Gymnastics and Golf are to join the prestigious line up of leading sports who will stage their European Championships together in 2018 for the first time in their history, the sports’ European associations announced on Friday.

The dates of the inaugural Championships were also confirmed as the 1st to 12th August 2018.

The two new sports join Athletics, Aquatics, Cycling, Rowing and Triathlon, who have decided to come together for the first time for the European Sports Championships which will be staged in the Host Cities of Glasgow and Berlin.

 “One of the challenges this project had to face was to create a programme that could offer the best conditions for athletes to express themselves while also creating interest for the main TV networks in Europe. The result of very fruitful discussions allow me to express my satisfaction that Glasgow and Berlin will showcase one of the best events of all time,” said Paolo Barelli, President of the Ligue Européenne de Natation (European Aquatics.

“Each individual European Federation will create a fantastic programme that will maximise interest and LEN is proud to be a pioneering partner of such an ambitious project that will contribute significantly to the development of sport.”

The European Artistic Gymnastics Championships will be staged in Glasgow at the SSE Hydro while the brand new European Golf team championships will take place at Scotland’s prestigious Gleneagles course.

 “It is very exciting for Golf Europe to be invited to join some of Europe’s leading sports in the inaugural European Sports Championships, with three new European Golf Team Championships for female, male and mixed teams,” said Keith Waters, The European Tour’s Chief Operating Officer and Director of International Policy.

“This is part of our vision of encouraging all European nations to participate in golf, and it is fitting that Gleneagles will host the first staging of this event, having been the venue for last year’s Ryder Cup, when Europe memorably united through team golf.”

Berlin will host the 2018 European Athletics Championships from the 7th to 12th August, with Glasgow hosting the six other European Championships over the 12 days.

“As one of the key sports, European Athletics has been happy to lead the process in the creation of the principles of good governance for the inaugural European Sports Championships, and we are pleased to move forward with this strong framework in place,” said European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen.

“We are looking forward to a fantastic European Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2018 as part of this exciting multi-sport concept. We are sure the European Sports Championships will bring additional values and benefits to athletics in Europe and to the Berlin championships.”

The partnership between European Athletics, Aquatics (LEN), Cycling (UEC), Rowing (FISA) and Triathlon (ETU) welcomed European Gymnastics (UEG) and Golf Europe is set to create a major new multi-sport event on the world stage, attracting a projected television audience of around 850 million and an even wider audience via multiple digital platforms.

The newly-formed European Sports Championships 2018 Board 2018 Board also ratified the organisational rules and decision-making processes to ensure strong governance going forward.

This innovative new approach by the governing bodies, who announced their plans earlier this year, brings the existing European Championships together from seven sports in a sustainable format once every four years in order to continue building their prestige, profile and media exposure.

Around 1,500 athletes will compete in Berlin as part of the European Athletics Championships while approximately 3,025 athletes will visit Scotland for the other six events.

All seven Championships will be staged within the agreed date window.

“With all the sports now confirmed for 2018 Glasgow is again ready to show the excellence and innovation with which it can stage world class events on the global stage,” said Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council.

“Major events have become a crucial part of our city’s economy and we can now look forward with tremendous excitement and focus to partnering with this fantastic group of sports to continue to create opportunity and help improve health and well-being outcomes for our citizens.”

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the consortium for the continent’s public service free-to-air broadcasters, will be the broadcast partner for the combined championships, which are expected to generate more than 2750 hours of programming across Europe’s biggest broadcasters.

EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot, said: “With seven sports now part of the first edition, the European Sports Championships will be the centrepiece of the sports season in Europe and public service media is proud to participate in the promotion of European sports and its athletes through extensive free-to air coverage across television, digital and radio.”

The Golf event will be staged over 5 days and include men’s team, women’s team and mixed team competition.

Two male and female athletes per nation will participate, with the top 16 European nations included.

The Gymnastics event will include both the Men’s and Women’s Artistic Championships, with around 600 athletes competing in Glasgow over six days.

“We are really excited to be included in the 2018 European Sports Championships as it represents a huge opportunity for Gymnastics to further raise its profile right across Europe,” , said Georges Guelzec, President of European Gymnastics.

