen the position of athletes are at the heart of the Olympic movement both on and off the field of play.

“Digital communication is aimed to reorganise accounting workflow through digital technology. Olympics.com is one of the fruitful achievements. The converged media channel has delivered extended engagement for all fans during the Olympic Games, which will reinforce and promote the Olympic values which are more important and powerful than ever.

“Digital experience will establish the seamless Games journey experience to improve fans’ engagement before, during and after the Games.”

More value to host cities

“As TOP partner, Alibaba Cloud keeps collaborating with stakeholders of Olympic Games from Pyeongchang, Tokyo and Beijing to the coming Milano-Cortina, Paris and Los Angeles Games to support IOC’s digital strategy to facilitate the successful Games delivery and strengthen the uniqueness and universality of every brilliant Olympic Games.

“These practices could deeply involve the TOP Partner’s expertise and resources into the programmes and activities of the Olympic movement.

“Alibaba Cloud stands with the IOC, organising committees, IFs, sponsors and other partners to make digital technology – especially the cloud, which is hosting all core Games services – as a powerful source to enable the events to be more connected, more efficient, more secure and more engaging.

“It will be helpful to establish dynamic sports games with unprecedented experience and a reduced carbon footprint of the Games.

“Digital solutions rely on cloud technology that bring more value to the host cities of Games. From the faster sports industry development to more efficient city operations it is expected that host cities will witness the smart capability, building and developing of transportation, touring, medical, governance and many other aspects.

“Alibaba Cloud can work such digital magic into our cloud products and services, the comprehensive cloud solutions will create value and be the enabler of sports industry digitalisation. Cooperating with other sports partners, fans and stakeholders globally, I believe we can seize opportunities of digitalisation and contribute to shaping the post-pandemic world by working together with the sports community to strengthen the Olympic values.

“Stronger together: let us send our best wishes to all athletes and fans of the coming Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.”

This article is based on Kevin Li’s presentation, The digital transformation of the Olympic Games, at Host City 2021

[Source: Super League Triathlon] Following on from the recent news of a groundbreaking partnership between World Triathlon and Super League Triathlon to grow a global esports world championship series – Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift – we are proud to announce the three cities chosen to host these races in 2022:

Arena Games Triathlon 2022 Locations:

•             April 9 2022: Munich, Germany at Olympia-Schwimmhalle

•             April 23 2022: London, UK at London Aquatics Centre

•             May 7 2022: Singapore Grand Final

The Arena Games Triathlon is a trailblazing concept pioneered by Super League Triathlon, grown from an ambition to drive competitive triathlon throughout the global pandemic. 2021 saw the first multi-city version of the Games set in Rotterdam and London; the recent partnership with World Triathlon means the Arena Games Triathlon will be bigger and better than ever in 2022, with a return to London (23rd April), a first Arena Games Triathlon event in Munich (9th April), and an inaugural Grand Final in Singapore (7th May).

We are working with all relevant authorities to host the events in accordance to local safety protocols and Covid regulations.

The blend of real-life and virtual reality racing provides an immersive viewing experience that allows fans to get up close and personal with the best triathletes in the world without leaving the comfort of their seat. The event also gives esport fans, and lovers of sports statistics, the chance to enjoy live data from the athletes in real time. Born in the COVID era but promising a new generation of stars, the Arena Games Triathlon is the future of indoor racing.

Each event will contribute points to the World Triathlon World Ranking, and the athletes who collect the most points over the course of the series will be awarded the first-ever triathlon esport World Titles in Singapore. All three venues will see the return of fast and furious Elite racing, offering an incredible spectator experience for the fans.

“We are delighted to welcome three amazing cities such as London, Munich and Singapore to our roster of hosts - we cannot think of a better scenario for the 2022 season of the Arena Games Triathlon. The three events offer a combination of vast experience of triathlon events, Olympic tradition and great hosting capabilities, so I am sure that both athletes and fans will enjoy it. We cannot wait for the start of the esports season!”, said World Triathlon President and IOC Member, Marisol Casado.

“We have continued to innovate during the pandemic, and the pinnacle of that is our Arena Games Triathlon, which we recently announced the partnership with World Triathlon. It's very exciting to see the first World Series of Triathlon esport coming together and announce this powerful line up with iconic locations. This series will be a milestone in triathlon’s history and these venues will really do that justice!” explained Michael D’hulst, CEO and co-founder of Super League Triathlon.

