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.

 

Soccerex Europe Enlists Portuguese Federation As Title Sponsor

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has become the Title Partner for Soccerex Europe, taking place from September 5-6 in Oeiras, Portugal.

Soccerex will work closely with the FPF in the preparation and production of the event, using its extensive network and experience to help coordinate the conference programme and put the Portuguese football community in touch with its international peers.

The FPF will collaborate on the programme and help define the conference concepts, using the knowledge and experience gained with the organisation of Football Talks, which were attended by figures such as Gianni Infantino, Aleksander Ceferin and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

FPF CEO, Tiago Craveiro, will share his ideas as part of an extensive Soccerex Europe programme focusing on the future of football across the continent.

The FPF’s collaboration with Soccerex will facilitate the participation of the Portuguese football community, allowing participants to benefit from various contacts and numerous business opportunities in this important international event, thus stimulating the growth of the football industry in the country.

The Managing Director of Soccerex, Philip Gegan, said: “It is a privilege for us to have the Portuguese Football Federation as the Title Partner of our event. Under the leadership of Fernando Gomes, the FPF has become synonymous with innovation and success, notably with their historic triumphs in the 2016 Euros, which were replicated by the U-17 and U-19 teams in their respective classes, the inaugural Nations League and with Beach Soccer and Futsal teams which have conquered Europe.”

“Having these qualities associated with Soccerex and being able to count on their support in the development of the event will only benefit the experience of participants, both Portuguese and from the wider football community”.

For more information on Soccerex Europe and how to purchase a delegate pass, please visit www.soccerex.com/europe.

 

ICC T20 World Cup: “We Have Big Ambitions For The Women’s Tournament”

As the ICC Cricket World Cup continues in Britain, preparations are in full swing for the 2020 T20 World Cup next year with both men’s and women’s editions taking place. Nick Hockley, CEO of ICC T20 World Cup shares an update on the progress for the big tournaments on iSportconnect TV.

The women’s event will run from February 21 to March 8 and the men’s from October 18 to November 15.

T20 World Cup matches will take place in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Geelong, Hobart, Perth and Sydney, with the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Click here for a look at the host cities.

IOC Lets India Back Into The Bidding Game

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday gave India the all-clear to resume bidding for major sports events, lifting a ban that had been triggered when Pakistani athletes were denied visas to compete in the country.

In February the IOC suspended all Indian applications to host future events after two Pakistanis were denied visas to compete in New Delhi.

Reuters reports:

The denial of entry visas for two shooters, who were due to take part in a World Cup event in February, followed an attack by a Pakistan-based militant group in the disputed region of Kashmir, which killed at least 40 paramilitary police.

“We have received the assurances of the Indian government that they will in the future respect the Olympic charter and that they will give permission to enter India for all athletes who want to participate in the relevant events,” IOC President Thomas Bach told a news conference.

India has accused its neighbour of not doing enough to control the militant groups responsible for the Kashmir attacks. Pakistan has denied any involvement.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) last year laid out an ambitious road map to host the Youth Olympics in 2026, the Asian Games in 2030 and the Summer Olympics for the first time in 2032.

ATPI Sports Events Backs Canada With Exclusive Tokyo 2020 Event Tickets

Ahead of the one-year countdown to the Olympic Games in Tokyo (July 24 to August 9, 2020), ATPI Sports Events is proud to announce that ticket sales will be open to Canadians on June 26, 2019 and will be available for purchase at www.atpi.ca. ATPI Sports Events is the official and exclusive source of Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 event tickets in Canada, making it the only organisation authorized to offer tickets to Canadian residents.

In addition to Olympic tickets, ATPI Sports Events will provide full-service hospitality packages for Tokyo 2020, including flights, accommodation, ground transportation, pre-travel information, English and French support on-site and sight-seeing excursions. All packages are fully customizable.

As the official ticketing, travel and hospitality partner of the Canadian Olympic Committee and Team Canada, ATPI Sports Events has already secured the best hotels within the Olympic zones, close to competition venues. Conveniently located near extraordinary restaurants, cultural attractions, lively nightlife, world-class shopping and of course the Olympic Games, accommodation options will offer convenient access to the best Tokyo has to offer.

Mathieu Marois, General Manager at ATPI Sports Events Canada, said: “We are proud to continue our official partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Team Canada and look forward to building upon our successful delivery of travel and hospitality packages. The Olympic Games in Tokyo will generate huge international demand and our preparations are already well under way, so supporters can be assured of the best possible experience when they travel to Japan.

“Our business has considerable experience catering for the particular needs of elite sportspeople and delivering what really matters for them. We are always in awe of the sports teams’ exceptional skill and dedication and we are always very proud to play our part and ‘join’ the team.”

The partnership – which underlines the company’s position as the leading travel and events management company for the global sports industry – builds upon ATPI Sports Events long-standing agreement to handle the travel requirements of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Team Canada marketing partners, athletes’ friends and families, general public, and corporate companies across Canada.

World Masters Games: “We’re The Biggest Multi-Sport Event” (And Growing)

The 10th World Masters Games in 2021 will be the first held in Asia, and the biggest ever, with an estimated 50,000 participants expected to take part in the competitions in Kansai, Japan. That will be a big jump from the 30,000 who took part in the 2017 Auckland Games. International Master Games Association CEO Jens Holm speaks to iSportconnect TV about the successful model of the Masters Games concept (participants pay to take part), which is growing fast in line with the social trends promoting adult fitness and healthy lifestyles.

The Kansai Masters Games from May 14-30, 2021, will be held at more than 80 venues, featuring a total of 35 sports and 59 events.