Leading figures from the world of sport governance and major event ownership convened in Glasgow on Monday and Tuesday for the Host City 2016 Exhibition and Conference to discuss how to attract and host secure and engaging sports, business and cultural events.

It was also announced that an additional “Host City Asia” event will take place in Beijing on 18 October 2017. 

“In its third year, Host City conference and exhibition is firmly established as the leading international meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. We are delighted to see Host City continuing to grow in Glasgow, Scotland,” said Matthew Astill, CEO of Cavendish Group.

“In response to incredible market demand, we are pleased to launch an additional Host City Asia event in Beijing in 2017, where international event owners and suppliers will meet Chinese and Asian hosts and investors.”

Speaking at Host City 2016, Wang Dong, Vice President of Chinese sports media company Alisports: said “This is the spring of the Chinese sports industry… we want to get more people involved in the beauty of sport.”

Host City is the largest and fastest growing international meeting of its kind. At the third edition, the topics of future major events and integrity of sport were high on the agenda.

In his opening keynote address heading up a list of world-class speakers, Sir Craig Reedie CBE, IOC member and president of the World Anti-Doping Agency talked about how in an ever-more competitive field, hosting events is a “very active place” in contrast to the major multi sports events like the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games who, he said, have struggled to attract bid cities in recent years.

During the first panel discussion on the topic “What does future hold for major events?” Dimitri Kerkentzes, deputy secretary general, BIE (World Expos) said: “World Expos cannot be viewed from home. They must have participation and support from the public… We need to ensure that the event will benefit people from the host cities, and that it doesn’t leave white elephants behind.”

Simon Clegg CBE, Chief Operating Officer, World Expo Dubai 2020 highlighted the large ticket sale expectations and expansive physical set-up of World Expo Dubai 2020.

Francesco Ricci Bitti, President, ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) said: “The tangible and intangible impacts of sporting events on the community are very important.

"We need to be cautious about the fairness of the bidding process.”

He also commented that the level of flexibility afforded by the new bidding rules set out in IOC’s Agenda 2020 programme of reform needs to be carefully considered, saying “Changing venues from the bid book is taking it too far."

Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of the international Ski Federation (FIS) and the Association of Olympic International Winter Federations (AOIWF) said: “It is necessary to maximize the usage of existing facilities that would change the focus on having compact events. Compact events are convenient but don’t offer the best legacy opportunities”. She said “multi-city and multi-country events may be the future”.

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland said: “The benefits of hosting major events are both hard and soft. The soft benefits, which you have to articulate very carefully, are becoming very important.

“The importance of transparency in the bidding process is crucial right now and is growing every year”.

The issue of good governance was further explored in the following panel session on “Has sport lost its integrity and how can it win confidence back?”

Dr. Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow Life said: “A city’s values must shape and drive what you bid for and how you do it. If you lose public confidence in sport integrity you lose countries and cities bidding.”

When asked whether cities would turn their back on hosting events that can’t prove their integrity, she said “I can certainly say this of Glasgow. We would not want to be connected to any sport that had major controversy associated with it”.

Yves Le Lostecque, Head of Sport, European Commission said “In Europe we are defending values and we have to promote them. Integrity and governance are key parts of the EU mandate for sports. Our member states are keen to have the values maintained and we can help through policy cooperation and financial support.”

Adam Pengilly, IOC Member, VP of International affairs, International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) said: “Sport has an inherent value. The Games is loved all over the world… but sports politicians are sometimes lowly viewed.”

He also said "the perception of sport as a utopia needs to be changed. We need to be more realistic when looking at it".

Risto Nieminen, President, Finnish Olympic Committee said: “We need to create standard for doping control that spans across all countries” and added “business and entertainment are not the basis of sport. Instead, inspiration, well-being, optimism, and happiness.”

Ignacio Packer, Secretary General of children’s rights charity Terre des Hommes said: “The sport sector is opening up increasingly to the human rights sector”. He also questioned the tendency to limit the definition of “success” in hosting events to financial outcomes. “We believe that success is about people”. Ignacio also commented on his participation at the Host City Conference saying “I like coming to Host City because I am not with usual colleagues. I learn a lot here.”

The delegates, which included several IOC members, were also addressed by senior figures involved in bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games from Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris.