“We can also think of no better city than Glasgow to host our 600 competitors who will compete in the men’s and women’s European Artistic Championships.”

Innovative event hosting formats is a key theme of Host City 2015, which takes place in Glasgow on 9th to 10th November. Register your attendance at www.bidtowin-hostcity.net

HOST CITY: The IOC must be very pleased with the pool of cities bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games?

Sir Craig Reedie: Yes I think we are. It’s quite interesting that the change in the candidature rules, which came out of the whole reform process called Agenda 2020, seems to have attracted a very considerable field of really good cities. 

We are now waiting for further information from Paris, from Hamburg, from Rome, from Budapest and from a North American city – eventually, Los Angeles.

HOST CITY: It must have been a relief when Los Angeles stepped forward – was that anticipated?

Sir Craig Reedie: Yes, I think the USOC have all but admitted that their process might not have worked in the selection of Boston. But, with Boston’s withdrawal, they were fortunate in many ways that the Los Angeles people were so able to come to the party very quickly and in a relatively tight timeframe, because they had a number of things to agree with Los Angeles city before the necessity of putting in a formal bid on the 15th of September. 

Los Angeles has an Olympic record – if they win they will be like London, hosting the third time. The city has changed dramatically over the last few years and I am sure they will come forward with a very good bid. 

HOST CITY: And the other cities represent a different spread to what we’ve seen in recent bidding procedures. 

Sir Craig Reedie: Yes, it’s an interesting mix. Paris is looking to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Games in Paris and has clear bidding experience. 

Rome hosted outstanding Games in 1960 and there seems to be considerable enthusiasm in Italy and in Rome behind the Rome bid, so they are impressive.

Budapest has come quite late to the party but again a splendid city and Hungary has a terrific Olympic record. 

It’s interesting that when the German Olympic Committee decided to choose Hamburg as opposed to Berlin, who I suppose before that decision would have been seen to be favourite, immediately there was strong support from Berlin for the Hamburg choice. So again there seems to be a great deal of unity there. 

So it’s a really good field. 

HOST CITY: The Olympic bidding process has changed, hasn’t it – after the new invitation phase, we are now straight into the candidature phase.

Sir Craig Reedie: You have to go back a few years to when the system changed from one bidding system into a two phase system – applicant and then candidate. That has now been refined and the big addition has been the invitation phase before a National Olympic Committee decides finally to put a city into the candidature role. 

The closing date was 15 September. So for several months before that, cities that were thinking of bidding for the Games, and the National Olympic Committees, came to meet the relevant people in the Olympic Games department and the candidate cities department of the IOC to sit down and work out exactly how the Games would fit into their city; how it would provide legacy; how it would be sustainable; how it would fit into city plans. And the cities were given a great deal of information from the IOC, as it does have a great deal of information from previous bidding processes. 

That’s a complete change from the previous process, where the IOC had a very detailed list of requirements and cities bid against that list. 

So there is a major change there and I understand that it has been welcomed by the cities, all of whom have been to see the IOC in the invitation phase, and by other cities who went and subsequently decided not to bid but learned a great deal from the exercise and may do so in the future. 

And then we come to the candidature phase, which is divided into three parts.

The first part, which runs until June 2016, is the Vision, Games Concept and Strategy and the candidate city’s “bid book” will be submitted electronically. There will be consultation with the IOC throughout and at the end of that first phase the Executive Board will decide whether the cities will move to the second phase, which runs from June to December 2016 and deals with governments, legal matters and venue funding. 

Again, the presentations will be made through the IOC with a great deal of assistance and the Executive Board will again make a decision on moving people forward to the third phase, which is Games Delivery, Experience and Venue Legacy and runs from December 2016 through to the selection in September 2017. 

So rather than one huge bid book being required at a set date, it’s divided into three sections. There are workshops planned; there are assistances planned to the cities throughout. 

HOST CITY: is there any possibility that any of the cities might not proceed beyond each of these particular stages?

Sir Craig Reedie: The whole point of the exercise with the IOC is to help them to get presentations and plans submitted that actually fit not only what the IOC wants for good Games but also what the cities want themselves. There’s an element of skill and discretion needed in doing that; the IOC have to deal with information from one city on a confidential basis and they have to be fair with all five cities. And if they do that, the system will work. 

