Kazan and Budapest to host 2022 and 2024 FINA World Swimming Championships

The cities of Kazan (RUS) and Budapest (HUN) were awarded today the organisation of the 2022 and 2024 editions of the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), respectively.

The announcement of the Host cities followed the FINA Bureau vote and the formal presentations of the four bidders for these events: besides the Russian and Hungarian metropolis, Hong Kong (HKG) and Taipei City (TPE) were the two other candidates.

“All these cities/National Federations have worked very hard to present solid projects and I am sure that in any of them FINA would organise excellent Championships. Thank you very much to all the four bidders!”, stated the FINA President Dr Julio C. Maglione, before opening the envelopes with the winners’ names.

“But we are in a sport organisation and there must be a winner. In this case, two winners!”, concluded Dr Maglione.

Two years after staging the 2015 FINA World Championships, Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, will once more be the prestigious host of a top FINA competition, which also comprises the organisation of the FINA World Aquatics Convention.

“FINA knows Kazan very well. We have the necessary infrastructures and the full support of our authorities”, considered Vladimir Leonov, Minister of Sport and Youth of the republic of Tatarstan. “We are known as the Sport capital of Russia, and everyone in the FINA Family fully understands the meaning of this status”, Mr Leonov concluded.

As for the Magyar capital, currently hosting the 2017 FINA World Championships, it was represented at the highest level by the Hungarian Minister for Human Resources Zoltan Balog.

“This is a great achievement for Budapest and shows that the outstanding investment we have done for the Championships here this summer constitutes a precious legacy for the future”, the Minister said.

Before Kazan 2022 and Budapest 2024, the next editions of the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) and FINA World Aquatics Convention, organised in the month of December, will take place in Hangzhou (CHN, 2018) and Abu Dhabi (UAE, 2020).

Formula One team Mercedes agrees Petronas contract extension

Formula One team Mercedes has agreed an extension of their partnership with oil and gas company Petronas.

The pair’s previous agreement was set to expire at the end of 2018 but a new multi-year deal is now in place, with the team currently leading the Constructors’ World Championship.

Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, president of Petronas. said: “There is a renewed vitality and a new level of energy in the sport this year.

“With new rules and regulations for this year, and many new things for the fans, the sport is increasing in terms of audience and that’s great.

“And for all of us at Petronas, we know that the technical contribution will be even more important this year because of the stiff competition from our rivals.”

Petronas has been the title sponsor of Mercedes since 2010, with their work widely credited as a key factor behind the team’s recent dominance on the grid.

Rumours previously suggested Mercedes were planning to pull out of the motorsport next year, but the agreement of fresh terms with Petronas seems to have debunked such theories.

iSportconnect praised for London Directors’ Club with LaLiga and WTA Presidents

iSportconnect, the largest global private network of sport business executives, has been praised for the latest London Directors’ Club.

The event was well attended, with over 70 delegates present at Coutts’ offices in central London.

LaLiga President Javier Tebas kicked off proceedings alongside Sky Sports presenter David Garrido, offering a valuable insight into the huge strides made by Spain’s top football division in recent years.

Second guest speaker Micky Lawler was equally engaging and provided delegates with an in-depth view of the WTA’s work.

Ideas were shared on a broad range of topics, with today’s issues and the challenges of tomorrow discussed at length, while a selection of networking sessions proved to be both popular and rewarding for those in attendance.

iSportconnect boasts an exciting calendar of events and you can stay up-to-date with announcements on isportconnect.com.

Please contact daniel.wexler@isportconnect.com to register your interest in future iSportconnet events.

Formula 1 signs global deal with mobile app Snapchat

Formula 1 (F1) has signed a global deal with mobile app Snapchat ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

The new deal is part of Liberty Media’s strategy to develop the motorsport on a number of digital platforms.

The partnership will begin this weekend, with coverage of Sunday’s race at Silverstone set to be featured on Snapchat’s ‘Our Stories’ feature.

Frank Arthofer, Head of digital at F1, is optimistic about the prospect of expanding the sport’s coverage: “This is the first step towards expanding our social media strategy.

“We need to continue to bring new fans to the sport – by reaching out to them on social media platforms with behind the scenes, fun and engaging content.

“Snap’s platform is one of the most popular among ‘millennials’, a sector we are particularly looking at attracting, as it represents the future of our sport.”

Snapchat said: “Our Stories allow Snapchatters at the event to contribute their unique perspectives through video and photo Snaps to one collective Story, capturing the atmosphere and excitement.”

David Bristol, director, added: “We applaud F1’s move to sign a deal with Snapchat as part of their new digital strategy. Frank and the team understand the value of making available unique and engaging content to fans through their preferred channels, and these are often Social Media platforms, especially for the younger public they wish to attract.