The Host City brand began life in China in 2003 as a bilingual magazine for the Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic Games. The Deputy Mayor of Beijing in 2009 presented the CEO of Cavendish Group with the “Great Wall Friendship” award in recognition of Host City’s role in bringing foreign technology content to China and creating an Olympic infrastructure partnership.

Cavendish Group is also known as the owner of the ICC (www.internationalcapitalconference.com ), China’s largest outbound investment event that is now in its seventh edition.

Host City’s Editorial and Conference Director Ben Avison said: “China is investing $850bn in sports by 2025 and is looking for global partners to develop its entertainment and cultural sectors. Host City Asia provides the platform to connect the international industry with this booming market.”

All the Host City 2016 Conference keynote addresses and plenary session content be streamed at www.hostcity.com/hc2016/audio – provided by sound-sharing platform audioBoom.

Glasgow prepares to welcome a unique collection of city and government leaders, cross-sector rights holders, event owners and suppliers to explore the challenges and benefits of bidding for major global events on 21^st and 22^nd November.

Sir Craig Reedie CBE, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency will give a keynote address on Monday morning followed by other headline speakers Jean-François Martins, Deputy Mayor of Paris and Angela Ruggiero, IOC Executive Board Member.

Prof. Dr. Ugur Erdener, President of the World Archery and NOC of Turkey and Vice President of the IOC will give a keynote address on “Rio 2016 and Beyond: How Events Showcase Cities” and Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, Chairman of Budapest Olympics Foundation will address the topic “Creating Safe and Engaging Events”.

Other speakers include Francesco Ricci Bitti, President, ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic Sports Federations); Sarah Lewis, Secretary General, FIS and AOIWF (Association of Winter Olympic Sports Federations); David Grevemberg, CBE, CEO, Commonwealth Games Federation; Dimitri Kerkentzes, Deputy Secretary General, BIE (World Expos) and Yves Le Lostecque, Head of Sport, European Commission.

The format of Host City 2016 is structured into separate segments with Day One dedicated to panel discussions and keynote addresses including ample opportunities for networking and a dinner reception in the evening. After three opening plenary sessions on Day Two, participants will split into concurrent roundtables discussing “Hosting Opportunities: How to Make Your City and Event Stand Out” and “Delivery and Legacy: How to Maximise Sustainability, Security and Revenues” which will be interactive sessions actively encouraging audience participation.

Other topics on the agenda include:

• What Does the Future Hold for Major Events?
• Has Sport Lost Its Integrity And How Can It Win Confidence Back?
• Building Sports and Entertainment Brands; China’s Investment Strategy
• Transformations in Multi-City and Multi-Sports Events
• A Safe Pair of Hands: How Cities Can be Secure Hosts
• Creating Entertaining Experiences for Visitors
• Making Event Infrastructure More Sustainable
• Business Events and Economic Development

For further information about Host City 2016 please visit www.hostcity.com or contact Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director, Host City ben.avison@hostcity.com.

The English Premier League has sold its broadcasting rights in China for a record sum to online streaming service PPTV.

The Chinese internet broadcaster is paying US$700m for the rights to screen the 2019-20 season, according to an anonymous Associated Press source.

The figure dwarfs the US$145m reportedly paid by Super Sports Media Group for the broadcast rights to the Premier League for six years from the 2012/13 to 2017/2019 seasons.

"We were successful in our bid, but it hasn't formally been signed yet," PPTV spokesman Sun Xiaobo told Reuters.

PPTV is the media division of Suning retail group, which also owns Italian club Inter Milan and the broadcast rights to Spain's La Liga games live in China .

China is investing $850bn in sports by 2025 and is looking for global partners to develop its entertainment and cultural sectors.

The rapid development of sports, entertainment and digital media in China is high on the agenda at Host City 2016, which kicks off in Glasgow on Monday 21^st November.

Speakers from China include Wang Dong, Vice President of Alisports – which has the online broadcasting rights from World Rugby – and Olivier Glauser, CFO and co-founder of Shankai Sports.

Sponsorship will often be a brand marketing director’s first thought when considering a sports-related campaign. Thankfully, the old school "brand slap" model is dying a death and the sponsorships of today tend to be significantly more sophisticated than those we used to see in the "Noughties" and before. Companies seek increased authenticity and better connections with their ever more fickle and savvy target audience. And so the partnerships themselves have become subtler, deeper and more cleverly activated.