It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that a city could come back and say we’re not taking it any further – I think that’s unlikely in the sense that a lot of work will have gone into this, a lot of discussions have gone on through the invitation phase. And since it’s going on through a stage by stage basis I think it’s highly unlikely that people will withdraw. 

The end result of that is that we will have five cities presenting to the Session on the ultimate decision to be taken in Lima in Peru in 2017. 

HOST CITY: Five is a very good number of cities. 

Sir Craig Reedie: It’s a very good number. I have very warm memories of five cities presenting in 2005 in Singapore. 

HOST CITY: And this is all the result of a process of change initiated by IOC President Thomas Bach, which is reflected by the broad theme of the HOST CITY 2015 conference, “Creative Innovation”. Why the need for change in the IOC?

Sir Craig Reedie: I think the principle that Thomas Bach enunciated, to change or change will be forced upon you, is a good one. 

People forget that the previous bidding process was certainly the gold standard in sport the world over. If you find that there is a reluctance to bid – and clearly there was an element of that in the 2022 Winter Games situation – then perhaps you should be prepared to do a little bit of out of the box thinking. 

And the whole Agenda 2020 process started with two long four or five day meetings of the Executive Board which were effectively a think tank. We ranged all over the place and at the end of the day came up with a coordinated and sensible view of how we wanted to run the Games but also to promote the Olympic movement for the future. 

There were some fairly dramatic discussions on the bidding process of the Games. We wanted to make it more inclusive, we wanted to make it more cooperative, we wanted to make it cheaper, we wanted to make it encouraging to more cities to become involved. 

In the process of bidding for sporting events, it’s a competitive field. The Olympic Games are the greatest show on earth; it’s important that they maintain this status. It’s important that the athletes regard them as the greatest show on earth and something they really want to take part in. 

So therefore a process of change is a perfectly reasonable thing to undertake.

HOST CITY: What are your expectations of HOST CITY 2015 in Glasgow?

Sir Craig Reedie: From my point of view of being involved in HOST CITY 2015, I am delighted that the event is coming to Glasgow, because Glasgow has shown that it is a sporting city with the way it has developed its facilities, the way it ran a major multi-sport event, the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and what it’s been doing since then – not least a couple of hugely successful Davis Cup tennis ties. 

So if you look at the excitement that generates locally, and the promotion that it gives the city on a worldwide basis, then I think this indicates that the market out there is a buoyant one.

Cities should be very well prepared to become involved and therefore they should be thinking ahead; they should be innovative – and with a bit of luck they will reap the benefits that Glasgow has.

Over the last few years, the increase in costs to host major sport events has been astonishing. As a result, in the midst of a global economic downturn, many countries have shied away from bidding and hosting major sport events due to the huge investment and infrastructure needed to host a safe and successful event.

 
As the last 12 months have shown, the sports industry is facing a period where it isn’t just the bidding cities that need to do the convincing, but also the rights holders of those major events too. Major sports events are fast becoming a luxury that few can afford.

Take the Olympic Games as an example, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already taken a lead to try and reduce the cost of bidding for and hosting the Games through its Agenda 2020 programme, with many other major continental and multi-sport events beginning to follow suit and thinking harder about how to reduce costs in order to attract bidding cities. 

What is apparent is that – in the face of constantly evolving threats and risks and growing security costs - many aspiring host cities and countries now simply cannot afford to host major sport events, particularly in the face of many social, economic and political challenges that face countries around the world today. 

Budgets have overrun on numerous occasions for major international sporting events with many of these costs being borne, more often than not, by the host city and the public purse.      

But what part does security play in the cost cutting debate and what can be done to reduce the costs when planning for security?

Many agree that security has a vital role to play in the success of any major sport event or venue, as well as the overall spectator experience, however over the last decade major event security costs have spiralled in the face of huge international uncertainty and other emerging security threats. This year alone, over R$400 million (approx. US$100 million) will be spent on public security by Rio de Janeiro in the lead up to next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. All of this, in the face of a huge economic downturn taking place in the country. 

