Accenture signs four-year deal to become lead partner of British Triathlon

Accenture has signed a four-year sponsorship deal to become a lead partner of British Triathlon.

The unique partnership will see the leading global professional services company work hand-in-hand with the sport’s world-class athletes and coaches. The two organisations will also promote inclusion and diversity through the expansion of a new mixed relay format of triathlon.

Accenture is now an Official Partner of British Triathlon’s Elite Teams. The organisations will work closely to improve elite triathlete performance in the run-up to Tokyo 2020 by applying new technologies across the sport’s world-class Olympic and Paralympic programmes.

Accenture will also be the Official Innovation Partner and Official Mixed Relay Partner, a format that British Triathlon has big plans for following the recent announcement that it will debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Julian Skan, Senior Managing Director at Accenture, said: “We are extremely proud to partner with British Triathlon. Triathlon is a sport that fits perfectly with our focus on gender equality and disability inclusion, as well as promoting health and wellbeing. And nothing beats working together when you are striving for success, so we’ll support British Triathlon’s elite triathletes by applying new technologies with the aim of improving performance.”

Jack Buckner, Chief Executive of British Triathlon, said: “Accenture is a company that has innovation and excellence at its heart. Nothing beats working together and our team is looking forward to the new partnership, especially with this weekend’s Accenture British Triathlon Mixed Relay Cup 2017 Nottingham. It will provide the launch pad to our relationship and mixed relay as we aim to attract new audiences to our fast growing sport.”

The deal represents one of the biggest investments in British Olympic sport since the London 2012 Olympic Games. It’s a unique opportunity to build upon the sport’s success and create a platform to encourage active and healthy lifestyles through triathlon.

Emma McGuigan, Group Technology Officer for Accenture’s Communications, Media & Technology operating group, continued: “Innovation sits at the heart of the partnership, and is woven through all aspects of the relationship.

“From championing the new mixed relay format of triathlon to enhancing elite performance through collaboration projects, we look forward to playing our part in propelling British Triathlon’s elite athletes towards their 2020 goals.”

Liverpool 2022 Commonwealth Games could bring £1bn boost to UK economy

A study has today revealed that hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Liverpool and Manchester could deliver an economic boost to the region and wider UK economy of around £1 billion*.

The study, conducted by Deloitte, the business advisory firm supporting the Liverpool bid, estimates that £110 million could be generated pre-Games, largely through an increase in tourism due to Liverpool’s higher profile, and construction work in the city creating additional jobs for local people.

During the Games, the spending of visitors and those involved in the Games on hotels, hospitality, retail and travel, could generate £60 million in additional economic activity.

Significantly, legacy benefits for the city, mostly in the five years after the event, could account for £750 million, with a further £120 million shared across the UK. These would take the form of ‘place’ benefits, such as the earlier development of infrastructure and regeneration projects; ‘people’ benefits, for example healthier lives through sports participation and giving local people the skills to succeed; and ‘productivity’ benefits through increased tourism, exports and foreign investment.

Liverpool 2022 Bid Chairman Brian Barwick said:

“This report shows what a successful bid could mean in hard terms for the city, region and the wider UK. Liverpool is a world-famous city, which people love to visit. Our Games plan, centred on Liverpool’s iconic waterfront, combines existing world class venues and stunning new facilities, such as a 50m pool in the city centre docks. It will attract visitors from around the world and provide a huge boost to the economy during the Games and for years to come.

“Liverpool has a rich industrial, cultural and sporting heritage and, as a globally-recognised city that has been on its own journey of reinvention, is the perfect place to showcase Britain in a post-Brexit era. And with Liverpool also being home to the UK’s official biennial International Business Festival which attracted over 42,000 day visitors and secured £600m of trade and investment in 2014 and 2016, the city is uniquely placed to promote UK Plc to the Commonwealth and beyond in 2022.”

Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool said:

“This study shows that hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games makes huge sense for the city, wider region and UK as a whole, delivering significant and lasting economic and social benefits.

“It will be truly transformational and will accelerate up to £1 billion of planned investments to transform the city’s world famous waterfront. Existing plans for Everton FC’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, 1,700 new homes in the north docks, the 10 Streets Stadium Gateway Development and Kings Dock destination development will all be accelerated, creating 12,000 new jobs and leaving a lasting legacy for communities across the city.”

Mark Lawrie, Partner, Deloitte, said:

“We have conducted a robust socio-economic analysis within Treasury guidelines and we are confident that the analysis confirms a very positive impact for Liverpool, Manchester and the UK.

“It is also important to recognise that there are a large number of ancillary investments planned that will enhance the city’s infrastructure enabling it to both act as a host for the Games, and as a driver of trade and tourism for the UK. The acceleration of these investments will have a significant impact on the regional economy and help to secure an enduring legacy benefit for the UK.

