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www.sportaccordconvention.com Issue 4 07|04|2011 THE DAILY TODAY AT THE CONVENTION Be sure not to miss today’s fascinating SportAccord Convention sessions, which will include: 1015 – 1100: Why Sport Matters to the Entertainment Industry. 1215 – 1300: Trend watch – What Sport Can Learn from the Economic Crisis. There is also a unique opportunity today to get a first-hand insight into the presentations of the three cities bid- ding to host the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Munich (0930 – 1000), Annecy (1130 – 1200) and Pyeongchang (1430 – 1500) will make their presentations as to why they are best qualified to host the Games. 11 > 7 Questions of Sport for Kipketer 12 > Partnerships Go Better with Coke 05 > Triathlon Plan for Everyone The new International Cycling Union (UCI) WorldTour event – the ‘Tour of Beijing’ – was announced yesterday at the SportAccord Convention. Pat McQuaid, President of the UCI and Liu Jingman, Vice Mayor of the Beijing Municipal Government, signed a four-year agreement that will see the first ever UCI event held in Asia. The road-race is symbolic of the Beijing municipality’s efforts to pro- mote cycling as a healthy transporta- tion option to the Chinese city. “We are proud to be part of Beijing’s green commitments,” said McQuaid. UCI CYCLES INTO BEIJING ‘WINNING COMES FIRST, CELEBRITY COMES AFTER’ “I don’t think you can become a sporting celebrity without first delivering on the track or the pitch,” Rugby World Cup-win- ning manager Sir Clive Woodward told the SportAccord Convention conference yes- terday. “Too many young sportspeople try to fast-track themselves to fame – they’ve got to be kept focused on the need to win first of all.” The British Olympic Association director of sport was one of a panel debating the possibility that sporting heroes might be in danger of becoming a protected species – and that the media might have had a hand in the process. Alongside him were Olympic greats Dame Kelly Holmes and Ed Moses, and British journalists Mihir Bose and John Jackson. “The public remembers people who really come good, like England’s 1966 soccer World Cup team,” Woodward continued. “In my view modern players like Wayne Rooney will achieve true hero status only if they succeed in repeating that feat.” Commenting on the Manchester United player’s recent two-match suspension for swearing to the camera on live TV, he said: “I would hope that that kind of behaviour could never have happened in any team of mine. We would have done our best to train our players to understand the conse- quences of such actions.” Woodward also warned ambitious young sportspeople of the dangers of taking the newspaper shilling by writing weekly columns. “These things are usually rather boring journalism, and can only be a diver- sion of energy from the real task,” he said. “Sports people should wait until they hit the highest level before they even give a thought to sounding off in the papers. However good you are, if you allow yourself to be distracted, you stand a good chance of coming second.”

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www.sportaccordconvention.com Issue 4 07|04|2011

THEDAILY

TODAY AT THE CONVENTION

Be sure not to miss today’s fascinatingSportAccord Convention sessions,which will include:1015 – 1100: Why Sport Matters tothe Entertainment Industry.1215 – 1300: Trend watch – WhatSport Can Learn from the EconomicCrisis.There is also a unique opportunitytoday to get a first-hand insight intothe presentations of the three cities bid-ding to host the 2018 Olympic WinterGames. Munich (0930 – 1000), Annecy (1130– 1200) and Pyeongchang (1430 –1500) will make their presentations asto why they are best qualified to hostthe Games. ■

11 >7 Questions of Sport for Kipketer

12 >PartnershipsGo Better with Coke

05 >Triathlon Plan forEveryone

The new International CyclingUnion (UCI) WorldTour event – the‘Tour of Beijing’ – was announcedyesterday at the SportAccordConvention.

Pat McQuaid, President of the UCIand Liu Jingman, Vice Mayor of theBeijing Municipal Government,signed a four-year agreement that willsee the first ever UCI event held inAsia.

The road-race is symbolic of theBeijing municipality’s efforts to pro-mote cycling as a healthy transporta-tion option to the Chinese city.

“We are proud to be part ofBeijing’s green commitments,” saidMcQuaid. ■

UCI CYCLESINTO BEIJING

‘WINNING COMES FIRST,CELEBRITY COMES AFTER’

“I don’t think you can become a sportingcelebrity without first delivering on thetrack or the pitch,” Rugby World Cup-win-ning manager Sir Clive Woodward told theSportAccord Convention conference yes-terday. “Too many young sportspeople try tofast-track themselves to fame – they’ve gotto be kept focused on the need to win firstof all.”

The British Olympic Association directorof sport was one of a panel debating thepossibility that sporting heroes might be indanger of becoming a protected species –and that the media might have had a handin the process. Alongside him wereOlympic greats Dame Kelly Holmes and EdMoses, and British journalists Mihir Boseand John Jackson.

“The public remembers people who reallycome good, like England’s 1966 soccerWorld Cup team,” Woodward continued.

“In my view modern players like WayneRooney will achieve true hero status only ifthey succeed in repeating that feat.”