As part of our work at the ICSS, our team of international experts have dedicated themselves to help develop a more cost effective approach to major event safety and security, as well as encouraging a more coordinated, international and long-term effort to enhance understanding about safety and security issues threatening sport.  
It is clear that the industry - both sport as a whole and the security sector - is at a turning point in the evolution of major sport events and that public and private bodies must be more creative in the way it cuts costs, without cutting corners. 

One approach the ICSS firmly believes in to help host cities in this area is to integrate security planning from the start to ensure that all aspects of security are covered – and in a timely manner.  

Based on years of international experience and research, the ICSS has developed cutting edge models to help secure host cities and countries achieve this and will hopefully serve as a master guide to major event security planning.
It is also critical to perform a thorough threat and risk assessment at an earlier stage of the event life cycle. Resulting from this, security planning and budgeting can be prepared and then  integrated into sport facility security design from the very beginning. 

As we have seen in the past, last-minute surprises and reactive approaches to a security issue have been costly for many host cities, with significant amounts on public money being spent on hiring private security firms or other public sector resources (e.g. police forces, military) being called upon at the last minute in order to fill a security gap. An example of this was London 2012, which exceeded its original security budget by roughly 105%!

By integrating security right from the beginning of the design phase for venues, organisers can make significant savings by identifying potential threats to the event and venues at an early stage in the process and thus preventing rework, delays, penalties and incorrect use of materials later on. 

It is also worth remembering that security at a major event is not just about the venue. It is also about creating a safe and secure environment in other public areas like fan zones and public viewing areas to ensure spectators have peace of mind and can fully experience a city or country by using local infrastructure to create that ‘special’ atmosphere that many organisers are looking for. 

Since athletes, fans and VIP’s have to move between locations, it is also crucial that route and transport security is also fully integrated into the overall design and operations of an event. This requires a significant level of security planning and communication, particularly with the material screening facilities required to screen all goods that enter a venue. 

Through our work here at the ICSS, we have noticed that not enough events at the moment think about how security design of their sport venues impacts on the wider security planning and user experience. By bringing on board the security consultant from the early stages, potential operational problems can be identified from the outset and avoid costly changes to the venue or awkward workarounds once the venue has been built.

Looking ahead, as major events and the industry continues to look at new ways to reduce costs, it is important that security plays its role too. At the ICSS, through our ongoing work helping to secure venues and major events, our experts are contributing and continuing to look for new, cost-effective ways to protect those who attend major events. 

Nevertheless, it is important though that sport does not lose sight of the many new threats in the world today and that we do all we can to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for fans, athletes and the many others that love and attend sport events. 

This can only be achieved by major events bringing on board the security consultant at an earlier stage and recognising the numerous benefits that  a thorough threat and risk assessment and an integrated approach to security can have on an event – both operationally and on the bottom line. 

Malcolm Tarbitt is speaking at Host City 2015

Edmonton announced on Monday that it would not proceed with its bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, citing the negative impact of the dramatic fall in oil prices worldwide.

The Commonwealth Games Federation expressed disappointment in the news but is confident that Durban, the only other city bidding for the 2022 Games, can host what would be Africa’s first Commonwealth Games.

Edmonton will instead focus on the 2026 Games.

Alberta’s economy is heavily reliant on oil exports. The fall in oil prices is having a significant economic impact on the province.

Since the Edmonton 2022 bid was launched, Alberta’s fiscal programme has fallen from a CA$500m surplus to a CA$7bn deficit.

“In light of this, we determined that we could not in good conscience put forth our bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games,” said Bid Chairman Reg Milley.

“We strongly believe in the values of the Commonwealth Games and all that they stand for. Which is why this has not been an easy decision for us, as our team has been working tirelessly these last months to put together an extraordinary bid.

“But we believe that at this time it would not be right to move forward with our bid when cuts are being made in our communities to programmes like in education and health.”

Edmonton’s withdrawal has echoes of the 2006 bidding process, which saw sole bidder Melbourne being awarded the Commonwealth Games after Wellington pulled out due to cost concerns.

"We are obviously disappointed to hear Edmonton will not be part of the host city bidding process for the 2022 Commonwealth Games,” said David Grevemberg, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

“We now look forward enthusiastically to working with the Durban 2022 Bid team and their partners through the evaluation process so, together as a Commonwealth sporting movement, we can realise the ambitions of delivering Africa's first Commonwealth Games.