 Some brands, rather than seeking an association with someone else's event, bravely decide to run their own. The advantages are clear. Much greater control of the event and the branding associated with it, better access to the data generated and the increased sense of authenticity that comes from running the event rather than linking a brand to it.

But there are also significant challenges. For the most part, the planning and execution of a sporting event requires specialist skills, knowledge and contacts. These can all be hired in but good advice does not come cheap. Even if volunteers can be used to help “on the ground”, they need to be identified, trained, kitted out and managed.

Venue is of course a key issue too. Deals may need to be done with the owner of a stadium or with a host city or local authority. Roads may need to be closed and traffic plans drawn up and implemented. With some events, the police may need to be consulted.

There may be a need to confer with the relevant sports governing body too, for example to secure official sanction for the event.

Away from the operational nitty gritty, there are IP issues to consider too. What will the event be called? Is the name capable of trade mark protection and if so, in what territories should filings be made? Trade mark searches may be necessary to see what prior marks are on the register that may cause problems. Even generic sounding terms like “WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS” or “10K” may be incorporated into third party registrations.

Customer data is likely to be another vital issue. How is the business to go about obtaining the details of new potential customers? With respect to those already on its marketing database, does the business have the necessary freedom under its privacy policies and under electronic marketing laws to promote the event to them?

Any brand running its own sports event will want to maximise media coverage. Some companies may have the facilities and skills in house to arrange their own audio visual production. For many though, it will be necessary to appoint a specialist production company or, if more appropriate, a host broadcaster. The question of distribution must then be tackled. For bigger events, deals may need to be negotiated with broadcasters, potentially internationally as well as locally. Alternatively, the organisers may prefer to stream the event online, either through their own media player and website or potentially through a third party site like YouTube or Facebook.

In a short blog post like this it is hard to do much more than touch on a handful of the key issues a brand must consider and address in order to run its own successful sports event. There is a huge amount to be taken into account and the challenges can be immense for a business whose core focus is in another area, be it selling soft drinks, cars or insurance. Many a wise person, though, has found an eloquent way of making this point: Nothing truly valuable was ever easy.

HOST CITY: Marsh is more than an insurer – the aim of your work is also to analyse risk and to evaluate risk. What sort of risks are you looking for?

Patrick Vajda: We are an insurance broker but we are also a risk manager, and for big sports events our speciality is in fact to analyse risk and propose solutions – not only to place insurance.

As an insurance broker we place insurance. We cannot avoid this, particularly because a lot of event “owners” such as the IOC, FIFA, UEFA and the majority of the international federations are obliged to ask for high levels of insurance included in the host city contract.

But we prefer for example to find solutions to prevent the risk happening, than to settle a claim and to cancel the event. This is the real philosophy we have in sports: to avoid risk and to decrease the global cost of the risk.

We have developed a unique risk management especially for mega events which we have implemented for several Olympic Games and World Cups. We also have expertise on the ground on more than 300 events.

HOST CITY: What is your view of the current level of instability in world cities today?

Patrick Vajda: The risks are always moving – it’s not a new story. Now they are moving faster because of the internet and the quality and speed of information. Some risks are totally new. When you spoke about the cyber risk five years ago it was more or less a joke; now it’s not a joke, it’s a serious matter. If you take drones for example: five years ago nobody knew anything about drones, now it’s a risk and a real one.

Therefore, on the one side we have some new risks and on the other side, old risks but with a higher level than 20 years ago. If you take the example of terrorism, the security budget of Salt Lake City has increased by almost 10 times as a result of September 11.

In the past you allocated U$30m or US$35m for security; now you need several hundred USD. This is completely crazy, but we need to expend those amounts – we have no other solution to be able to protect the public, the athletes and to protect the event.

HOST CITY: What is the aim of risk management in major events?

Patrick Vajda: When managing risk for sport events, you have three targets. We try to protect the life of human beings; to protect the finances of the organising committee, and to protect the time schedule. Terrorism is a risk that can impact on all three.

With regard to security, there is not only a question of security in the field. With modern means, one can easily detect upstream specific movements of someone who you would perhaps prefer not to see at the event. Security is not only a question of “heavy muscle” on site, but also carrying out studies long before the event and cooperating closely with the world’s different police forces.