Commenting on the Manchester Unitedplayer’s recent two-match suspension forswearing to the camera on live TV, he said:“I would hope that that kind of behaviourcould never have happened in any team ofmine. We would have done our best totrain our players to understand the conse-quences of such actions.”

Woodward also warned ambitious youngsportspeople of the dangers of taking thenewspaper shilling by writing weeklycolumns. “These things are usually ratherboring journalism, and can only be a diver-sion of energy from the real task,” he said.“Sports people should wait until they hitthe highest level before they even give athought to sounding off in the papers.However good you are, if you allow yourself

to be distracted, you stand a good chance ofcoming second.” ■

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DAILY NEWS2

The weather reflected events inside the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel yesterday – it gotnoticeably warmer. There was an audible buzz in every corner of the SportAccord Conventionvenue against a background of the major sessions taking place. This was networking at its mostintense: every area of the hotel was a spot for chat at any time of the day or evening. It wasbusiness most urgent: the future of many different sports was being worked out.

Delegates at the SportAccord Convention, and anyoneelse around the world interested in sports decision-mak-ing will be able to follow events this week on Twitter.

Our Twitter feed can be accessed by going toTwitter.com/saconvention

When tweeting use the official event hash tag #SACon

FOLLOW EVENTS ONTWITTER

SPORTACCORD CONVENTION HOTS UP

GOLD SPONSORS

HOST PARTNERS

The SportAccord Daily is produced on behalf of theorganisers by Trident Communications.

Editor : Mike MartinProduction Editor : Rick HadenJournalists : Alan Dron,

Brendan Gallagher, Tom Billinghurst.

Photographer : Liam RitsonPrinted by : Manson Group

If you have a story to tell at the SportAccord Conventionthen the SportAccord Daily wants to hear from you. Thenewspaper will be published every day this week and cir-culated at the event. It’s your event newspaper, so let usknow what your organisation is doing. The daily team islocated in the Media Centre on the 15th floor of thehotel. Drop in or call Mike Martin on 07585 136676.

The Convention Daily is printed on recycled paper.

THE SPORTACCORDDAILY TEAM

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DAILY NEWS 3

“We have a memorandum of understand-ing with the London OrganisingCommittee of the Oympic andParalympic games (LOCOG) and aredelighted with the co-operation we havereceived from them,” John Scott, chiefexecutive of the organisers of the 2014Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, saidhere yesterday. “Their willingness to sharetheir experiences and lessons with us isincredibly beneficial.”

The London Games are also helping histeam’s efforts in a commercial sense, saidthe former director of UK Sport’s DrugFree Sport initiative. “Far from competingwith London 2012 for sponsorship andother commercial opportunities, we seethe Olympics as a marvellous opportunityfor us – it will raise consciousness, thenwe plan to ride that wave.”

Scott’s target for commercial revenuesis £80 million. “We’re currently talking topotential sponsors and hope to sign thefirst this summer,” he said. “We’ve beenaddressing potential UK-based sponsors

SPORT HAVING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON SRI LANKAN PEOPLEThe enthusiasm of the Sri Lankan com-munity that permeated the 2011International Cricket Council (ICC)Cricket World Cup is an example parexcellence of the positive impact sport ishaving upon the region, says AjithNivard Cabraal, Co-Chair of Sri Lanka’s2018 Commonwealth Games bid andGovernor of the Central Bank of SriLanka.

“Sport has the special ability to unitepeople. Sport will support the ideas that

politicians are yearning to achieve; anddo it much better.

“With an 8% economic growth lastyear, we are well placed to invest in sport-ing infrastructure for the future.”

And with plaudits world-wide for theirhosting of the ICC cricket world cup, SriLanka demonstrated how quickly andsuccessfully they can support and developthe international fervour for sport.

“But it is not just expenditure; in themedium-to-long-run sport can bring

incredible financial stability. We arelooking at increasing our figures from2000 per capita to 4000 per capita.”The integral role sport has played insuch a transformation, he feels is irrevo-cable.

And Cabraal is “confident of pro-ducing a new dimension to sport inSri Lanka” through governmentimplementation of sporting initiativesthat aim to introduce more sportsinto the Sri Lankan milieu including

rugby, swimming and athletics.The Governor of the Central Bank of

Sri Lanka is an advocate of the notionthat sport can support conflict resolution.In the wake of the recent civil tumult inSri Lanka “you only have to look at theSri Lanka cricket team,” he said.

“You have players from Tamil,Sinhalese and Muslim communities allworking together with a spirit that youcan find nowhere else. That is the truepower of sport.” ■

since January – under the rules we could-n’t talk to them formally before that. Oneof our strengths is the fact that we holdrights to deal with all the UKCommonwealth territories - England,

The Pan-American spirit will be ignitedthrough a celebration of its sporting cultureat the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan AmericanGames, according to Ian Troop, CEO ofToronto 2015.

With cross-party support from currentfederal and provisional government, Troopis excited to be part of an extraordinaryundertaking that will make a “profound andlasting difference.”