“I'm confident that there will be a great 2022 Commonwealth Games to follow on from the fantastic experience of Glasgow and the dynamic Games currently shaping up in the Gold Coast for 2018.

“We will continue to engage with CGAs, cities, communities and citizens to ensure the 2022 Commonwealth Games can create a world-class sporting stage for elite athletes of the Commonwealth as well as make a positive and lasting contribution to the legacy ambitions of a proud African Commonwealth city and its people."

Edmonton’s bid was seen as a very strong contender and had the 2022 Games in its sights.

However, it was notable that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, and not Edmonton, chose to exhibit at HOST CITY Bid to Win in October 2014, which included David Grevemberg as one of its VIP speakers.

“We are of course very saddened by this decision, but we know that this is the right one for the future of our city, province and country,” said bid CEO Simon Farbrother said.

“The Commonwealth Games have strong roots in Canada and we plan to be able to come back for the 2026 Games should the economic status allow. Of course, we are committed to supporting all sport events coming to our wonderful city and especially look forward to welcoming the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer.”

David Grevemberg said “The Edmonton bid team, in collaboration with their partners, has worked hard to lay the foundations of a great bid and we will work closely with them as they focus all efforts on bringing the Commonwealth Games back to Canada - where the Commonwealth Games first began – in 2026.”

Durban has also been linked to a potential bid for the Olympic Games in 2024, along with other South African cities.

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee was planning on waiting until the outcome of the Commonwealth Games host city election, on 2 September 2015, before announcing whether it would bid for the 2024 Olympic Games before the IOC’s bid submission deadline of 15 September.

 With Durban the sole bidder, the host city election for the 2022 Games now seems a foregone conclusion.

When in 2008 the northern English county of Durham and its small historic city became a unitary council – the fifth biggest in England – it was golden opportunity to build a new events and tourism strategy for the region. 

“One of the things that became obvious was the need to change the narrative, both regionally, nationally and internationally about Durham, which was seen as a former industrial area,” George Garlick, Chief Executive of Durham County Council, told HOST CITY.

Durham put in a bid to be the UK’s first City of Culture in 2013 – a bold move for a city of less than 40,000 people. In the end, the title was awarded to Derry~Londonderry, but Durham decided to press on with its ambitious programme of cultural events anyway as a way of attracting visitors to the region. 

It was through this work that the possibility of hosting the Lumiere festival came about, a huge light festival owned by a small and innovative arts events company called Artichoke. 

“It was one of those fortuitous things. Artichoke were planning a major festival of light elsewhere in the UK and that fell through, and they’d got backing from the European Commission and Sky Arts at that stage,” says Garlick.

“So it was a fairly fully developed proposition, and on hearing that we were raising the flag for major events here in Durham, they came to see us and we said ‘yes, that sounds great’. In 2009, pretty much at the drop of a hat, the first Lumiere festival was put on.”

Durham has hosted Lumiere every other year since then, with the city investing GB£400,000 in the event for 2011 and 2013. These sums have been matched by the Arts Council, with additional funding from the European Commission and a significant amount of private sponsorship and a major grant from VisitEngland.

Lumiere had a huge impact, with 175,000 visitors coming to see the light festival in 2013. National newspapers published double page spreads on the event and the international broadcaster BBC World ran a one minute clip of the show on its rolling news coverage for 24 hours. 

“It’s a really interesting balance of something that’s working for the local population, but also being attractive to people visiting for the first time,” says Helen Marriage, director of Artichoke. “Just over half the visitors that we count through our evaluation come from the immediate city, 17 per cent from the wider region and the rest from outside.”

The increase in tourism over the period that Durham has been hosting Lumiere is impressive. “VisitEngland said we were one of the fastest growing tourism areas over the last three years – we are up 150 per cent in Durham itself and nearly 20 per cent across the county,” says Garlick.

“The increase in the visitor economy in each of the last three years means a huge increase in employment. It’s not just the people who are actually employed for the festival – the major change is the structural change in Durham as a tourism destination. 

“The festival actually generates GB£5 million directly in restaurant sales, overnight stays and so on in the local economy. We’ve seen a lot more people coming from both Europe and in particular America.”