World Triathlon and Super League will collaborate on all aspects of Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift, including scheduling, participating athletes, involvement of national federations, promotion, broadcasters, host venues and amplifying the reach of the events.

Expertise, values and innovation were decisive factors in the appointment of Sunset+Vine to provide event production, live broadcast and programme distribution for E-Bike Grand Prix (EBK GP).

EBK GP is the world’s first international E-Bike race series which will be delivered as part of a robust sustainable transformative mobility programme in each city. The concept is owned and developed by Cube International. Due to begin in late 2022 with a showcase event in Dubai, the series will take place in 10 cities around the world across 2023. Each Grand Prix will highlight iconic landmarks and cultural sites in host cities as part of a high-speed, thrilling sporting spectacle.

All EBK GP races will be free for public viewing, and coverage of the events will be broadcast internationally via television and digital media through the series’ partner, Sunset+Vine.

“Sunset+Vine provide the E-Bike GP Series with the perfect solution for event production, live broadcast and programme distribution, drawing upon their diverse and considerable expertise in live events and their major sport experience,” Andy Moss, CEO of Teams & Franchise at EBK GP and founder and chairman of Cube International told Host City.

“The team demonstrated real commitment to our core sustainability programme and offered the exciting development of second screen technology, two winning ingredients.”

“Our broadcast and media programme is a crucial asset of the EBK GP Series,” Judith Rowan, Global Host Cities Director with EBK GP and International Project Director at Cube International told Host City. “It not only offers a platform for engaging with and entertaining a global audience, but importantly it also allows us to tell the stories of our host cities through the inspirational lens of a major sporting event.”

Second screens

“As this is a new event, we have a chance here to start with first principles,” said Andrew Preece, Executive Director of Sunset+Vine told Host City. “We have innovative ideas about AR & VR and how we link together the first and second screens in real time.”

The first screen is the TV or device where audiences watch the primary coverage, with the second being another device such as a phone or tablet where they watch surrounding content such as social media at the same time.

Sunset+Vine first had the opportunity to trial some of these techniques during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in October 2019, when Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to achieve a sub-two-hour marathon. The wide range of content they produced included a gallery of photos of training during the live event.

“When watching a live sporting event, quite often it’s good to have a deeper insight into the players and the equipment, which you can’t really show as part of live coverage,” said Preece. “We can show it to them on another device so they can get a deeper insight without compromising coverage of the sporting event, and to link it events that are happening within the race.” 

360-degree services

Another advantage of working with a new event is the infrastructure can be designed with content production in mind.

“When the event company is designing the race track, we’ve got an opportunity to integrate with them on elements that work for broadcast and to incorporate the camera plan,” said Preece. “For example, we can mount a camera on a turn on a place that it would be otherwise dangerous to film. This way, we can design the coverage without distracting the players.”

Unusually, Sunset+Vine’s output extends far beyond the broadcast feed, acting as a one stop shop for all content, from live to news to social and digital.

“We are unique in the sector in offering 360-degree services – rights sales, programme distribution, live production, shoulder production such as highlights and previews, news on TV and digital, general digital and social and audience development, for example building fan bases on social platforms.

“As events like this are being viewed in more ways on more devices our 360-degree service is increasing useful to organisers, as they don’t have to employ lots of different agencies.”

Zero carbon

In keeping with EBK Grand Prix’s mission to help create cleaner, greener healthier cities, Sunset+Vine are minimising the footprint of their work.

“We are looking at zero carbon in terms of how we are doing production, including looking at options for remote production. We are considering that in terms of how we deliver the production, and we will also look at how we integrate that into the editorial,” said Preece.

“Sport has the power to inspire and motivate,” said Rowan. “Media broadcast multiplies that impact. EBK’s mission is to effect change towards sustainability around the world, and our partners Sunset+Vine have the experience and prowess to harness broadcast’s full potential to help us do that.”

Following the confirmation of Dubai as a host in October, South Korea was announced as the second host country in December 2021. Global sports and entertainment company Collinder Holdings will work closely with the South Korean government on delivering the race series there.

EBK GP’s hosts commit to a three-year Sustainable Transformation Mobility (STM) programme, with delivery and support provided by a sustainability partner.

“We are very excited to join the E-Bike Grand Prix series, promoting technology and sustainability,” said Sara Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Collinder Holdings. “South Korea is one of the global leading battery manufacturers and the EV market rapidly growing E-Bike is just the right fit for Korea”.