Furthermore, the flexibility that the PanAmerican Games permits its organisers willmake it a tour de force, he explained at theSportAccord Convention.

“We have a flexibility with our planningfor the ‘Pan-Am’s’ that the IOC don’t havefor the Olympics. So we have a pretty com-pelling asset package.”

And despite latent feelings in the inter-national sport community that the increas-ing ubiquity of regional multi-sport gamesare detracting from the special aura interna-tional events convey, Troop feels the “Pan-

Am” Games retains a deserving place onthe sports map.

“I get the impression that theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC)would like more regional games,” he said,“because the complexity of these games mir-rors what the athletes and the organiserswill see when they get to the next level.”

Notwithstanding the Hamilton Tiger-Catstadium imbroglio, Troop feels such experi-ences are inevitable, but ultimately edifying.

“There were certainly a lot of twists-and-turns to that story. I found the whole thingeducational actually – it was my school ofhard knocks. Moving through issues likethat are part of my role here.”

Asked what the current position is on theHamilton stadium issue, Troop replied: “Wehave a site that everyone agrees on - it’s arenovation of the Ivor Wynne Stadium.”

Troop and his 40-strong planning team atToronto 2015 are set to be “breakingground” with the major builds next year. ■

GLASGOW — “WE’RE LEARNING FROM LOCOG”Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, theIsle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey. Thisgives sponsors the opportunity to region-ally tailor their marketing.”

Other commercial activities under wayrelate to broadcasting. “We’re about toput out a tender for a provider to sell theTV rights across world except Australia,where they are already allocated,” saidScott. “And in the next couple ofmonths we’ll invite proposals frompotential suppliers of the host broadcast

operation, which will cover the eventsand make the images available to otherbroadcasters internationally.”

Scott’s £80 million commercial target ispart of an overall budget of £524 million,the balance of which will be provided 80per cent by the Scottish Government and20 per cent by Glasgow City Council.The total includes £60 million for contin-gencies and a £20 million ultimaterecourse. “That’s enough,” said Scott.“We’re on track with the budget.” ■

TORONTO 2015 TO IGNITE SPORT

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DAILY NEWS4

Exceptional athletes have the capacity to change the waywe think about their disciplines. Think Dick Fosbury,Mohammed Ali or Kip Keino.

But it is the London Olympic and Paralympic Gamesnext year that are likely to be the biggest gamechanger atthe event. And it is as much about sustainability as thefeast of sport in store.

If you are there, enjoying a bite to eat and admiringthe view of the green Olympic Park, you might reflectthat much of what you see – and even eat – is qualita-tively different to anything you have found at a sportsevent before.

The difference is in the decision at the bidding stage totake ideas of sustainability in events to a new level.

“In the catering area alone, I think it is fair to say thatwe are being a catalyst for change in the industry,” saidDavid Stubbs, Head of Sustainability for the LondonOrganising Committee of the Olympic Games andParalympic Games (LOCOG).

“The food offer will be different, with greater choiceand an emphasis on variety and healthy eating. In allareas of procurement, our specified requirements werebased on a sustainable approach which touched on every-thing from Fair Trade sourcing to reduced packaging.”

Catering is just one area of the LOCOG sustainableapproach to event management which has been the cata-lyst for the creation of a new British Standard 8901which is a template for a more sustainable approach toorganising events. That work is currently feeding throughto the International Standards Organisation which is

THE OLYMPIC GAMECHANGER

expected to create a new ISO world-wide standard cover-ing events.

The Olympic Park site at Stratford is itself a model ofurban regeneration, with two million tonnes of contami-nated soil remediated in situ rather than trucked out ofthe area and replaced. A rundown region of East Londonis being transformed through the creation of the Olympicinfrastructure and new transport links.

Back to that meal you are enjoying when the Games getunderway. You will probably have worked up an appetiteafter cycling to the Olympic Park.

No cars will get near it, but everything has been created

to enable spectators to arrive by public transport, by cycleor to walk.

Stubbs said that he hoped the sustainability effect willbe significant and long-lasting.

“I think we have achieved what we have because theprinciples of sustainability were agreed from the outset,” hesaid. “It is amazing what you can achieve when everybodyinvolved thinks sustainability. It becomes the way we dothings; almost a way of life.”

If, as the saying goes, you are what you eat, then if youare attending the London Games you can pat yourself onthe back. You are on the way to being sustainable. ■

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DAILY NEWS 5

“In the past the public perception of oursport tended to be distorted by ‘ultra-triathlons’ like the Hawaii Iron Man,” saysInternational Triathlon Union (ITU) presi-dent Marisol Casado. “But in the past threeyears the number of participants has doubled– we think because we’ve managed to dispelthe image of triathlon as the toughest thingto do, and turned it into a lifestyle activity.”

Leader of the only all-female delegationto the convention, and elected earlier thisweek to the council of the Association ofSummer Olympic InternationalFederations (ASOIF), Casado is a formeruniversity cross-country runner who tookpart in the first Madrid Marathon in 1978and went on to compete in triathlon forfour years from 1984.