Lumiere is a very successful flagship event, but it’s not the only contributor to Durham’s success. 2013 was a particularly big year for the city.

“We had the Ashes test between England and Australia at riverside stadium, where England won the Ashes to baying and excited crowds, which was terrific. We had the Lindisfarne Gospels exhibition, which came up from the British Library – 100,000 people bought every ticket available for the three months that it was on. We had cycling events, a brass festival – but Lumiere is the jewel in the crown.”

The good news continued in 2014, with Durham County Council being named local council of the year. “It’s a city and county that really punches above its weight,” says Marriage.

“It’s tempting to think that it’s an impoverished area with a decline of traditional industry, but that’s not the impression you get when you are here. It’s a place on the up and people are making it work – and events are really part of that culture.”

Durham’s long term strategy is hinged around Lumiere, but another important cultural event is the fast-growing Durham Book Festival. “The world heritage site between the cathedral, the castle and the university has a number of display venues, so there’s a programme worked out in advance for that,” says Garlick. 

“In 2015 there will be a major exhibition of the Magna Cartas, which are in the cathedral’s ownership to coincide with the anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta.”

In October 2015 the Rugby World Cup comes to St. James’ Park in Newcastle, just 15 minutes from Durham. “I would hope, as we’ve seen in many previous large events and when we saw the Olympics were on, we’ll see a lot of people visiting Durham,” says Garlick.

“Durham hotels traditionally pick up a lot of business from anything major that’s happening in Newcastle because it’s an attractive place to stay and a 15 minute train journey, so the Rugby World Cup will be really good for us.”

The next Lumiere festival takes place in November 2015. “We’ve recently agreed a package with the Arts Council, which will allow us to do it next year and in 2017,” says Garlick. 

The city consulted with the local people and businesses before agreeing to host the event again. “The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from the public, but particularly from businesses who think this is working really well in terms of hoisting Durham’s flag,” says Garlick. 

“It’s a huge project that takes about 18 months to plan,” says Marriage. “So we are a year out and we are looking at all the logistics – traffic planning, crowd management, where the installations might go, technically what they might need.”

Helen Marriage was one of the speakers at HOST CITY Bid to Win conference on 28th October 2014, on a panel called “Bidding for the Right Event”, alongside the owner of a very different event, Peter Tindemans of Euroscience – which awards the EU City of Science. 

“It was really fascinating to begin to think about what we do from the other end of the telescope,” says Marriage. “So hearing Peter Tindemans talk about the fact that he saw Euroscience as a property that he could get cities to bid for – that’s never the way we work, we are always trying to persuade people to let us do what we do.”

Lumiere also took place in Derry last year as part of the closing celebrations for the first UK City of Culture, and there are many other events that Artichoke produces. “We are working in London, Northern Ireland, we are looking at something in Wales. We are increasingly invited to do things internationally.

“But even if cities invite us, they don’t really get what it’s going to be like and all the compromises everyone is going to have to make. Very often an artist will say ‘I really want to make something here’, and we set about the process of persuading the authority that they want to fund it and that they can accommodate it. It’s always tough the first time you go into a place.”

For more information visit www.lumiere-festival.com

After steering Glasgow 2014 through its highly successful Commonwealth Games, David Grevemberg is relishing his fresh challenge: running the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

“Like Commonwealth athletes we celebrate our successes and get straight back to the training field pushing every day towards new and ambitious goals. The pace is fast with the focus over the coming months on key milestones for three future Games,” the former wrestler told HOST CITY.

“First up on the starting block in real terms is the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa which is in September and is such an important launch pad for the next generation of Commonwealth sporting stars.

“There's the Gold Coast 2018 team focusing on their core planning phase, then there's the bidding process for the 2022 Commonwealth Games which is in full swing.”

City stories: 2022 bids

The evaluation process for 2022 is being led by Louise Martin. HOST CITY asked Grevemberg to identify the most important contributions that the candidates for 2022, Durban and Edmonton, could bring to the Games.

"One of the most important things they can each bring to the CGF evaluation process – as well, of course, of demonstrating the technical capabilities – is that real sense of where the Commonwealth Games sits within the past, present and future stories of their city, how the Games fits within the aspirations of their citizens and communities and what further opportunities being a Host City could help them unlock.

