With the 17th edition of SportAccord ending in Queensland, Australia, today, Tom Tate, Mayor of host city Gold Coast, expressed his optimism on the positive impact the event will have in Gold Coast as the city and Queensland continue to build on the legacy of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“The biggest legacy,” he said, wasn’t the buildings that you see. It’s the feeling the Gold Coasters get, the pride they feel. Now that we are on the world stage, we don’t intend to get off.”
The Kazakhstan capital of Nur-Sultan will host the inaugural World Combat Games in 2021.
The announcement was made today during the General Assembly of the Global Association of International Sports Federations in Gold Coast, Australia.
Powered by GAISF, the World Combat Games are set to take place from May 3-9, 2021, bringing together the most exciting combat and martial arts sports athletes from all over the world.
By hosting the Games, the organisers aim to further develop those sports and inspire the next generation of athletes. One year before the Games, the organisers will launch the World Combat Games Festival, which will incorporate all 14 regions of Kazakhstan, making it a country-wide celebration.
GAISF said that Nur-Sultan was chosen to host the Games due to its modern facilities and the country’s passion for combat and martial arts sports.
The three main venues of the World Combat Games will be the Martial Arts Palace, the Alau Ice Palace and the national velodrome, which are conveniently located within close proximity of one another and will be complemented by a festival plaza offering a memorable all-in-one experience.
The Martial Arts Palace was specifically designed for major international competitions and training camps in Kazakhstan’s capital city. The purpose-built Martial Arts Palace is currently in the final stages of development and will be inaugurated this summer.
Following the announcement, former Kazakhstan Prime Minister and President of the Martial Arts Association of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the 2021 World Combat Games. Combat sports and martial arts are extremely popular throughout Kazakhstan and it is sure to be a wonderful celebration of sport. My thanks to GAISF for their ongoing support and we now look forward to an amazing Games in 2021.”
GAISF President Raffaele Chiulli said: “Creating a platform for our Members to showcase their disciplines through multi-sport games is one of GAISF’s main priorities. We are excited to be working with the team from Nur-Sultan and the launch of the World Combat Games.”
The National Hockey League has unveiled a new brand spot on national TV, digital and social platforms in the U.S. during the Stanley Cup play-offs.
The message of the promo, entitled ‘Feel,’ is that the NHL and its players’ connection with fans extends “far beyond the ice… where what matters has nothing to do with stats or standings.”
“While the action on the ice gets the spotlight, it’s often the quieter moments between players and fans that form emotional connections and make lifelong memories,” said Brian Jennings, NHL Chief Brand Officer and Executive Vice President. “Hopefully this spot captures, in a small way, the excitement and emotion that binds all of those on one side of the glass to the other.”
‘Feel’ is the NHL’s latest brand spot in a lineup of critically-acclaimed ads.
The TV spot is going out on NBC, NBCSN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports and NHL Network, and run across digital and social media channels (including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, NHL.com), and in-arena throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The spot was developed by Baby Bear’s Porridge Productions, in collaboration with Cutters Studios and the NHL in-house marketing team.
Have look at how the league is promoting its brand.
The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) General Assembly today unanimously elected Raffaele Chiulli as President of the organisation.
Chiulli has served as GAISF Vice-President since 2015 and Senior Vice-President since 2016. His term as president begins immediately and he will serve a two-year mandate, as outlined in the GAISF statutes.
Ahead of the election, Chiulli laid out his work programme for the future of GAISF. His plans include supporting International Federations in their promotion of youth development programmes and social responsibility initiatives, as well as strengthening the role of GAISF as a services-based organisation.
In his programme, which was sent to all GAISF Members ahead of the General Assembly, Dr Chiulli said that he wanted to ensure GAISF was a forward-thinking organisation with a focus on good governance.
“Whilst I am loyal to the traditions, values and principles of GAISF, I also believe that we must be a modern and forward-thinking organisation,” Chiulli said. “I believe GAISF can and should be a driving force in supporting International Federations to achieve their goals.”
Chiulli was due to stand for election at the 2020 General Assembly. However, following the death of Patrick Baumann in 2018, GAISF Members accepted the Council’s proposal to bring forward the presidential rotation by a year. President Chiulli’s term is therefore due to end at the General Assembly in 2021.