“I was in the first generation of sport forall,” she says, “and now I’m happy to see

triathlon becoming more accessible tomass participation.”

Oddly enough, the next proof oftriathlon’s growing appeal to the ordinaryathlete could come this Sunday, when theITU’s 2011 World Championship Seriesgets under way in Sydney, Australia. Theseven-event series – the format was intro-duced in 2009 – will also take inYokohama in Japan, Madrid, Kitzbuehel(Austria), Hamburg, London and Beijing.

“The event attracts the elite, of course,”says Casado. “But there are also age-groupraces for all athletes: last year in Hamburgthere were more than 8,000 participants.”Highlight of this year’s series are expectedto include the grand final in Beijing andthe London round, where the elite racewill be the test event for its equivalent inthe 2012 Olympic Games. ■

ITU CHIEF TALKS TRIATHLONFOR MASS PARTICIPATION

SPORT FOSTERS CHANGE FOR DISABLED

Representatives from the world of surfing are at theSportAccord Convention with what they describe as arealistic, value-enhancing proposition for the Olympicmovement.

“Of course, every good sport has Olympic ambitions,”said International Surfing Association PresidentFernando Aguerre, adding that his talks with partici-pants had received a positive reaction. Aguerre is alsochairman of the SportAccord Beach Games.

“We’re here to continue to show surfing to theOlympic movement,” said Aguerre. The big differencecompared with previous years was that the technologynow existed to make consistent waves in any body ofwater.

“We’re now working on an Olympic-quality wave, 100metres long and two metres high,” he added.

Plus factors for surfing included the relatively modestcost to get started in the sport – a reasonable, used board

could be purchased for $2-300 – and increasing populari-ty in regions beyond its US and Australian heartlands.People in some regions used spare pieces of plywood asboards and didn’t even have to stand up on the board toenjoy the thrill of surfing a wave

The sport had around 35 million active participantsworldwide and, unlike some others, brought with it awhole lifestyle that could be enjoyed by casual or evennon-participants, he said. ■

SURFERS MAKE CONSISTENT WAVES TO SHOW WORLDWIDE AMBITION

80% of people who live with a physical orintellectual disability live in ‘developingcountries’. Many of these people face basicchallenges of exclusion, marginalisationand lack of access to education andemployment. In some countries it is ataboo to be seen in public and thereforeparents do not take their children out oftheir homes.

Sport has been identified as an effectivetool in fostering positive change in thelives of persons with disabilities and isrecognised as a fundamental right in theUN Convention on the Rights of Personswith Disabilities.

Against this background, the sportsmovement is required to act and con-tribute. This week, an extraordinary side-meeting was hosted within the frameworkof the SportAccord Convention.International federations (IFs) had theopportunity to meet with Wilfried Lemke,Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development andPeace, IPC President Sir Philip Craven,Joel Bouzuo, President of Peace and Sport,

and SportAccord President HeinVerbruggen to discuss possibilities ofincluding persons with disabilities while atthe same time developing their sport.

In his opening address, Lemke notedthat “access and the right to sport for per-sons with a disability requires a firm andsustained global commitment and engage-ment of all stakeholders working in closepartnership.” A principal stakeholderbeing the IPC, Sir Philip emphasised how“activities and projects should be athletefocused. We need to promote and increaseleadership skills, promote coaches, trainthe trainers and increase sports opportuni-ties for people with a disability. In turn,inclusive participation in sport will befound to have immense benefits to societyin general.”

What can IFs do? There are manifoldopportunities by working together withyouth centres, NGOs or local associations,by providing appropriate adapted equip-ment and by developing sports pro-grammes that are adapted to local needsand situations. ■

ITU president Marisol Casado, vice-president Sarah Springman and secretary-general LoreenBarnett (left to right) form the only all-woman delegation at this year's SportAccord Convention

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DAILY NEWS6

London’s mayor Boris Johnson got theSportAccord Convention Conferenceoff to a rollicking start with his charac-teristic fast-paced humour.

Welcoming delegates to London, theflamboyant Mayor Johnson treated hisaudience to his very individual ‘take’ onwhy sport matters to it.

No other city had seen so many sportsoriginate as London, he said. For exam-ple, workmen cleaning the ancient ham-merbeam roof of Westminster Hall haddiscovered a 16th century tennis balllodged in the rafters, hit there, he sug-gested cheerfully, by an irate Henry VIII.

“To a degree that people sometimesdon’t realise,” he continued, “many ofLondon’s great landmarks were builtaround sport.” Buckingham Palace hadoriginally been built, he claimed, to giveits occupant a good view of mall, “a veryviolent 16th century version of croquet”played on the road that is now known asThe Mall.

Cantering through the capital’s attrac-tions, he noted that it had “more book-shops than New York City, more muse-ums than Paris and less rain thanRome.”

Huge amounts of money were being

poured into the city’s transport infra-structure and he proudly pointed out the5,000 bicycles for hire that haveappeared on the city streets in the pastyear under one of his initiatives.