We have fewer problems with counterfeit tickets or credentials and increasingly more problems with fan zones, because they are free. I heard recently that if you want to go to a fan zone, you go on the internet and get a free ticket by filling in your name, credit card number and so on. It is a very good protection and prevention system since you need to complete a form giving your personal information.

You register your data and it is therefore possible to know who is at the venue which is very important for security reasons. We can also check to see if somebody has a false or stolen credit card – it’s an interesting system. Though it does not provide 100 per cent protection, all the same it is a good system.

HOST CITY: Have you been working with fan zones for the 2016 European Football Championships?

Patrick Vajda: Yes, we have done several risk analyses for this particular area. It was clear that this is particularly dangerous and to protect it correctly, it will require heavy expenditure and a large security team.

HOST CITY: What if the worst case scenario happens and an event has to be moved or cancelled?

In terms of cancellation, it’s becoming an incredible problem for several reasons. The first is the pricing of the cancellation policy, which before September 11 was around 1.5 per cent of the sum insured. Just after September 11 it was 3 per cent without terrorism, and now is between 2.8 and 3.8 per cent with terrorism.

Imagine, if you have an event which costs 600 million, the price of the cancellation policy is the price of a small stadium. So perhaps you will hesitate to buy this policy; it’s very costly and does not cover 100 per cent of the risk. Nevertheless it is useful. Insurance is always expensive…..before the claim.

HOST CITY: So there is no legal obligation for organisers to buy a policy?

Patrick Vajda: In substance, no, except for FIFA and UEFA who ask for a compulsory cancellation policy.

Take the example of the Olympics. The price of the Olympics – what we call the internal budget, of US$2.6 billion – it’s impossible to find this on the insurance market. The total capacity worldwide is perhaps US$1.5bn– if you took all the insurance companies in the world, you couldn’t find more than this.

Even if you could find it, the price of the policy would be a little less than $100 million just to insure cancellation. So you wouldn’t spend US$100m to insure cancellation, it is incredibly costly. The fact that the capacity is extremely rare has a very high impact on the pricing of this policy.

Capacity is very low and is often taken by the owners of the event. Therefore the organiser is often faced with a predicament: buying insufficient cover at a very high cost. In other words cover that will not protect you 100 percent.

Knowing this, the question is whether to insure cancellation? The answer is not simple. And a risk analysis is compulsory before making any decision. For example do we need to insure the total cancellation of the event? Or do we need to insure just ticketing? Or just TV rights? As you can see the answer is not automatic and the risk analysis will give us the answer.

I personally feel it is much more useful to spend money on risk management, to find the best possible solution, to eliminate the risk and to decrease the global cost of the risk.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of Host City. Patrick Vajda is speaking at Host City 2016 conference and exhibition in Glasgow on 21st November on the panel "How Cities Can Be Secure Hosts"

Football coaching legend Sir Alex Ferguson helped kick-off Glasgow’s UEFA EURO 2020 preparations at the official launch of the Host City branding in the Science Centre on the banks of the River Clyde on Tuesday.

"I was fortunate enough to play on that famous Hampden Park pitch as a young player, to watch the legendary Real Madrid side that came to Glasgow in 1960, and can look back fondly at cup final successes there as manager of Aberdeen," said Sir Alex. "I look forward to Hampden being a key part of a historic UEFA EURO 2020."

Glasgow is one of 13 cities that will play host to matches at UEFA EURO 2020 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the championship.

The Scottish Football Association, Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, Hampden Park Ltd and EventScotland are working in partnership to plan and deliver Glasgow and Scotland’s part in UEFA EURO 2020.

Stewart Regan, chief executive of the Scottish FA, said "People make Glasgow and Glasgow will make EURO 2020. Now as a UEFA EURO 2020 host city venue, Hampden Park will welcome new heroes to Glasgow and help create the next chapter in the long and illustrious history of our game."

Hampden Park will play host to a Group Stage and a Round of 16 match for the championships.

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Scotland has demonstrated its capacity as the perfect stage for events on numerous magnificent occasions in recent years, and hosting these crucial UEFA EURO 2020 matches will build upon our sterling reputation as a world-leading host nation.

“We are delighted Hampden Park is set to play such a pivotal role during this landmark tournament, and look forward to further footballing history being made here in Scotland in 2020.”

