IOC Signs First-Ever Joint TOP Partnership Mega-Deal

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), The Coca-Cola Company and China Mengniu Dairy Company Ltd today announced that they have signed the first-ever Joint TOP Partnership Agreement.

The new deal is worth a combined $3 billion, according to the Financial Times, making it one of the biggest ever corporate endorsements in sport.

The partnership combines the non-alcoholic beverage and the dairy categories into a new joint category and brings Chinese dairy company Mengniu into the family of Worldwide TOP Partners.

The new joint agreement has a 12-year term running through to the Olympic Games 2032. The agreement includes unprecedented investment in traditional and digital media to promote the Olympic values globally.

That means six Summer and Winter Games.

This agreement extends The Coca-Cola Company’s association with the Olympic Movement to a historic 104-year-long relationship.  The Coca-Cola Company is the longest continuous Partner of the Olympic Games.

Mengniu becomes the first Chinese fast-moving consumer goods company to become a TOP Partner. The Joint TOP partnership supports Mengniu’s ambitious international growth plans, with the company aiming to become one of the top dairy producers in the world by 2025.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This long-term agreement is another demonstration of the relevance and stability of the Olympic Games in these times of uncertainty. Having our longest-standing partner, Coca-Cola, an iconic American brand, together with a young Chinese company, Mengniu, joining hands under the roof of our Worldwide TOP Programme is a great example of the unifying power of the Olympic spirit. This partnership will give another dimension to the promotion of the Olympic values around the world.”

James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, said: “We are honoured and privileged to be a part of the Olympic Movement that makes it possible for athletes from all over the world to come together to represent their nations, pursue their dreams and be a part of history. A lot has changed since we sold the first Coca-Cola at an Olympic event in 1928. With a fresh approach to our business and to our sponsorship, we are proud to join with Mengniu to promote and celebrate future Olympic Games.”

Jeffrey Lu, CEO and Executive Director of Mengniu, said: “Membership of the TOP Programme will act as a catalyst for Mengniu to grow around the world. This is a vital step in our international strategy, and we are honoured to have the opportunity to build the positive reputation of Chinese food and beverage brands among consumers globally. As a Worldwide TOP Partner, we look forward to using the unrivalled platform of the Olympic Games to promote health and joy to Olympians and fans alike.”

The photo above shows (from left): James Quincy, President Bach and Jeffrey Lu.

IOC Inaugurates New Headquarters Building

The International Olympic Committee celebrated its 125th anniversary on Sunday with the inauguration of its new headquarters in Lausanne. You can see President Thomas Bach’s introduction to the new building on iSportconnect TV in a video produced by the IOC for the occasion.

Reuters reports:

Built at a cost of about €130 million, the modern glass and steel structure has a solar-panelled roof and was constructed in the place of the old headquarters on the shores of Lake Geneva.

The new building was designed by Danish architects 3XN and inspired by the shape of a dove with a large central staircase made of five rings, meets stringent environmental and sustainability standards.

It will house all 500 IOC employees under one roof instead of several locations around Lausanne as was the case in the past.

“Of course, we wanted to bring together everyone, the Olympic family and all IOC staff, under one roof,” Bach said.

“At the same time, we want the Olympic House to incorporate the elements of sustainability, credibility and youth. The building reflects these three elements that are so central to our mission.”

 

U.S. Olympic CEO Says Door Is Open To Government Oversight

The newly re-branded United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) must work hard toward earning back the trust of American athletes after a sexual abuse scandal rocked the Olympic body last year, CEO Sarah Hirshland said on Saturday.

Reuters reports:

Hirshland took over some 10 months ago as the first permanent female CEO of the USOPC following the sexual abuse scandal involving former gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar.

Nassar was sentenced to up to 300 years in prison in two different trials in Michigan last year after more than 250 women, including Olympic gymnastics champions Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber, testified about abuse at his hands.

The scandal triggered the departure of both the then USOPC President Larry Probst and CEO Scott Blackmun.

