First International Sports Innovation Conference Held In Dubai

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the National Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, attended the 1st International Sports Innovation Conference, which was held at the Hilton Al Habtoor on November 18.

Organised by Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, which is a Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiative, the first International Sports Innovation Conference brought together some of the world’s leading ambassadors of sports and tolerance for discussions.

Leading the list of speakers was Carl Lewis, one of the most celebrated athletes in Olympic history, and HE Kirsty Coventry, Africa’s most decorated Olympian and now Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation; along with HE Dr Sonia Ben Cheikh, Tunisia’s Minister of Youth and Sports; Ms Daniela Bas, Director of the Division For Inclusive Social Development at the United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs; and former Egyptian judoka Mohamed Ali Rashwan, winner of a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games, and the 1985 and 1987 World Judo Championships.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed, accompanied by HE Mattar Al Tayer, Vice-Chairman of Dubai Sports Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, also presented medals to the newly appointed MBR Sports Creativity Ambassadors: UAE’s Omar Al Marzooqi, winner of an individual showjumping silver medal at last year’s Youth Olympic Games in Argentina; Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al Assiri, winner of a karate gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games; Ahmed Elgendy of Egypt, who won  gold in the pentathlon at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games; Tunisia’s Ines Boubakri, who became the first Tunisian fencer ever to win an Olympic medal when she won bronze at the 2016 Games; Moroccan Fatima Zahra Abou Fares, who entered the record books last year when she became the first Arab to win a taekwondo gold at the Youth Olympic Games; and Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan, who won the 68kg taekwondo gold at the 2016 Olympic Games, becoming his country’s first Olympic medal winner.

These budding young Arab athletes, who also shared their memories in a session titled “Creativity in Sports”, have been bestowed with the title of MBR Sports Creativity Ambassadors to inspire and encourage them to continue their march towards success, especially at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics next year.

Alongside the Conference, HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award and Nakheel and WETEX, the Dubai Solar Show, who will be strategic partners of the 11th edition of the awards, and Dragon Oil, who have come on board as gold sponsor of the Awards.

Speaking at the Conference, HE Kirsty Coventry said sports is the best tool for spreading the values of tolerance and peace throughout the world and called for the separation of sports from politics. She cited the example of the late South African President Nelson Mandela’s effort to unify the country following South Africa’s success at home in the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

She said: “Sports has a unique power that brings people together and it can be used in a positive way to bring communities together. At the same time, it is also exploited by some to spread messages of hatred and violence. This is unacceptable and contrary to Olympic principles and values.”

Sodexo Contributes to the Seventh CISM Military World Games

Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life services, has successfully completed its mission to provide world-class professional services for the 7th World Military Games in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.

Sodexo has always placed service explicitly at the heart of the experience, actively improving Quality of Life for individuals and organizations.

After a year’s meticulous preparation, Sodexo provided a diverse range of services to 8000 WMG athletes from 109 countries with its professional skills and excellent services.

In the preparation of the seventh CISM Military World Games, Sodexo provided kitchen design consultancy service to TianYou Hotel Group. In the middle of September, 2019, Sodexo was invited to teach the national culture and food custom, and designed a series of professional courses for food-service managers, supervisors and frontline employees of athletes restaurants.

The seventh World Military Games took place between the 18th and 27th of October, and Sodexo provided three experienced foreign western chefs for TianYou hotel Group to assist the athletes’ restaurant to provide authentic food for athletes from all over the world and achieved good results. Sodexo has supported Beijing Railway High-Speed TianYou Hotel Group with international service standards, providing athletes from all over the world with high-quality and nutritious food.

Prior to the event, Thomas Oudart, Sodexo’s Vice President for Business Development, Sports& Leisure in China, said ‘We are honored to cooperate with Beijing Railway High-Speed TianYou Hotel Group, signing such a prestigious and important contract to provide consultancy services for the WMG.  Sodexo Sports and Leisure in China will deploy its global expertise in such events to provide excellent services for all the athletes and to support widely the success of the CISM Military Games.’

Wang Quan, the Chairman of Beijing Railway High-Speed TianYou Hotel Group, had said, “We believe that the strategic partnership with Sodexo will promote the sound development of both companies. We hope to work with Sodexo, to make the restaurant of “international standard and Chinese style“.