Glasgow joins London, Rome, Baku and Bucharest in having revealed their host city logos, and ceremonies are scheduled to take place in the remaining cities – Amsterdam, Bilbao, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Munich and St Petersburg – in the weeks to come.

"Glasgow enjoys a proud reputation as one of the world's great footballing cities," said Glasgow city council leader Frank McAveety. "The 'Hampden Roar' is legendary among visiting football fans from every nation. As a city, we recognise the value of football and major sporting events."

The UEFA EURO 2020 visual identity sees each of the 13 city logos feature a single iconic bridge from the city in question – acting as a symbol of connection between the various venues. Glasgow's logo incorporates the impressive Clyde Arc – affectionately known to Glaswegians as the Squinty Bridge – which spans the River Clyde.

In a message to Glasgow, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin underlined the widely-held view that UEFA EURO 2020 would be "a unique and memorable tournament in a variety of different ways."

"What better way could there be to celebrate football," he added, "than to take the EURO final tournament for one single occasion to all four corners of the continent?"

Hampden Park hosted the classic 1960 European Cup final which saw Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3, and was the setting in 2002 for a wonder goal by Zinédine Zidane that gave Madrid UEFA Champions League success in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.

"This is a unique opportunity for Glasgow and Scotland to host matches as part of this prestigious championship," said the Scottish government's secretary for culture, tourism and external affairs, Fiona Hyslop. "It is likely to have a significant economic impact, not just for Glasgow, but for Scotland as a whole."

Host City 2016 conference and exhibition takes place in Glasgow on the 21 and 22^nd November 2016, drawing together the owners, organisers, hosts and enablers of sports, business and cultural events.

Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of FIS and the Association of Winter Olympic International Federations, is speaking at the conference, the theme of which is “Creating Safe and Engaging Events”.

In this exclusive interview, she talks about how Host City can help to create safe and engaging event experiences in a competitive world.

Host City: What do you see as the most important issues facing the events industry today and why?

Sarah Lewis: Guaranteeing a safe event is becoming increasingly complex and yet something every organiser must ensure, regardless of the costs and logistics.

The market has become so competitive to gain media attention and fan support with such a wide array of different events on offer for consumers to choose from.

As far as our FIS sport of Alpine and Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Ski and Snowboard are concerned, today it is not enough for the organisers to simply stage a competition to attract visitors and fans, there must be a complete experience and this is also an excellent opportunity for sponsor engagement.

How do you think public perception of Winter Olympic Games changed since Sochi 2014 and what are your expectations of the future for the Games?

Leading into the Sochi 2014 Games many of the headlines concerned the huge expenditure that was made for construction, but the reality is that this investment was related to building logistical infrastructure for developing tourism in the area including the roads, railway and airport as well as three ski areas and many hotels.

Recently the image of Sochi 2014 suffered another blow with revelations and allegations about corruption and doping that have further damaged the perception of these Games. But the extraordinary performances of the athletes captured the public’s imagination and hearts which is the fundamental mission of the Games.

The IOC has taken many steps to address the future of the Games in a proactive manner through measures adopted in Agenda 2020 and specifically for the Winter Edition through an expert working group that has looked into adapting the model to make them more accessible for more candidates. Looking at the number of countries that are presently studying potential bids for 2026, the new model appears to be making steps in achieving this objective. 

What has been the highlight of 2016 for you so far in the event hosting world?

The two major events with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and European Football Championships have had the biggest global impact and produced many memorable sporting accomplishments.

In the winter sport world, back in February the Winter Youth Olympic Games was on a different scale, but it successfully engaged youngsters and uncovered some future champions.

The ski and snowsport world is just gearing up for the main winter season and we have many highlights ahead, led by our FIS World Championships in Alpine Skiing (St. Moritz - Switzerland), Nordic Events (Lahti - Finland), Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding (Sierra Nevada - Spain).

Before these begin in early February, the FIS World Cups will be in full swing, including Olympic Test Events in PyeongChang, Korea as part of the tours.

 

As a speaker at Host City 2016, what are your expectations of this important event – what do you hope to share and learn?

Host City provides a great platform to communicate and promote our sports and events to a knowledgeable audience, and also gain valuable information from other important events. It is particularly interesting to encounter new and different events, who we are not generally meeting up with in the Olympic Movement.