“To walk into an organization with the lack of trust that I felt from the athlete community, in some cases, is a very difficult thing to reconcile,” Hirshland told Reuters in an interview.

“We have to earn back that trust. It is easy to break trust, it is not easy to earn it back. We have to humbly recognize this is not something that just gets fixed and you go back to the way it was before.”

USOPC is by far the richest and most successful national Olympic committee in the world but the extent of the scandal and the organization’s failure to act at the time raised fears that subsequent lawsuits could drive it into the ground financially.

“It (legal fallout) requires significant work,” Hirshland said. “It will require, when all is said and done, significant financial resources but not significant enough that it is a concern.

“It distracts from other areas that we might spend that time and money but it won’t disrupt our organization’s focus.

“It is really important for us that we resolve the litigation and that we resolve the unresolved relationship that we have with those survivors. We want to have a relationship with them.”

Hirshland also said she would support any decision by the U.S. Congress for greater scrutiny.

“If Congress decides that they want to do something… we would support it,” she said. “The purview is they will look at it through the lens of the Act (the Federal Charter that established the USOPC). That has not been thoroughly reviewed, nor altered for many, many years.”

But it is not all doom and gloom for Hirshland’s start at the organization, with Los Angeles preparing to host the 2028 summer Olympics.

Hirshland in the past worked for Games CEO Larry Wasserman’s media group and that relationship is now a bonus for the USOPC, she said.

“I am uniquely positioned to work with the organizing committee and Casey and his team. It makes it easier to work with us when you have a trusting relationship.”

Hirshland also said it was important that for the first time in its history the USOPC was led both on CEO and President level by women.

“I have spent my entire career in sport and I have been the only woman in the room for most of that,” she said.

“Diversity gets you to a better result and if I can inspire other women along the way that’s terrific. At the end of the day gender should not be a determining factor for you to be at the table and be successful.”

U.S. Soccer & Players Agree To Mediation In Gender Pay Dispute

U.S. Soccer and players for the women’s national team have tentatively agreed to mediate a lawsuit that accuses the federation of gender discrimination and seeks equitable pay.

The federation and representatives for the players confirmed the agreement, first reported in the Wall Street Journal, to pursue mediation following the Women’s World Cup.

The Associated Press reports:

“Here to win a World Cup, lawyers are at home to do their thing, so we both have our jobs,” defender Kelley O’Hara said Saturday. “This team has always been good at compartmentalizing. We focus on the task at hand and I haven’t paid any mind on anything that’s been going on. That’s something we’ll pick back up when we get home but right now my only focus is winning the World Cup.”

The United States, the defending champion and three-time World Cup winner, won its first three games of the tournament and is set to play Spain today in the knockout stage. The championship game is set for July 7 in Lyon.

Twenty-eight members of the current player pool filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in March. The lawsuit alleges “institutionalized gender discrimination” that includes inequitable compensation when compared with their counterparts on the men’s national team.

“While we welcome the opportunity to mediate, we are disappointed the plaintiffs’ counsel felt it necessary to share this news publicly during the Women’s World Cup and create any possible distraction from the team’s focus on the tournament and success on the field,” U.S. Soccer said in a statement.

The federation has maintained the differences in pay are the result of different collective bargaining agreements that establish distinct pay structures for the two teams. Those agreements are not public. Court documents said decisions surrounding the teams have been made for “legitimate business reasons and not for any discriminatory or other unlawful purpose.”

The lawsuit was an escalation of a long-simmering dispute over pay and treatment. Five players filed a complaint in 2016 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that alleged wage discrimination by the federation. The lawsuit effectively ended that EEOC complaint.

The federation and the team reached a collective bargaining agreement in April 2017. The agreement, which runs through 2021, gave the players higher pay and better benefits.

Defender Ai Krieger said she hasn’t given the lawsuit any thought.