“We're really fortunate to have in both Durban and Edmonton such incredibly dynamic yet different great Commonwealth cities with their own rich stories, distinct aspirations and goals.” 

The official Candidate City bid lodgement for the 2022 Commonwealth Games takes place in March next year with the formal announcement of the Host City of the XXII Commonwealth Games made at the CGF General Assembly in Auckland next September. 

“I'm really looking forward to hearing the visions and ambitions that are coming forward," said Grevemberg.

Youth appeal: Gold Coast

As for what the Gold Coast 2018 is doing to build the Commonwealth Games brand further, Grevemberg said: "The Gold Coast team is at an exciting stage in their journey and it's thrilling to see the next Commonwealth Games taking shape. Gold Coast 2018 will have its own distinct identity, create its own dynamic place in Commonwealth history and will connect new individuals and communities through the positive power of sport.”

Grevemberg is anticipates the Gold Coast having a particularly big impact on youth around the world. "Through sport we have a great opportunity to play an empowering part in realising the potential of young people.

“With 60 per cent of the Commonwealth's two billion citizens under the age of 30, this is our opportunity to impact positively on the next generation of Commonwealth citizens and leaders and I'm confident that the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will deliver a world-class stage on which the elite athletes of the Commonwealth can inspire and engage across nations, territories and communities."

Why bid for the Games?

Taking to the helm of a federation that owns the rights to one of the world’s biggest event properties at a time when some cities are shying away from hosting mega events, Grevemberg is keen to stress the benefits of bidding for the Games. 

“Each Commonwealth Games is itself a great opportunity for cities and communities across the Commonwealth to see for themselves the potential that being a Host City can bring.

He cites Glasgow 2014 as an example. “Prospective host cities can look at Glasgow 2014 and see the potential for social impact hosting a Commonwealth Games can bring, as well as the opportunities a Games offers cities and nations to engage positively with the broader Commonwealth and beyond.

 “The Commonwealth Games played a core part in delivering on city and national ambitions for jobs and health, showcasing international excellence in complex event delivery as well as creating a world-class celebration of which the people of Glasgow and Scotland could really feel part of and feel incredibly proud.

“In achieving their goals and delivering the Games, the Glasgow 2014 Games Partners also thought carefully and creatively about infrastructural investment, making deliberate decisions to invest in improving permanent sporting facilities that are both world-class and community-relevant. 

“The decision, for example, to overlay a temporary athletics field of play in Hampden Park, Scotland's national football stadium instead of building a new athletics stadium demonstrated really well how using smart technological solutions could assist in creating sustainable and cost-effective alternatives to building new venues.

"Glasgow 2014 was a turning point for the Commonwealth sports movement. The Games in Glasgow demonstrated what can be achieved when people are united through passion, partnership and common purpose.”

HOST CITY: Bid to Win

During his transition from CEO of Glasgow 2014 to the Commonwealth Games Federation, Grevemberg enjoyed the opportunity to speak at HOST CITY Bid to Win conference.

“Sharing the experiences and ambitions of others is always insightful and energising. Sport creates so many powerful opportunities for innovation, collaboration and partnerships and gatherings such as this play a valuable part in sparking ideas and motivating ambition.

“Partnerships will be a core focus for the CGF and our job now is to harness all of that potential and use it to take Commonwealth sport to a new level.”

The Beijing 2022 Bid Committee will do its first official presentation in front of the Olympic family in Bangkok on Friday 7 November.

Building on the legacy of the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, Beijing 2022 aims to deliver an athlete-centred, cost-effective and sustainable Games in order to raise the winter sports culture in China and contribute to the development of the Olympic Movement.

A seasonal storm in the World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte damaged the Mineirao stadium over the weekend, Xinhua news agency reports.

Parts of the roof flew onto the pitch of the recently rebuilt stadium in Belo Horizonte just before a state championship match on Saturday.

Mineirao will host six matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and US$300 million have been spent on redeveloping the stadium.

Video footage published by Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo showed three metallic plates landing onto the pitch less than one hour before the match, according to Xinhua.

Such storms are not unusual at this time of year, according to a weather institute in the state of Minas Gerais. More than 10cm of rain had fallen in three hours, with winds of up to 36km per hour.