“We believe that when considered in its entirety this evidence makes a compelling endorsement of Liverpool’s ability to showcase the best of ‘UK Plc.’”

*Although total economic impacts at both Liverpool and UK level are in the region of £1bn, in-Games expenditure is higher in Liverpool due to visitor origin, and legacy impacts are higher in the UK due to spillover effects. These two effects broadly balance out.

SuperSport to broadcast Guinness PRO14 rugby in South Africa

SuperSport have today joined the Guinness PRO14 as broadcast partners in South Africa and will kick off their Championship coverage by screening the Toyota Cheetahs’ visit to Kingspan Stadium to take on Ulster live on SuperSport 1.

This follows SuperSport’s acquisition of the broadcast rights this week after the Championship was expanded to include the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings from South Africa.

SuperSport will produce select SA-based fixtures and take the overseas feed on other PRO14 matches that will be broadcast.

Martin Anayi, CEO of PRO14 Rugby, said: “We’re delighted to have SuperSport join our stable of broadcasters in the Guinness PRO14. SuperSport are recognised as one of the world’s premier sports broadcasters and it is fantastic to have them involved in telling the story of our Championship.

“We’ve already seen how the addition of the Toyota Cheetahs and the Southern Kings has energised players, coaches and fans in the north and the south and we can’t wait to see that enthusiasm out on the pitch. Rugby fans have always wanted to see true north v south battles at club level and now they will get that.”

Gideon Khobane, CEO of SuperSport, said: “This is an exciting property that offers an entirely new flavour. There’s a particular intrigue in northern hemisphere rugby and to be part of it presents an array of possibilities, both for the teams and indeed SuperSport. We look forward to watching the action unfold from this weekend.”

Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby, added: “We’re delighted SuperSport have reached agreement to acquire the rights to broadcast the Guinness PRO14.

“This is a fascinating and ground-breaking change for rugby and I am sure people will be keen to tune in and see how the hemispheres measure up against each other in club competition. SuperSport have given us a ring side seat and we’re already looking forward to Friday night’s inaugural broadcast.”

iSportconnect adds Etienne Thobois, Balázs Fürjes and Marisol Casado to Lausanne Summit lineup

iSportconnect is delighted to confirm that three additional guest speakers have been added to the lineup for the Lausanne Summit on September 27. The event will be held at the Olympic Museum.

Etienne Thobois, CEO of the Paris 2024 Bid Committee, Balázs Fürjes, Government Commissioner for Major Budapest Developments and Marisol Casado, International Triathlon Union President & IOC Member, will take part in a series of presentations and panel discussions, offering delegates a unique insight into the sports industry.

Already confirmed to speak at the event are Ben Morel, MD & Sr Vice President EMEA at National Basketball Association, Patrick Baumann, President of the International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission, Paul Barber, Chief Executive at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, Peter Hutton, Chief Executive Officer at Eurosport, Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director at UEFA, Jeff Haas, Chief International Officer at DraftKings, Claude Ruibal, Executive Director at Infront Sports & Media AG, Timo Lumme, TV & Marketing Director at IOC, Lorenzo Stoll, Vice President at SWISS Executive Committee and Ralf Reichert, CEO at eSports company ESL.

David Dellea, Head of Sport Business Advisory at PwC, will also present attendees with the results of PwC’s Sports Survey 2017.

Ornella Desirée Bellia, Head of Legal Affairs at the Association of European Professional Football Leagues, will act as a moderator.

The event’s content programme will bring together an elite group of leaders from premier rights owners and other sports industry stakeholders to discuss and debate issues impacting the future of the global sports business. Topics are set to include the struggling image of sport, the challenge of hosting major events and digital disruption.

The Summit represents a breakthrough opportunity for top-tier executives in the Olympic Capital to experience and enjoy the superb learning and networking benefits of iSportconnect’s exclusive invitation-only events.

Content programme:

Panel 1 The image of sport: irreparably damaged?

The connection between the image of sport and the brands associated with it is critically important. With the reputation of sport under pressure on various fronts, this relationship has become increasingly strained. Where do rights holders, brands and other stakeholders in the world of sport stand on this issue of huge strategic importance?

Panel 2 The challenge of hosting major events

In times of austerity, the competition between cities to host major events is not what it used to be. At the same time, the potential impact of hosting can be difficult to resist. Where does the balance lie? How can event organisers and cities find a better path to staging their events while serving the needs of cities?

Panel 3 Never-ending digital disruption: what’s next?

How do sports organisations plan and thrive in an environment where the old media models are fractured and it is close to impossible to predict the next big thing to engage consumers?

The format of the Summit will differ to our traditional Directors’ Club events. Proceedings will last for a full day and feature a combination of panels and interviews with 100 plus senior executives in attendance.