The new GAISF President was elected President of the SportAccord convention organisation yesterday. He has served as the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) President since 2013, and of the International Powerboating Federation (UIM) President since 2007.
Fans of Australia’s National Rugby League are getting to feast on an entire round of games from around the whole league over this weekend as the first NRL Magic Round, a new event concept, kicks-off in Brisbane.
The event brings all 16 NRL teams to Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium in a multi-year deal struck by Brisbane City Council (through Brisbane Marketing) in partnership with the Queensland Government (through Tourism and Events Queensland).
The entire deal is tipped to inject more than 300,000 room nights and have an economic impact of more than $60 million, and comes after Brisbane hosted another successful NRL Double Header this year.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our game and create a festival-like occasion for a Premiership Round.”
“We have seen the success of double headers in recent seasons, but this takes the concept to another level.
“There are enormous benefits to a full Round in the one location. Obviously, there will be significant exposure for such a unique round and it will be a wonderful promotion for all our clubs.
“We’re extremely grateful for the support of the clubs, the stadium, the Queensland Government, Brisbane City Council and our broadcast partners Nine and Fox Sports, who have provided unwavering support to ensure this initiative became a reality.”
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the fact that Brisbane was chosen to host the inaugural Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium once again demonstrated the city’s reputation for staging major events.
“Major events support our local economy and create jobs right across Brisbane, with their economic impact expected to rise to a record $165 million this financial year,” he said.
“Events such as the Battle of Brisbane, the Ashes cricket, the Rugby League World Cup finals and the Bledisloe Cup have helped attract huge numbers of visitors from across Australia and overseas.
“Brisbane will be in the sporting spotlight once again when all 16 NRL teams play a round in the one venue and is set to attract thousands of visitors to fill our hotel rooms and boost our local economy.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said hosting an entire round of the NRL competition would further enhance Queensland’s reputation as the home of rugby league.
The Chinese city of Chengdu will be the host city for The World Games 2025. The Mayor of Chengdu, Luo Qiang, signed the Organiser Agreement for the 12th edition of the multi-sports event today at SportAccord in Gold Coast, Australia,
The Vice President of IOC and the Chinese Olympic Committee, Yu Zaiqing, signed the agreement as Witness. International World Games Association President Jose Perurena signed on behalf of the IWGA.
This was preceded by ratification of the contract by the 37 member federations of the IWGA during the Annual General Meeting at SportAccord.
Chengdu follows the city of Birmingham, Alabama as host. The 11th edition of The World Games will take place there from 15 to 25 July 2021.
The IWGA President said: “By signing a contract with one of the most forward-looking and dynamic cities in China, we have signalled our arrival as a major power in international sport.”
He added: ”Following our 2021 event in another great country, the USA, we are excited now to start work with our Chinese partners on plans for 2025.”
The Mayor of Chengdu said: “Chengdu highly appreciates the concept of the IWGA and believe that it is in line with Chengdu’s development philosophy. We are confident that, under the guidance of the IWGA and the support from the Chinese Olympic Committee and governments of all levels, Chengdu can offer the world a successful and excellent World Games, a precious legacy to Chengdu and The World Games.”
The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, from July 15-25, 2021, with 3,600 athletes from over 30 sports and 100 countries taking part.
SportAccord confirmed Raffaele Chiulli was unanimously elected President of SportAccord at the SportAccord General Assembly on Wednesday in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Chiulli is President of UIM (International Powerboating Federation), President of ARISF (Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations) and leader of GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations).
SportAccord focuses on driving positive change internationally and dedicated to engaging and connecting; international federations, rights holders, organising committees, cities, press and media, businesses and other organisations involved in the development of sport.
iSportConnect TV interviewed him immediately after the election.
The latest survey from iSportconnect Insights, powered by Goodform, was launched yesterday at SportAccord in Gold Coast, Australia — and sports business executives everywhere are encouraged to take part.
iSportconnect Insights is a global research panel for sports business professionals, exploring key trends within the sports industry.
Big Data & Analytics is the theme of this year’s conference sessions at the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit, and the latest Insights survey is inspired by the conference programme.
The survey gives you the opportunity to have your say on some pressing topics. The insights will be collated and summarized by Goodform with the results shared for everyone’s benefit.