Why is it important for cities, rights holders and their partners to have the opportunity to connect at Host City 2016?

Host City offers a convergence of the various stakeholders involved in staging events and it is always helpful to learn of the challenges and opportunities from other angles of event organisation and participation.

 

What can the organisers of sports, business, culture and entertainment events learn from one another?

Transfer of knowledge is important in every area of business, but perhaps none more so than the event industry. There is so much experience among those that hosts events, and so many excellent best practices out there, that it can only benefit organisers – and ultimately those that attend the events – to provide the most compelling consumer experience possible.

Sarah Lewis, the Secretary General of FIS and the Association of Winter Olympic International Federations, is speaking at Host City 2016. Register your attendance here.

Sports Data Industry

The big reason for the fast development of the sports data industry is enabling technology, which creates opportunities to use live data during games and training. This was not possible in the past, when data was collected with papers and pencils. Videos are also used for post-match analysis.

This change is driven by three major forces:

1: Consumers

The under 30s spend significant time online daily. The age pyramid globally shows most of us belongs into this group. The same people are likely to spend the most amount of money on sports during coming years – and they are online. To attract the fast paced mobile world, the sports data must be online in real time. Sports Digitized is a must.

2: Technology development

Manual data capture has mostly led to three issues so far: inaccuracy, slow availability and lots of data being out of reach. Technology development is fast and enables new possibilities for Sports Digitized services.

3: Competition

Only those being globally recognised are making big money. One should win on continuous bases to build a recognised brand. Doing so requires knowledge of sport, players, coaching and sports development. The key word is analysis; analysis based on automatic data capture. Winning teams are constantly improving their analytics skills and equipment.

Data Driven Player Management

Data driven player management is about coaching and scouting, where traditional manoeuvers are enhanced with technology enabled analytics.

Fast developing technology gives opportunities for teams, federations and businesses to stand out. It is important to understand that there are several ways to operate with sports data and there is no single right solution. Every organisation must choose the best solutions for them.

The next big thing is to include data capture for off-field (and off-season) training as well – all in the same database as team training. Technology enabling this is already there; databases are built ready for those setting the trends. While hunting the big wins or developing the players, it is necessary to have all useful data available.

When a player enters an academy and develops further to join the main team, it would be useful to have data from training and games from the whole journey. Data capture can be started even before joining the academy. We call this data driven player management.

Coaching

Anyone who follows sports knows that gut feeling of momentum – which team has it, or did it just turn. The home team may be pushing hard but after couple of scoring opportunities missed, the game starts to slide slowly more often into the home defence zone. Something changed, we all know it, but we just not always see what it is and – boom, suddenly we are running behind.

As in sport, delivery companies must standardise their drivers’ performance. If drivers are slowly starting to slip below the company standard level of driving behaviour, it causes lost money for the company in terms of increased fuel and vehicle maintenance cost. So these companies monitor their drivers’ performance continuously in real time with intelligent tools.

Data capture and analysis enable these companies to develop their operations, ensure quality and enable better management based on facts. With the facts, management is focused on the right things carefully and quickly. Managing the fleet and drivers has become data driven.

In sports there are many studies and known facts about performance, but systems able to gather real-time data from all practices is rare. This is especially so in team sports. Teams turning their coaching into a data driven process are travelling the same path that has been done in many industries. Gather the data, analyse it in real time and coach and manage the team based on facts, not just gut feeling.

Scouting

Player scouts watch and talk to prospects and people working with them daily. They should have objective data from the players in and outside of their prospect list. They are looking for players and their performance information beyond the 200 games they see live every year.

They should have performance history with enhanced data points, not just games played with goals and assists. Most likely they will recognise players outside the original list. They should be able to reach the players they never saw, with objective data to enhance the scouting.

There are millions of talented football players globally. There are no means to reach even a small proportion of interesting players. Scouts should do everything in their power to enable teams or sponsors to finance data collection solutions globally. Supporting locals and finding the best talent for the best teams is enabled by Data Enhanced Player Scouting by AiScreen Sports Digitized.

For more information visit http://www.aiscreen.co/

[Source: IOC] The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 wrapped up its seventh visit well pleased with the progress of venue construction.

The Commission, led by IOC member Gunilla Lindberg, assessed every aspect of Games preparations during three days of venue visits and collaborative discussions with the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee.