Known to Londoners as ‘Boris bikes’ –the mayor is a keen cyclist – he proudlypointed out that fewer than 10 had beenstolen in the first year. Taking a gentledig at “a European city that I won’tembarrass by naming…but it’s the capi-tal of France”, he noted that the lattercity’s similar bicycle scheme had experi-enced 2,000 thefts “by the light-fingeredpeople of Paris.” ■

SPORTING TALK STRA

London is claiming the title of numberone city in the world for hosting majorevents, the Mayor Boris Johnsonannounced yesterday at theSportAccord Convention.

The Mayor revealed the results of anew survey of global business in which70 per cent voted it top city for deliv-ering excellent investment returns andsaid they were keen to partner withLondon to create new annual, signa-ture sports events in the city in thefuture.

The survey was commissioned byLondon & Partners, the capital’s newpromotional agency, and over 100 glob-al industry leaders in the events busi-ness were contacted. The results putLondon ahead of international rivalsSydney and New York, when it comesto investment returns on major events.

The global leaders also voted

London as the best city for generatingthe highest media profile for a majorevent, ahead of New York. Over 80per cent said London’s attractivenesswas due to the presence and strengthof the city’s global commercial andbrand partners.

Meanwhile, London & Partners com-missioned a separate survey of nearly4,700 people at home and abroad, ofwhich almost 50 per cent said theywould visit London for a major event,beating both Paris and New York.

The Mayor opened the SportAccordConvention at the Park PlazaWestminster Bridge Hotel, where hetold 1,500 of the world’s top sportingofficials and business people thatLondon is the best place in the worldto reap major business benefits fromsporting events staged here.

Through preparing to host the 2012

Olympic and Paralympic Games,London has built on its existingexcellent sports venue infrastruc-tures and now offers possibly thebest range of sporting facilities inthe world for international sportingfederations and supporting busi-nesses, he said.

Mayor Johnson said: “London isrich in sporting heritage and is anatural backdrop for successful,profitable international sportsevents. It already boasts some of theworld's most iconic sports arenasand our new state of the art 2012sports venues are steadily beingdelivered ahead of schedule. Thebest Games legacy for Londonwould be to welcome many moremajor events to our capital and thisresearch shows we are right to havesuch confidence. ■

LONDON CLAIMSEVENT CAPITAL TITLE

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DAILY NEWS 7

Brazil’s emergence as a major play-er on the world stage has giventhe country a new confidence as itprepares to host the soccer WorldCup in 2014 and the OlympicGames in 2016, the SportAccordConvention heard yesterday.

The South American giant isdue to record economic growth ofmore than 7% this year andbetween 5-6% in the years upto2014, the audience heard. Andeconomic growth has been accom-panied by social progress, saidRodrigo Azerado, Minister-Counsellor at the BrazilianEmbassy in London.

From 2003-9 some 30 millionpeople had risen to join the mid-dle classes and similar numbersare expected to follow in the nextfew years, he said.

Bringing the Olympics to a newcontinent for the first time wasvery important not only for Brazil

but to promote the image ofdeveloping countries in SouthAmerica, added Azerado.

Leonardo Gryner, CEO of theRio Organising Committee, notedthat Rio’s previous reputation forcrime had also been tackled andthe city was now a much saferplace for visitors.

Other benefits of the forthcom-ing events included a new level ofco-operation and co-ordinationbetween federal, state and munici-pal governments, while a majordevelopment programme meantthat participation in sports inschools had doubled in recentyears.

And around $18 billion infunding – most of it from the fed-eral government – meant thatclose to 100 projects to improveinfrastructure, particularly in thetransport sector, were beingundertaken. ■

With 478 days left before the Olympic flame is lit in London, it’s‘All systems go’, the chairman of the London OrganisingCommittee Lord Coe said yesterday.

While acknowledging that an event as major as the Olympicsalways had the ability to rear up and bite organisers at the leastexpected moments, “we can safely say that the things that wehave under our control ARE under control.”

Addressing the SportAccord Convention, he said thatthere was always the risk of completely unexpected eventsdisrupting plans – another Icelandic volcanic eruption two orthree weeks before the opening ceremony would be bad news,for example – but that preparations were going well.

The major challenge this year was operational readiness –“Testing, testing, testing.”

The many former world-class athletes in the conferenceroom, he said, would be very aware that the last thing theywould have wanted as they stepped out to a final would have

been something that had not been thrown at them hundredsof times in training.

He said the legacy the Olympics would leave for London andthe UK had been enshrined at the centre of the UK’s bid, nottucked away in the margins. What LOCOG needed to do, hesaid, was be better at collating some of the raw data flying around.Some of the legacy ambitions had probably already been sur-passed, he said.

Challenged about Sport England’s fears that more people weregetting unfit despite the excitement of the approaching games, hesaid he took a different view. Local authorities and sporting bod-ies were already reporting higher numbers of people using sportingfacilities.