To take part, just click here.
Jay Stuart, iSportconnect’s Editor at Large, encouraged delegates to participate delegates during a Speaker’s Corner session at SportAccrrd.
LaLiga’s clubs posted revenue of €4.479 billion for the latest financial year, covering the 2017-18 season, representing growth of 20.6% over the previous season.
This is the largest positive annual change in recent years and particularly notable given that it has occurred following several financial years in which LaLiga has been consistently posting double-digit growth rates.
The results fall at the midway point of the three-year audiovisual cycle for the national market, so are not affected by any sudden increase in revenues.
LaLiga’s gross operating profit (EBITDA) was €945 million, operating profit (EBIT) was €325 million and the net profit for the year was €189 million. This represents the best financial results in the competition’s history.
The 2017-18 season saw two new factors making a big contribution to the results: commercial revenue and revenue from transfers. These have now taken a central role alongside broadcasting revenues as key drivers of annual growth.
In the case of commercial revenue (without including turnover from advertising), the annual increase was 34.1%, amounting to turnover of €838 million, which is indicative of the fact that Spanish clubs are becoming an increasingly attractive medium for sponsors.
Meanwhile, in the case of revenue from player transfers (i.e. sale price), the annual increase of 104.3% allowed turnover in this section to double in a single year. The entry of €1.018 billion is symptomatic of the significant capacity held by Spanish clubs and SADs for creating sporting value.
Audiovisual turnover received by the clubs managed to surpass the €1.5 billion mark for the first time and will increase from the 2019/20 season as a result of the new audiovisual cycle negotiated for the national market and the international agreements that have been signed.
LaLiga’s results have been achieved at the same time as an increase in operating expenses (OPEX) and at a time of high investment intensity (CAPEX).
OPEX (€3.169 billion) increased by 18.7% in 2017-18, propelled especially by increases in sports staff expenses, which represent an investment in talent and a potential source of income for LaLiga in the medium term. This will be achieved through both rotation – transfer – as such, as well as the increase in sporting potential and the general appeal of the competition.
Meanwhile, gross CAPEX on infrastructure and players (€1.341bn) followed the same trend with annual growth of 11.8%.
Without doubt, these are considerable levels of expenses and investment, providing the best guarantee of maintaining the quality of LaLiga out on the field of play and its appeal over the medium to long term.
LaLiga achieved all of these figures while simultaneously maintaining a downward trend in the degree of leverage. The ratio of financial debt to EBITDA of the competition was 0.9x, the lowest level on record.
It is also important to underscore that LaLiga 1|2|3 is contributing more and more not only to the revenue of LaLiga as a whole, but to the earnings (all the indicators for LaLiga 1l2l3 are in positive territory and show upward trends) and to the creation of cash flow and value for the business.
LaLiga has also reviewed two special groupings for internal financial analysis, Netted LaLiga and Netted LaLiga Santander, which exclude the two largest clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Both of these groupings are showing a rapid level of convergence in terms of revenue. In relative terms, some indexes or ratios are even better. This is indicative of a business that is increasingly more fairly distributed and more sustainable over the long term.
The above has led LaLiga to obtain an overall operating profitability index (ROIC) of 12.3% (15.1% adjusted) in the 2017-18 season, six decimal points higher than the previous season and, in any case, substantially better than those of other leading competitions.
Finally, LaLiga earmarks around 2.0% of its turnover for corporate social responsibility projects, an amount which is significantly higher than the majority of companies and industries of a similar nature.
This allows for the development of pioneering initiatives mentioned in the report which remain an immense source of pride.
Overall, LaLiga’s clubs create a professional football industry which produces an impact on national GDP equivalent to 1.37% and which directly or indirectly employs around 185,000 people (0.98% of average employed population in Spain over the past year).
To this can be added the more than €4 billion that LaLiga contributes to the state coffers in the form of taxes.
The UEFA Champions League match between Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur topped the television ratings in Holland with a market share of nearly 65% on Wednesday night.
Tottenham’s comeback away victory pulled 4.840 million viewers on Dutch channel Veronica with a share of 64.6% of viewers tuned in as the Amsterdam team blew a 2-0 first-half lead.
The match also led the ratings in Italy. RAI 1 attracted 5.234 million viewers with a 21.2% share.