The Games organisers reported that, on average, the new venues in PyeongChang and nearby Gangneung are 90 per cent complete in advance of 26 test events scheduled between this November and April 2017. PyeongChang will host the mountain events; Gangneung will host the ice sports.

“We saw first hand the progress of the construction projects,” Chair Lindberg said at a closing news conference with PyeongChang 2018 President Hee-beom Lee on Friday. “There is no doubt that the venues will be ready for the upcoming test events.”

President Lee also expressed satisfaction with the visit, calling it “a productive three days”.

He added: “With the Rio Games now behind us, it is time for PyeongChang. Based on thorough preparation, we will strive to provide the best of service to all participants and realise our goal of making the PyeongChang 2018 Games Cultural Olympics, Environmental Olympics, Olympics for Peace and Economic Olympics, and pleasantly surprise the world with our performance.”

President Lee also announced that PyeongChang 2018 will launch ticket sales in conjunction with the one-year-to-go milestone celebration in February 2017.

Representatives from all seven winter International Federations (IFs) joined the discussions in PyeongChang, which focused on 10 areas: test events, sport, venues, legacy, Games services, full stadiums, finance, accessibility, governance, and communications and engagement. The Commission and POCOG held two plenary sessions and a series of side meetings devoted to specific topics, such as athletes and National Olympic Committees; sport and IFs; and spectators.

The IFs were particularly focused on preparations for test events involving their sports. The first test event, scheduled for 23-26 November, will be the FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup. Snowboard Big Air will make its Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018.

“PyeongChang 2018 is entering the last stages of preparations,” Chair Lindberg said in her closing remarks. “My colleagues and I leave here more confident than ever that PyeongChang 2018 will deliver great Games.”

Source: IOC

Host City: What do you see as the most important issue facing major events today and why?

Prof. Dr. Ugur Erdener: Unpredictable international political situations, which result in security and economic issues, are much more in focus in the modern world. Then there is doping and match fixing – both serious issues that cannot be overlooked. Protecting clean athletes is a particular priority of mine.

How is World Archery leading the fight against doping?

As a lower risk sport our emphasis has progressively shifted towards education. However, we increased the number of in- and out-of-competition tests taking place in 2016 following two cases at the start of the year.

Both were rooted in a lack of knowledge and attributed to accidental use rather than performance-enhancing doping. These cases are very sad, as they are not intentional and are completely avoidable.

In the lead up to Rio 2016, World Archery actively targeted Russian athletes for doping control, which – in the end – allowed us to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they were not implicated in any doping activities. That allowed them to compete in Rio at the Olympic Games. I believe that we had to protect clean athletes' rights for participating in the Rio Games.

What was the highlight of Rio 2016 for you?

The archery competition at the Olympic Games in Rio was great success. Our broadcast hit record numbers in Germany, France and Korea, and received excellent viewing figures in the USA and other major markets.

The quality of the competition on the field of play was excellent, featured athletes from 56 countries, and we ended with medals going to four of the five continents.

What for you will be the greatest legacy of Rio 2016?

Seven years ago, Brazil did not have a fully-formed archery team. Now, the nation has several professional archery athletes, and a good coaching and judging structure. If progress continues, Brazil will soon be challenging for medals.

World Archery substantially increased its worldwide exposure across all kinds of media. There was a 52 per cent rise in the number of Facebook fans during the Games period.

In general, we can say there is a huge transformation in the city, a big legacy related to many high level sports facilities – and of course their management and maintenance will be important going forwards.

As a speaker at Host City 2016, what are your expectations of this important event – what do you hope to share and learn?

Host cities are critical partners in the success of any event. As a sport federation, we are constantly working to see how to better exchange expectations and expertise with our host cities, to ensure our events are a win for both parties.

Hopefully, this event promotes and nurtures this positive collaboration.

Why is it important for cities and rights holders of sports, business and cultural events to have the opportunity to connect at Host City 2016?

Successful events only take place when stakeholders truly collaborate.

Not only is it important for sports – or event rights holders – and cities to find the correct fits, for both parties, but be able to define common objectives that allow them to work together to deliver results for both parties in a true partnership.

Prof. Dr. Ugur Erdener is delivering a keynote address at Host City 2016, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. For more information visit http://www.hostcity.com/events/host-city-2016