Efforts to hit a target of getting 12 million people involved insome form of high-quality sport were steaming ahead, with num-bers having already hit 10.8 million, a year and a half ahead ofthe Games. ■

SPORTING BATONPASSES TO BRAZIL

A IGHT FROM THE TOP

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DAILY NEWS8

Let’s face it: members of an Organising Committee rarelyhave any hands-on experience organising a major multi-sportevent, and very few cities ever host major internationalgames twice in a lifetime. Rigorous planning, therefore, iscritical.

Organising Committees will find that their success isdirectly related to their ability to shift their mindset fromplanning to operations early in the project.

Usually, venue operations planning is initially conductedby a few individuals focused on specific functional areas suchas sport, technology, IT and security.

As the project moves forward, plans mature and change, soeach of these functional area planners must delegate theirplans and responsibility to Venue Functional Area Managerson each venue team.

These managers must quickly understand how they inter-face with (and depend on) each other. It is critical that eachVenue Functional Area Manager understands how everychange he makes affects the rest of the venue team. Theymust work together seamlessly to adjust and co-ordinate theirplans.

Once the venue has been handed over to the VenueGeneral Manager, the complexities multiply exponentially.Thousands of staff and volunteers must be trained, plans mustbe tested and retested, and contingencies must be consideredto eliminate last-minute surprises.

No athlete goes into an event ‘cold’; nor should a venueteam. Venue General Managers should institute a scheduleof operational readiness exercises to identify oversights, elimi-nate duplication and mitigate risk.

These will start as table-top exercises that bring togetherthe functional leads to ‘walk through’ the event and variousscenarios. As the team expands, these exercises will moveinto full-scale ‘dry-runs’, ensuring each staff member and vol-unteer understands their role and responsibilities.

As a competitor at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Games,I was oblivious to all the behind-the-scenes co-ordinationrequired for my event. As a first-time Venue Functional AreaManager (Sport) at the 2006 Torino Olympic Games, I wasawed by the number of complexities and challenges to beovercome.

So, when I agreed to manage the Richmond OlympicSpeed Skating Oval for the 2010 Vancouver OlympicGames, I knew the only way to ensure success was a pro-gramme of operational readiness exercises. Each week, myever-expanding team gathered to role-play scenarios, practiceemergency response and gain experience in our roles andoperations.

What can future Venue Managers and OrganisingCommittees learn from my experience? Start thinking aboutoperations early in the planning process. And, despite all theplanning, expect weird problems at the last moment. ■

TURNING GAMES PLANNING INTOOPERATIONAL SUCCESS By Magnus Enfeldt, of KPMG’s Major

Sporting Events group

Stefan Bergh, Chairman ofthe Steering Group of theSweet Spot For Sweden,says Sweden’s social infra-structure is ready and antici-pating the prospect of futuremajor sports events.

The Sweet Spot Swedenis cooperation between theSwedish SportsConfederation, the citiesStockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö and the region ofJämtland/Härjedalen. The SportAccord Convention is“the perfect place to reach the international sportingcommunity,” according to Bergh.

“For us, this is a perfect first step in communicatingthat Sweden wants to take a more active position in host-ing major international sports events.

“Generally, coming from Sweden, knowing that it is astrong winter sports country, I think that a WinterOlympics should be something that we in the futureshould try to reach.” ■

ICE COOL SWEDEN

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DAILY NEWS 9

Origin Wines is one of the world’s largestexporters of wines with production facili-ties in South Africa, Chile andArgentina. Their wines are “Fairtrade”certified, which means they adhere toethical standards in labour, productionand environmental conditions. For over10 years, they have been taking a per-centage of their profits to upgrade theliving conditions of the less fortunatecommunities where their employeeswork. As a result, they have seenimprovements in the relationship withemployers, a more productive workforceand a higher quality of life for theiremployees. But it was only recently thatthey discovered the unique power thatsport can play in their efforts.

In post-apartheid South Africa, it wasstill acceptable for employees to be par-tially compensated with the products theymake. In this case, it was wine. As a con-sequence, it was feared that many of theiremployees had developed dependency. A2007 research study at their SouthAfrican winery near Stellenbosch (aregion north of Cape Town) revealedastonishing results: 95% of their adultworkforce was addicted to alcohol.

An immediate rehabilitation initiativewas started with a combination of coun-selling services and the creation of anorganised sports club. “We needed to pro-vide the adults with the opportunity to beactive during the weekend,” explainsOrigin Wines Director Pierre Smit. “They

would literally drink from Friday nightuntil they had to go back to work againon Monday. Sport on the weekend wasthe perfect solution.”

Activities, leagues and competitionswere organised for both adults and kids fora variety of sports including netball, foot-ball, rugby, and other activities like pooland dominoes. Competitions with othertowns, training sessions, and leaguesbegan to structure their employees’ livesin a more positive way. And the resultswere equally astonishing.

“We were able to take these peoplefrom the farm and introduce them intonew environments,” says Smit. “SouthAfrica is a sports mad country and every-one wants to excel on the pitch. But thatmeant they needed to train and look afterthemselves. To live healthier lifestyles andmore importantly, cut back on the badhabits in their lives, which in this casewas drug and alcohol abuse. Sport wasable to do this.”