Borussia Dortmund Team Up With DAZN Media In Asia

Borussia Dortmund has joined up with DAZN Media to create a social media campaign that showcases the club’s 2019/20 football season, its star players and past masters to entertain and grow its fanbase in South East Asia.

Weekly content produced by DAZN Media’s creative content studio in Singapore will celebrate impactful players, whilst showcasing the club’s best Bundesliga’s moments throughout the domestic season and its progress in the UEFA Champions League.

Content will be published through Borussia Dortmund’s Facebook profile in local language and geo-targeted to fans in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Suresh Letchmanan, Borussia Dortmund, Managing Director APAC, said: “We are extremely pleased and delighted to be working with DAZN Media team which will create new creative and localised content and campaigns for BVB across Asia with their rich expertise and presence in the markets. I’m looking forward to this collaboration,” said Suresh Letchmanan, Borussia Dortmund, Managing Director APAC.

Andy Jackson, Director of Strategy at DAZN Media, said: “Nobody covers football quite like DAZN. By combining our expertise in digital content production and sports journalism, we’re able to create thrilling stories that celebrate moments of greatness from Borussia Dortmund’s star players and managers past and present. The campaign’s fresh and dynamic social content will draw fans to the club, creating loyalty, interaction and expanding the club’s fanbase with passionate football nations in South East Asia.”

Manchester City Post Record Revenue For 2018-19 Season

Manchester City have posted record revenues of £535.2m for the 2018-19 football season.

The Club won all four domestic trophies last season and also reported a profit of £10.1m, the fifth consecutive year in which they have made a profit.

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said of the report: “The organisation is now at a level of maturity that enables us to plan on multi-year cycles both in terms of our management of squads and more widely across the business. This strategic planning has allowed us to create an environment in which continued on-pitch success is both possible and likely, and financial sustainability is a reality.”

Al Mubarak also stressed the importance of being at the forefront of development, pledging to “continuously improve and innovate, be that on the pitch, commercially, in infrastructure development or in our service to fans and our community.”

City have made themselves one of the biggest names in football over the past decade, and producing revenue like this only further establishes their powerful position in world football.

Chief Executive Officer Ferran Soriano, added: “Victories are not accidents; they are the product of careful planning, consistent hard work and the acknowledgement of the need to stay humble and hungry. We can all be sure that we will be focused, resilient and consistent in our approach.”

 

Mediapro Refuse To Bid For Spanish Supercup Rights In Saudi Arabia

Mediapro have stated that they do not intend to bid for broadcast rights to the Spanish Supercup due to it being staged in Saudi Arabia.

The RFEF confirmed the move earlier this month, as well as the competition’s new format, which will include four teams instead of two.

A statement was issued to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia by Mediapro:

“We publicly confirm that we will not bid for the broadcasting rights. The decision has been taken because this company will never tolerate a sports competition in a country like Saudi Arabia, where human rights are violated.”

LaLiga President Javier Tebas has also been a critic of the decision, with three other major broadcasting companies deciding to forgo the bidding opportunity.

You can read about the deal to take the Supercup to Saudi Arabia here: https://www.isportconnect.com/saudi-arabia-host-spanish-super-cup-2022/

EDF Join Paris 2024 As Partner, With Focus On Environmental Sustainability

EDF Group has become the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games’ Premium Partner, joining the national partnership programme for Paris 2024 for a period of five years.

Paris 2024’s ambition is to organise environmentally responsible Olympic and Paralympic Games with an objective to reach zero carbon emission by reducing as much as possible its emissions and by offsetting what couldn’t be cut. By becoming the official supplier of electricity and gas for the Paris 2024 Games, EDF will be making a vital contribution to achieving this goal.

EDF and Paris 2024 will be making a commitment to raise awareness among the French about their energy consumption.

Jean Bernard Lévy, EDF group’s CEO and Chairman, explained: “It is an honour to be working with Paris 2024 and contributing to this historic event for our country. This ambitious partnership gives us the chance to rally the EDF Group’s strengths to help boost the success and fantastic example set by these Games in terms of environmental responsibility. We know that we can count on all of EDF’s energy, as well as on our capacity for innovation to make this major project a success.”

Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, stated: “Becoming a partner of Paris 2024 isn’t just about adding the rings to your brand; it’s about making the most of the unique opportunity to commit to a major national project, and make a useful contribution to society as a whole. It’s about taking advantage of the unique momentum of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to stretch your limits and take innovation even further.

“With EDF, we are delighted to welcome aboard a company with roots in the day-to-day lives of French people, which will help us achieve our ambition of making sure the Games are open to as many people as possible. Together we are also taking up the challenge of organising the most environmentally friendly Olympic and Paralympic Games possible, with the objective to power all of our sites with renewable electricity. We share the same vision with EDF: to organise Games for our times.”

IOC And Airbnb Announce Global Olympic Partnership

Airbnb and the International Olympic Committee have agreed a nine-year global partnership deal.

This agreement will now support the Olympic Movement and cover the IOC’s next five major global events until after the 2028 Olympic Games.

In a statement from Airbnb regarding the deal, they say this deal will play a role in helping the IOC achieve their sustainability objectives set out in the Olympic Agenda 2020.

The agreement includes accommodation provisions that will reduce costs for Olympic Games organisers and stakeholders, minimise the need for construction of new accommodation infrastructure for the Olympic Games period, and generate direct revenue for local hosts and communities.

They add that work will be done with the International Paralympic Committee to increase accommodation that supports accessibility for people with disabilities or other accessibility needs.

Airbnb Co-founder, Joe Gebbia said: “Airbnb and the IOC have a strong track record in creating and accommodating the world’s greatest events. Our Olympic partnership will ensure that the Games are the most inclusive, accessible and sustainable yet, and leave a lasting positive legacy for athletes and host communities. Airbnb’s mission is to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, and we are proud that the Olympic spirit will be carried by our community.”

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This innovative partnership underpins our strategy to ensure that the efficient staging of the Olympic Games is sustainable and leaves a legacy for the host community. With Airbnb’s support, we will also develop new opportunities for athletes around the world to develop their own direct revenue streams through the promotion of physical activity and the Olympic values.

“From this partnership there will also be direct benefit for athletes beyond the US $5 billion the IOC is distributing during this Olympiad for their benefit to Organising Committees and sports organisation around the world.”

Linglong Tire and Juventus Extend Partnership To 2022

Juventus and Linglong Tire have extended their current partnership agreement until 2022.

The Chinese brand first partnered with the Italian champions in February 2018, but have clearly seen such a successful period for the club as reasoning to add more years to the agreement.

Just a few weeks ago, Jeep revealed they would pay Juventus an extra €25 million for the next two seasons on top of their current deal due to the extreme success the team is seeing on the pitch.

Giorgio Ricci, Juventus Chief Revenue Officer, said: “We are happy to continue this successful relationship with Linglong Tire. This has proven to be a mutually beneficial partnership that has allowed both brands to continue to grow globally thanks to a series of fantastic activations. We are looking forward to expanding our collaboration in order to create even better experiences for fans.”

Linglong Chairman Wang Feng, added: “During the past few years, Juventus and Linglong have worked together and established a good cooperative relationship and a deep friendship. With the help of the club’s huge and loyal worldwide fan base, Linglong has improved its brand image and increased its product sales, with the brand now being chosen by more consumers.

“The renewal is the result of a high degree of unity in the pursuit of outstanding values for both sides. Therefore, from now until 2022, we will continue to work together with Juventus to bring more satisfaction and surprise to fans and consumers around the world.”

Americas Rallycross To Be Ended By IMG After 2019 Season

IMG and the Americas Rallycross Championship have announced the closure of the championship beyond the 2019 season.

A failure to secure any long-term financial support and backing for ARX means it will now no longer continue into its planned third season next year.

A statement on the ARX website said:

“After consultation with a wide group of stakeholders and interested parties, IMG has taken the difficult decision to not extend the Americas Rallycross Championship beyond the 2019 season.

We would like to thank our passionate fans, teams, drivers, partners and event hosts for their support and participation in Americas Rallycross.”

[Picture: Americas Rallycross]