“Right now, we’re so focused on the game against Spain, and that’s what’s important for us right now,” she said.

The photo shows (from right): U.S. national team players Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd.

Real Sociedad Introduces ‘Smart Scarf’

LaLiga club Real Sociedad is aiming to convert its Anoeta home ground into a ‘smart stadium’ and already has an impressive technology infrastructure in place.

Meanwhile, with the introduction of its new ‘smart scarf,’ it has provided its following with something truly unique.

The San Sebastian club wanted to pay tribute to its ‘One Club Man’ initiative, which honours the players who have spent their careers with the same team. By purchasing the One Club Man scarf, which comes equipped with NFC technology, followers can access a world of exclusive offers at the touch of a button.

By downloading the club’s Realzale application, then activating the ‘One Club Man Tag,’ fans can use their phone to scan the NFC chip embedded in the scarf. Through real-time notifications pushed by the club, users of the technology can win prizes, VIP experiences or receive real-time discounts throughout the matchday.

“The smart scarf is one of the eleven initiatives identified within the Sport Thinker Smart Stadium programme, which is carried out with Microsoft,” said Juan Iraola, Head of Digital Transformation at the club. “This initiative offered us a different way of interacting with our fans, uniting the offline and online worlds.”

You can read the whole story in Global Fútbol

FIFA, Macron, eToro, Facebook and FC Bayern Munich To Feature at 2019 Paris Summit

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that Colin Smith of FIFA, Mike Farnan of Macron, Iqbal Gandham of eToro, Anna Chanduvi of Facebook, and Benjamin Steen of FC Bayern Munich are the latest to join the speaker lineup at the second event of this year’s Global Event Series, the 2019 Paris Summit, which will be held on Thursday 4th July at PwC.

iSportconnect has assembled a content programme that will bring together thought leaders from premier rights owners and brands to discuss and debate strategic issues impacting the future of the global sports business, including digital content strategies, sponsorship and partnership issues, hosting major events and the future of sporting facilities.

The speaker lineup includes:

  • Colin Smith, Chief Competitions & Events Officer, FIFA
  • Brett Gosper, CEO, World Rugby
  • Dan Rossomondo, Head of Global Media & Business Development, NBA
  • Mike Farnan, CEO, Macron
  • Iqbal Gandham, Managing Director – Business, eToro
  • Claudio Borges, Global Director of Digital Planning, adidas
  • Anna Chanduvi, Sports Media Partnerships EMEA, Facebook
  • Benjamin Steen, Head of Customer Care, Digital Licensing & Stadium, FC Bayern Munich
  • Olivier Dufour, CEO France and President of Video & OTT, Motorsport Network
  • Sébastien Audoux, Head of Sports, Canal+
  • David Dellea, Director, Sport Business Advisory, PwC

Colin has been part of the FIFA senior management team since 2015, with responsibility for delivering the wide range of tournaments and events across the globe. Prior to joining FIFA, Colin held senior positions at PGA European Tour, UEFA, and Pro League Committee. Colin was also a Country Manager at Rothmans, based across Africa, in the early part of his career. Now leading FIFA’s Competitions and Events team, Colin was responsible for the recent 2018 World Cup in Russia, and has been appointed Managing Director of FIFA’s joint venture with Qatar 2022.

Mike is Redstrike Groups founder and CEO. Mike has over 20 years’ experience in sports marketing, principally as MD of Manchester United International and Macron’s New Business Development Manager for 14 years. Mike helped build the Macron brand into the number three technical sportswear brand in Europe, negotiating the first major sponsorship for Macron in Europe with Leeds United. This was followed by sponsorship of West Ham, Millwall, Sheffield United, Aston Villa, Bolton, Stoke City and Nottingham Forest to name a few.