We met Smit in Mendoza, Argentina,where he was helping set up similar pro-grammes in their employee communities.He invited us to see the results of theirFairtrade activities, including newschools, medical clinics and low-incomehousing. They are sponsoring a footballclub created by a group of schoolteacherswhere poor kids from Mendoza can onlyplay if they are registered and regularlyattend the school. He still marvels at theimpact sport can have on people. ■

John Siner is the owner of “Why Sport Matters”, a media company which focuses on theunique impact sport has on society and culture around the world. Along with video testi-monials during the sessions and on SportAccord TV, each day here in the Daily newspaperJohn also gives us a personal account from some of his global travels. More information isfound on his website www.whysportmatters.com.

WHY SPORT MATTERS TO THESOUTH AFRICAN WINE INDUSTRY

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What can fans expect from the hostingof the world’s third biggest sportingevent in New Zealand?

The Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC2011) in New Zealand will be a uniqueexperience for fans from around the

world. Rugby is our national game andwhen we won the bid in 2005 we prom-ised that RWC 2011 would be deliveredby a “Stadium of Four Million” passionateKiwis. True to that promise, matches willbe held at 12 match venues from

What special eventsis New Zealandplanning around theTournament?

New Zealand ispulling out all thestops to deliver anamazing, totally NewZealand experiencefor our internationalRWC 2011 visitors.This is the first timein Rugby World Cup history that ahost nation will stage a nationwide festi-val alongside the Tournament, and it’sthe biggest showcase of New Zealand inour nation’s history. This festival, theREAL New Zealand Festival, includes1,000 events up and down the countrywhich showcase New Zealand’s arts, foodand wine, heritage, culture, entertain-ment, industries and business, experi-ences and lifestyle.

How is NZ 2011 helping businessestake advantage of the opportunitiesaround RWC 2011?

CELEBRATING THEREAL NEW ZEALAND

YOU GOTTA BE THERE

NEW ZEALAND READY FOR RUGBY’S GREAT SHOW

The Festival and Showcase programmeis designed to assist locals to host visitorsand ensure they have a unique andauthentic Kiwi experience. The NZ 2011Business Club is a matching programmewhich builds connections between localbusiness people and their peers visitingNew Zealand. It is based on the ethics ofhosting and relationship building so thatvisitors will receive a personal experienceof our country, our capabilities and whatmakes living here special.

If you’d like to experience the realNew Zealand in 2011, please visitnz2011.govt.nz. ■

The Rugby World Cup is one of the world’s largest sports events. The 2011 tournament will be hosted in NewZealand bringing together the people of New Zealand and over 85,000 visiting fans for a nationwide festival ofworld class Rugby and culture as 20 teams compete to lift the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) is promoting the Rugby World Cup 2011(RWC 2011) ObserverProgramme which will be run in conjunction with tournament organiser Rugby New Zealand 2011 and theGovernment agency New Zealand 2011.

The biggest selling sporting event in New Zealand before RWC 2011 was the very successful British & IrishLions tour of 2005, which grossed US$17 million in ticket sales. RWC 2011 is a whole lot bigger with 1.65million tickets available and a budgeted sales figure of US$194 million.

Sean Fitzpatrick, NZ 2011 Government Ambassador said: “RWC 2011 is a great opportunity to raise NewZealand’s international profile and to boost our economy, and for our industries and businesses to make globalconnections which mean that long after the teams have gone home, New Zealand will continue to benefit fromhosting RWC 2011”.

The Convention Daily invited two writers connected with the event to give readers a taste of the event tocome.

Whangarei in the north to Invercargill inthe south. The whole country is gearingup to give the teams and their supportersa wonderful welcome.How advanced is planning for RWC2011?

Our preparations are well on track.Auckland’s Eden Park, the venue for nine

By Martin Snedden (right) CEO, Rugby New Zealand 2011 (Tournament Organiser For RWC 2011)

key matches including the Final, has hada major upgrade as have six other venues.One new stadium is also being built inDunedin which will be New Zealand’sfirst fully roofed Rugby venue. RWC 2011will be a special moment in NewZealand’s history, so we hope you will joinus for a unique celebration of our countryand we promise some great Rugby too!

For further information about RWC2011, please visitwww.rugbyworldcup.com. ■

By Leon Grice Director, NZ 2011 Office (Government Office ForRWC 2011)

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■ What is your favourite sport?Actually for me, every sport is myfavourite.■ Why?Because I look at the personalities of thedifferent sports. In Formula 1 you haveMichael Schumacher, in basketball youhad people like Magic Johnson andMichael Jordan, boxing you hadMuhammed Ali, football with Pelé – Iam interested in how they achieve suchgreat things, and what they do for youngpeople because personality for me is theimportant thing about sports. And Ithink that all these personalities cometogether under a united ‘sport’, and so nosport is ‘better’ than another.■ What is your earliest sporting memory?I was always playing sport – football, vol-leyball, running, jumping throwing. I justliked to try everything to get an under-standing of the different challenges inlife.■ What is your greatest sportingmoment?