The manager of Cruziero football team, which played on Saturday’s match, complained of the standard of the pitch. According to Xinhua, he said "Questions have to be asked. Is this pitch up to FIFA standard? I think the quality needs to be better.”

Host City invited the Belo Horizonte World Cup Organising Committee to comment on the incident at Mineirao but has yet to receive a response.

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke voiced concerns about the readiness of World Cup venues at a press conference at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich on Saturday.

"We are almost at 100 days before the first game starts in a stadium in Sao Paulo which is still not ready and won't be ready until May 15. And as you know another two stadiums [in Curitiba and Manaus] are quite late.

"For sure, the stadiums are beautiful but now it is a challenge for the organisers. And that is not a criticism. It is just a challenge. We have to find the solutions."

England’s national stadium announced on Wednesday that advanced British digital communications company EE has become its lead partner.

The partnership will run for six years, starting with immediate effect. The first event at the EE-sponsored stadium will be the Capital One Cup Final on March 2. 

This is the first time Wembley – one of the biggest brands in football – has signed a lead brand partner in its 90-year history. The partnership will be represented by a new logo, but the world-renowned name of the stadium will remain unchanged.

Wembley National Stadium Ltd said the partnership has been agreed on the basis of an ambition to make Wembley the most connected stadium in the world – ensuring it sits alongside the most technologically advanced stadiums across the globe for years to come. 

Melvin Benn, chairman of Wembley said “As stadia around the world become increasingly more technologically advanced, EE is the perfect partner to assist us in fulfilling that goal, giving event owners and their fans the best possible and unforgettable shared experiences.”

Wembley will benefit from multi-million pound investment in its technological infrastructure over the course of the six-year partnership to offer visitors the best possible experience. The deal also includes the launch of Wembley’s first bespoke app, which offers fans a dynamic feed of event content as well as stadium and travel information.

Olaf Swantee, CEO at EE, said "Over the coming months, we will announce an exciting programme of upgrades and innovations to the existing infrastructure at Wembley that will ensure the stadium offers visitors a world class spectator experience for many years to come.”

Future technological advancements to come from EE over the six-year deal include mobile ticketing solutions, enhanced mobile network access and high speed Wi-Fi available for all. EE customers will benefit from exclusive ticketing and marketing initiatives from late March.

“I’m delighted that we have secured EE as Wembley Stadium Lead Partner,” said Peter Daire, FA Group head of sponsorship. “We have diligently taken our time, in collaboration with Wasserman, in sourcing a technology brand that shares our enthusiasm and commitment and EE will help to make the Wembley fan experience the best it can be.”

The partnership adds to Wembley’s existing sponsorship agreements with Carlsberg, Betfred, Walkers, Coca-Cola, Mars and National Express.

SportAccord Convention announced on Tuesday that PwC will be a Gold Partner of this year’s event, which takes place from 6-11 April 2014 in Belek/Antalya, Turkey. The agreement marks PwC’s second year as a Gold Partner. 

“The first year of our partnership with SportAccord Convention was extremely successful and we are very pleased to be continuing as a Gold Partner in 2014,” said Robert Gruman, PwC Russia Advisory Leader, who heads PwC's Global Sports Mega-Events Centre of Excellence.

“SportAccord Convention provides us with networking opportunities and enhances our ability to build relationships with International Federations and the global sports movement.”

PwC’s Sports Mega-Events Centre of Excellence comprises a network of professionals experienced in bringing value at all phases of the sports mega-events lifecycle. 

For the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, PwC’s experts, in partnership with the Sochi Organising Committee, are carrying out over 200 projects in several key areas, from strategic and operational planning to supply chain management, from HR consulting to risk management. 

“Our Gold Partnership with PwC has been of great value to us as an organisation and we are gratified to know that the feeling is mutual” said Nis Hatt, Managing Director of SportAccord Convention.

“We are very pleased that the partnership is continuing and that we are able to provide a platform for PwC to meet its business objectives.”

In 2013, PwC conducted the first Economic Impact Study of SportAccord Convention and estimated the direct and indirect impact of the event in Saint Petersburg, Russia at USD7.69 million.