At United, Mike developed the commercial strategy that drove the club’s meteoric rise in popularity throughout the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. Mike has also held various board positions across Europe at leading organisations in football and Formula 1.Iqbal manages eToro’s business activities in the UK. Prior to eToro, he held senior positions as a CMO and CTO, in addition to founding several companies. He co-founded India’s largest web-hosting business, launched a telecoms startups and then progressed to cloud computing. Following this, he joined a fledgeling startup called Nutmeg as CMO and helped shape it into the UK’s largest robo-advisor.

Anna recently joined Facebook’s Sports Media Partnerships team where she focuses on the EMEA region. Previously, she was the Manager of Acquisitions and Content Strategy at beIN Sports looking after all beIN markets on a world-wide basis acquiring rights across all sports and Leagues. Part of her role at beIN was to centralise the acquisitions and content strategy across 43 countries in order to achieve a consistent content portfolio across the group and leverage economies of scale. Additionally, she was part of the Digital Strategy group at beIN where she evaluated new business opportunities, strategic partnerships and development of beIN Media Group’s OTT digital product. As an advocate of gender equality in the sports industry, Anna founded the WBR Network – a platform that shares stories of women breaking records in sport.

Benjamin is a native from Munich, Germany, who studied Media Management and Sports Marketing. Benjamin is working for nearly 15 years now at Germany’s largest and most successful soccer club, FC Bayern Munich. Since 2010, Benjamin has been responsible for operations, marketing and development of digital projects. In 2014, Benjamin was put in charge of customer care, digital licensing, media rights as well as the digitalisation of the Allianz Arena.

To register your interest in attending the 2019 Paris Summit, please contact Chloe McCombie at info@isportconnect.com

Invitation Policy: The Paris Summit is a complimentary event for iSportconnect members who are from governing bodies, sports teams, brands and broadcasters. There is no fee to become an iSportconnect member. No sports agencies, professional service providers & suppliers are allowed.

For limited partnership opportunities, please contact Hugo Millns at info@isportconnect.com

Krakow Will Host Third European Games

The European Games will continue to be held in Eastern Europe following the decision to award the 2023 edition to the city of Krakow in Poland.

The General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees awarded the organisation of the third edition of the Games to Krakow and the region of Malopolska and the city of Krakow in a unanimous vote.

Both sides are now laying the basic cornerstones for the organisation of the European Games, emphasising that there will be no need to build any new infrastructure, using only existing venues and existing accommodation for the athletes.

Polish National Olympic Committee president Andrzej Kraśnicki was overjoyed by the strong approval and overwhelming support of his European peers.

“For me, it is a fantastic moment and I am very happy that we are able to promote Krakow and the region of Malopolska, generally Poland, where sport is fantastic,” Kraśnicki told Around the Rings shortly after the decision was made.

“For us, it is important that the sport level and facilities in the region are very high and Krakow and Malopolska are very famous for tourists, not only in Europe.

The 2019 European Games got underway in Minsk in Belarus on Friday and will run until June 30.

The first European Games took place in Baku in Azerbaijan in 2015.

NBA Has Big Lead In Social Media Sweepstakes

With the play-offs in full swing, the NBA was number one among sports organisations in fan social media activity, with more than twice as many interactions as the league in second place, according to sponsorship analytics and evaluation platform Hookit. You can see the whole Top 10 on iSportconnect TV.

 

Milan-Cortina Bid Wins 2026 Winter Olympic Games

The Italian bid of Milan And Cortina d’Ampezzo was awarded the hosting on the 2026 Winter Olympic Games this afternoon.

The International Olympic Committee voted in Lausanne to in favour of the joint bid by Milan and Cortina, which hosted the 1956 winter Games, in terms of domestic support from the population.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Congratulations to Milan-Cortina. We can look forward to outstanding and sustainable Olympic Winter Games in a traditional winter sports country. The passion and knowledge of Italian fans, together with experienced venue operators, will create the perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world. The Olympic Winter Games Milan-Cortina 2026 will feature iconic venues and beautiful settings, combining the attractions of a modern European metropolis with a classic Alpine environment.”