SEVEN QUESTIONS OF SPORT: WITHWILSON KIPKETER

When I was sick in 1998, diagnosed withmalaria, I came back to win the WorldChampionships in 1999. And that was abig achievement for me. When the doc-tor told me I had malaria, all the peoplearound me were talking negatively aboutmy future in sport. But I remained posi-tive and came back to prove themwrong.■ Who is your sporting hero?Well, we have to talk about MuhammedAli. But there are so many, I cannotchoose!■ Why does sport matter?It’s a great way of challenging and learn-ing about yourself. But also, gettinginvolved in sports is an amazing way ofuniting people, and this more than ever isso important.■ What is your greatest hope for sportin the future?It would be to set ourselves more chal-lenges that we can achieve. The happi-ness that sport brings I hope will continuein a way that brings people together. ■

The EDF Energy London Eye is a mereten-minute walk away from the ParkPlaza Westminster Bridge Hotel.

Situated in the South Bank region ofthe River Thames, the colloquiallyknown “London Eye”, is the tallest Ferris-wheel in Europe, standing at 135 metres.

Upon the structure’s completion in1999, it was the tallest in the world. Ithas since been surpassed by the 160 mStar of Nanchang (2006), and mostrecently the 165 m Singapore Flyer(2008).

The wheel carries 32 ovoidal, air-conditioned capsules, each witha capacity of 25 people. Eachcapsule is representative of aLondon borough.

Rotating at 26cm per sec-ond, one complete rotationtakes 30 minutes, allowingspectacular views across theLondon vista.

Since it was opened by thethen Prime Minister Tony Blair,it has become the most popularpaid tourist attraction in theUnited Kingdom, visited by over3.5 million people per annum.

The Eye’s ubiquitous appear-ance in world-wide film, televi-sion and fiction is symptomaticof the iconic image now ascribedto the landmark following itsrapid integration into London’smodern culture. ■

SHORT WALKS FROM THE HOTEL- THE EDF ENERGY LONDON EYE

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Coca-Cola has been associated withsports for 125 years, but its currentemphasis on partnership means that it islooking to team with organisations withflair and imagination where ground-breaking ideas can emerge.

That was the message from ScottMcCune, Coca-Cola’s Vice President,Global Partnerships and ExperientialMarketing, who addressed theSportAccord Convention yesterday.

Coca-Cola developed its partnershipapproach for sports and other organisa-tions after an uncharacteristic dip in itsfortunes prior to 2004. It is based on fiveprinciples: being like-minded; havingclear goals; being better together; sharedvalues; and the capacity to dream.

McCune said: “We used to be seen as abig red bank. That bank is closed. Wecan put money into something, but weare really looking for shared value.”

He added that Coca-Cola would con-tinue its long association with sport, but

PARTNERSHIPS GO BETTERWITH COKE

on a partnership basis that yielded newpossibilities.

“We want to work with partners to dosomething that others did not think possi-ble,” he said. “We want to inspire youthto participate in sports. We have an ambi-tion to be in every country and encouragechildren into sports.” ■

GENERATIONS FOR PEACETO LAUNCH ACADEMIC HUB

Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein of Jordanwas at SportAccord Convention toannounce the latest developments inGenerations for Peace, the peace-through-sport programme launched in 2007.

The prince, together with his wife,Princess Sara, reported that to date sevenGenerations for Peace camps at locationslike Abu Dhabi and Sochi in Russia hadtrained 526 delegates from 46 countries.The resulting Pioneers have trained 4,300youth leaders, who in turn have passedthe message to 63,000 children in some ofthe most conflict-blighted countries inthe world.

Next month will see the opening of theGenerations for Peace Institute inJordanian capital Amman. Designed tomeet the need for high-level research forthe community involved in applying sport

to peace and development, the institutewill be led by Jadranka Stikovac, currentlydevelopment director for the programme,and will have an initial staff of one full-time researcher and one part-timer.

“The UN and the InternationalOlympic Committee have responded verypositively to the institute,” commentedPrincess Sara. “There can never beenough initiatives for peace and develop-ment out there.”

The institute will carry out research onits own account and will also engageother academic institutions around theworld by sponsoring courses and scholar-ships.

The programme is in the process ofopening satellite offices in Sudan,Somalia, Pakistan and a number of otherlocations. ■

UKTI LAUNCH DIRECTORYUK Trade & Investment(UKTI) launched the new‘Springboard to Success’ busi-ness directory yesterday at theLondon SportAccordConvention.

The directory containsdetails of more than 400 UK-based suppliers for high-profileevents – some of which havebeen used for the London2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.

“With the global sports market expected to generate $1.5 trillion over the nextdecade, the opportunity for UK business is huge,” said Lord Green, Minister forTrade and Investment.

The directory is a move from the UKTI that aims to procure a business legacyfor UK companies long after the 2012 Olympics. ■

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