Confirmed guest speaker list:

Ben Morel, MD & Sr Vice President EMEA at National Basketball Association

Patrick Baumann, FIBA Secretary-General, President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations, and Chairman of the IOC Evaluation Commission for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Paul Barber, Chief Executive Officer at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club

Peter Hutton, Chief Executive Officer at Eurosport

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director at UEFA

Jeff Haas, Chief International Officer at DraftKings

Marisol Casado, International Triathlon Union President and IOC Member

Claude Ruibal, Executive Director at Infront Sports & Media AG

David Dellea, Head of Sport Business Advisory at PwC

Timo Lumme, TV & Marketing Director at IOC

Lorenzo Stoll, Vice President at SWISS Executive Committee

Ralf Reichert, CEO at ESL

Etienne Thobois, CEO of the Paris 2024 Bid Committee

Balázs Fürjes, Government Commissioner for Major Budapest Developments

Further speaker announcements will be confirmed in due course.

There is limited space for this exclusive event so please email Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending. Click here for more information.

In partnership with world leading professional service firm PwC’s Sports Business Advisory Practice and with the support of ThinkSport

Steve Dainton and Raul Calin appointed to senior ITTF positions

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has announced two senior staff appointments. Steve Dainton, who has been the Acting CEO for the past two months, has now been appointed as the permanent CEO.

Raul Calin, who has been serving as the ITTF Director of Operations will assist Mr Dainton as the ITTF Secretary General.

On the appointments, ITTF President Thomas Weikert stated: “Both Steve and Raul have both been extremely loyal to the ITTF over their many years of service, and have been instrumental to the growth of the ITTF over recent years.

“The ITTF Executive Committee and I have complete trust in both of them to excel in their new positions and guide the ITTF to a new fruitful era.”

On his promotion to the ITTF CEO position, Dainton stated: “It’s an exciting new era for the ITTF and table tennis. It’s the right time for the ITTF to realize its true commercial potential and modernize itself to ensure that table tennis cements itself as one of the leading sports globally at all levels.

“I am looking forward to helping to ensure this and to especially assist in growing the table tennis industry to new levels, meaning not only more people playing table tennis, but also more people actively engaged. If we get it right this will ensure the true stars, the athletes ,will be better recognized and rewarded.”

Dainton will be assisted by Raul Calin, who has been appointed in a newly created Secretary General position and will continue to be based in Lausanne to focus on ensuring ITTF’s positive Olympic relations.

Calin said: “I am looking to help build ITTF into a modern organisation, with transparency in all levels of management, with ambition and clear goals. ITTF should look for excellence in all areas.

“An institution in which national associations interact actively with the ITTF management for the benefit of our athletes and fans. Let’s work towards excellence in our sport events, let’s have ambition, let’s make an ITTF everyone is proud of.”

More changes to the ITTF professional structure will be announced in the coming months.

Violent gameplay could harm Esports’ bid for Olympic inclusion

Esports must conform to ‘Olympic values’ in order to be included in the Games, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.

The Paris 2024 bid team is keen to discuss the possibility of adding Esports, which generated £400m in revenue in 2016, to the Olympic movement in seven years’ time.

Bach has confirmed talks on the matter will take place but also suggested popular titles with violent gameplay may fall foul of what is expected from an Olympic sport.

READ MORE: Power up – number-crunching the incredible growth of esports

“We want to promote non-discrimination, non-violence, and peace among people,” he told the South China Morning Post.

“This doesn’t match with video games, which are about violence, explosions and killing. And there we have to draw a clear line.

Bach added: “So if ever somebody is competing at playing football virtually or playing other sports virtually, this is of high interest.

“We hope that, then, these players are really delivering sports performance. If [fans] at the end would even play the sports in the real world, we would even be more happy.”

A final decision on Esports’ possible inclusion will be made by the IOC.

‘Ground-breaking’ Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 breaks multiple records

This year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup has proven to be one to remember.

New Zealand lifted the coveted trophy on Saturday after a pulsating final against England and World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont has hailed the competition as a “special and ground-breaking” event, which broke records on and off the field.

New stars were born and the performance bar was raised by the world’s top players and teams. For instance, World Rugby analysis showed that on average the ball was in play 10% longer than in men’s matches.

Yet, the biggest results were achieved off the field, where viewership and social engagement records were smashed.

To break down some of the impressive numbers, the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 was:

The best attended – Ireland 2017 raised the bar in terms of support throughout the tournament with a record total attendance of 45,412.

  • The pool stages in Dublin sold out with 17,516 attending matches.
  • The final attracted 17,115 spectators.

The most viewed – The tournament captured hearts and minds across the globe with Ireland, France, UK, and the USA all recording record viewing figures.

  • A new tournament record of a peak audience of 3.2 million tuned into the France vs England semi-final.
  • A peak of 2.65 million tuned into ITV in the UK to watch the final – the largest single audience for a Women’s Rugby World Cup final.