He added: “The new Candidature Process has demonstrated the success of Olympic Agenda 2020. We have lowered the cost and complexity of developing Games projects, which now serve the long-term development goals of the host communities and have sustainability and legacy at their hearts. This has led to a significantly reduced organisation budget and the use of 93 per cent existing or temporary competition venues. I also want to thank Stockholm-Åre for presenting an excellent candidature and being part of the Candidature Process for the Olympic Winter Games 2026.”

Italy is a sport-loving nation, and winter sports are part of the tradition, culture and identity of Northern Italy. The region has world-class winter sports venues, ranging from the ice arenas of Milan to the well-established and iconic World Cup and World Championship destinations of Cortina, Bormio, Antholz and Val di Fiemme.

The plan is fully in line with the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, which call for making maximum use of existing and temporary venues if there is no post-Games demand for new permanent facilities.

With regard to competition venues, Milan-Cortina 2026 prioritises sustainability and legacy, as 13 out of a total 14 facilities (93 per cent) will be existing or temporary.

The project has the unified backing of the Italian sports movement, the private sector and national, regional and city governments – providing a solid foundation for its delivery.

It features a clear vision to use the Games as a catalyst to boost economic development across Northern Italy, including supporting the regions to achieve their specific tourism goals, and to stimulate economic activities between the metropolitan and mountain areas.

The Candidature Process 2026 has been built on increased partnership, flexibility and sharing of knowledge. It featured a new one-year non-committal Dialogue Stage in which the IOC, together with the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations and the wider Olympic Movement, worked hand in hand with Interested Cities and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to help them explore options and develop Games projects.

As part of the new process, the IOC provided increased technical services to each Interested City, while lowering the number of Candidate City deliverables and presentations.

The result is a significant cost reduction in the candidature budgets, projected to be more than 75 per cent lower than the average budgets for the 2018 and 2022 candidates.

In addition, the proposed Games operating budgets were on average 20 per cent lower than those of the Candidate Cities for the Olympic Winter Games 2018 and 2022.

The IOC Session decision means Milan-Cortina will also host the Paralympic Winter Games 2026.

 

European Tour Adds Scudamore To Ryder Cup Braintrust

The European Tour has hired former Premier League Executive Chairman Richard Scudamore to help boost revenue from the Ryder Cup, the governing body announced on Thursday.

The job is Scudamore’s first paid role since leaving the Premier League at the end of 2018.

Reuters reports:

Scudamore was at the helm of the organization for nearly 20 years, overseeing its growth into the world’s most lucrative soccer league and global money machine.

The 59-year-old will join a committee of sports and business executives led by Damon Buffini, former head of private equity group Permira, tasked with increasing income from the biennial team golf competition between Europe and the United States.

The committee includes Europe’s victorious 2014 Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley, Premiership Rugby chairman Ian Ritchie, European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley and its deputy CEO Guy Kinnings.

“The success of The 2018 Ryder Cup in France demonstrated the global appeal of the modern-day Ryder Cup, but there remains significant growth potential,” European Tour chairman David Williams said in a statement.

A record 270,000 fans witnessed Europe beat United States for the Ryder Cup crown at Le Golf National on the outskirts of Paris last September. The victory was Europe’s seventh in the last nine contests.

A report compiled by researchers from Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre found that the tournament boosted economic activity in France by around €235.7 million.

The three-day match broadcast reached over 40 global TV networks to a total household reach of around 620 million.

“This committee will look at ways of optimizing that while also protecting the contest’s rich heritage,” Williams said, adding it would explore opportunities to grow revenues and profits from the 2022 edition in Italy and beyond.

“I am delighted to welcome Ian and Richard to the committee. They will bring valuable insight from their time in the business of other sports, to add to the considerable golfing expertise brought by Paul, Keith and Guy.”

The Ryder Cup is jointly administered by the European Tour and the PGA of America, with the 43rd edition of the competition set to be held in Whistling Straits, Wisconsin in 2020.