The most engaged – Ireland 2017 was the most socially engaged World Rugby event of 2017, generating record video views, social engagement rates, and website traffic.

  • 45 million views across official tournament platforms, the best-performing World Rugby event of the year and the biggest since Rugby World Cup 2015.
  • 73% of social media engagement was under 24, while a 53/47% audience split between female and male fans highlighted the appeal to both.
  • There were 63,000 uses of the official competition hashtag #WRWC2017.
  • 50,000 new fans joined World Rugby’s social media communities.
  • 600,000 unique users visited Women’s Rugby World Cup website over the duration of the tournament from 223 different countries, generating four times as many page views as WRWC 2014.

“The level of global coverage and excitement is a testament to the performances of the world’s top teams and reflects the surge in interest around the world,” added Beaumont.

“Off the field, our friends from the IRFU did an exceptional job at hosting the event, while the volunteers and fans were simply brilliant.”

“But most of all, it is the teams who deserve the praise. There is no doubt that they have inspired a new generation of girls and boys to get into rugby and while only one team can be crowned champions, all the teams were fantastic on and off the field – rugby has certainly been the winner.”

READ MORE: Brett Gosper explains why World Rugby’s strategic mission is bearing fruit on all fronts

SendtoNews Video announces new partnership with Tennis Channel

SendtoNews Video has today announced a new partnership with the Tennis Channel.

Selected highlights, analysis and interviews will be available to the SendtoNews distribution platform, which includes more than 1600 sports news properties across North America including USA Today, LA Times and The New York Post.

Neil Roberts, executive director of marketing, Tennis Channel, said: “Our partnership with SendtoNews is a great opportunity to raise Tennis Channel awareness and extend our brand to nearly 200 million viewers a month.”

Mike ‘JB’ John-Baptiste, Executive VP, Content, SendtoNews, added: “From [Maria] Sharapova getting a wild-card slot at the Open to [Roger] Federer having a record breaking year, 2017 has been huge for Tennis.

“The Tennis Channel is a leader in providing quality coverage of all these storylines and we are thrilled to deliver this content to our publishing partners.”

The SendtoNews and Tennis Channel Partnership will see a variety of premium tennis videos distributed to publishers across 96 of the top 100 U.S. designated market areas.

The deal is set to give viewers access to not only tournament coverage but also related travel and lifestyle content and exclusive videos of Tennis Channel sponsored tournaments such as September’s Laval Cup.

Warwickshire CCC secures partnership with fan-engagement firm Snaptivity

Warwickshire County Cricket Club has signed a new deal with fan-engagement firm Snaptivity to support the match day experience at Edgbaston.

Snaptivity uses Smart Stadium technology to capture the emotions and reactions of spectators inside the stadium, which they can subsequently download and share on social media.

Snaptivity also employs robo-cameras that are triggered automatically by Artificial Intelligence and sensors. The results can then be viewed as high-resolution images while sponsors have an opportunity to overlay a graphic.

Gareth Roberts, Commercial Director at Warwickshire CCC, said: “Our Members, ticket buyers and hospitality guests are at the heart of everything that we do and we are continually monitoring our customer experience scores and reviewing new opportunities that can enhance the Edgbaston experience.

“Through the initial trial, Snaptivity has played a part in taking our match day experience score for Birmingham Bears T20 matches to the highest levels yet. The firm has been a pleasure to work with throughout the initial trial period and we’re delighted to sign the extended deal.”

Amit Pate, Co-Founder & CEO at Snaptivity, added: “Snaptivity captures the very essence of cricket; bringing together real-time fan emotions that cricket fans experience together. We believe that this will be a great asset to Edgbaston and the innovation will certainly put the fans under the spotlight.

“Edgbaston has a great tradition of staging some of the biggest cricket matches in the game and we’re thrilled to work with them on this innovation of enhancing match-day experience following the successful trials last season.”

The new partnership covers this Saturday’s NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day, plus matches in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Technological infrastructure has been initially set-up to cover the Eric Hollies Stand with the potential to expand the service throughout the stadium.

Eleven Sports secures rights to world judo championships in multiple markets

Global sports provider, Eleven Sports, has secured live and exclusive rights to the 2017 and 2018 IJF World Judo Championships in Belgium, Luxembourg and USA.

Eleven has been showing coverage of the 2017 edition since it began on Monday 28 August in Budapest, Hungary, and will continue to do so through to the end of the championships on 3 September.

The 2018 event will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Eleven Sports will also show the 2017 and 2018 IJF World Judo Tours exclusively in the same territories.

Danny Menken, Group Managing Director, Eleven Sports, said: “We are very pleased to bring international sporting action from the IJF World Judo Championships to fans across our multiple markets.

“Eleven Sports aims to meet un-met demand, making underserved and niche content available to fans everywhere. This acquisition helps us achieve this goal.”