“This strategy does not erode broadcasting and on the contrary, could push some of these younger fans towards their planned online streaming platform. We look forward to more developments like this in the future.”

The material that will be featured on Snapchat will be available to users in the UK and the US.

Snap will also cover races in Singapore, Japan, the US, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

X Games to live-stream Virtual Reality video for the first time

This year’s X Games are available to view in 360-degree virtual-reality video via an online streaming service.

ESPN, hosts of the event, have teamed up with Samsung Electronics in order to provide this thrilling, new virtual experience for their fans – unlike anything they have ever done before.

A series of three events – Skateboard Vert, BMX Street and Skateboard Street Amateurs – will all be live streamed to 48 countries via the Samsung VR app.

Each of the events will be shot on 360-degree camera systems, which will give the footage a multi-dimensional quality and provide an intimate viewing experience for fans.

Vice president of the ESPN X Games, Tim Reed, said: “X Games has always been a laboratory for innovation and progression, both for the world’s top action sport athletes and for ESPN’s production of events and use of technology.

“We are always pushing to create new and better ways for fans to experience and interact with X Games.”

Whilst virtual reality has been increasingly used as means of technological progression for a multitude of sports – both traditional and non-traditional – ESPN’s X Games have been the hub for leading technological advancements in recent times, particularly due to their attraction of millennials.

Dallas Cowboys retain top spot on Forbes’ most valuable sports team list

NFL side the Dallas Cowboys have retained their golden position as the world’s most valuable sports team, according to Forbes Magazine’s annual list.

The Cowboys’ value rose by 5% to $4.2bn (£3.26bn) soaring over the New York Yankees from Major League Baseball, who were valued at $3.7bn (£2.87bn), putting them second in the table.

Manchester United managed to grab the third spot with a value of $3.69bn (£2.86bn), which was enough to remain within the top three after their top spot rankings in 2011 and 2012.

Top of the tree: Jerry Jones, owner of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys

Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid were the only other football teams to be included in the top 10.

The Los Angeles Rams (NFL) also moved up in the rankings as they climbed from outside of the top 50 to the lofty heights of 12th place, having relocated from St Louis last year.

Kurt Badenhausen, senior editor at Forbes Media, believes that relocation plays a significant part in adding value to teams in the modern era: “Relocations and new stadiums are fuelling big increases in the value of NFL teams.”

NFL teams make up 29 of the top-50 list of the most valuable teams, with only three teams not included (Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions).

No ice hockey, Nascar or Formula One team edged their way onto the list.

Forbes’ top 10 most valuable teams

1) Dallas Cowboys $4.2bn ($3.26bn) – American football

2) New York Yankees $3.7bn (£2.87bn) – baseball

3) Manchester United $3.69bn (£2.86bn) – football

4) Barcelona $3.64bn (£2.82bn) – football

5) Real Madrid $3.58bn (£2.78bn) – football

6) New England Patriots $3.4bn (£2.64bn) – American football

7) New York Knicks $3.3bn (£2.56bn) – basketball

8) New York Giants $3.1bn (£2.4bn) – American football

9) San Francisco 49ers $3bn (£2.33bn) – American football

10) Los Angeles Lakers $3bn (£2.33bn) – basketball

Fueling China’s Soccer Revolution, the “City Way”

There are a lot of football fans in China. And when the Chinese talk football, they are talking about soccer.

According to an article in the Huffington Post, soccer is China’s most watched sport. English Premier League football matches alone regularly reach more than 320 million Chinese households.

Still, this country of 1.3 billion people has yet to produce many home-grown players of its own.

China’s President Xi Jinping – a huge football fan himself – seems committed to changing all that.

Under his leadership, for example, football is now a mandatory part of the national curriculum for Chinese schoolchildren. And in 2015, as part of his state visit to the UK, President Xi visited Manchester City’s City Football Academy to see firsthand their approach to youth development.

Football Ambassadors

The City Football Academy (CFA) is one of the finest sports facilities in the world. CFA is home to all of Manchester City’s football teams of both genders and all age groups. Two-thirds of the 16.5 pitches on site are dedicated to young players and developing their talent with tailored coaching and education facilities.

Manchester City, of the fabled Premier League, is part of the City Football Group (CFG). CFG also owns a number of other football teams around the world, including Melbourne City FC, New York City FC, and a minority stake in Yokohama F. Marinos.

Today, CFG’s involvement in Chinese football includes cleats on the ground as well. In addition to maintaining an office in Shanghai, CFG is now working closely with the Chinese Ministry of Education to support coaching in schools in cities around the country.

“Currently we have about 15 to 30 coaches based in different provinces around China,” says John Dyke, International Project Manager at City Football Services, in a recent SAP video. “We’re there to help develop talent and promote the country’s growing passion for the sport.”

A Nimble Approach to Sports and Business

CFG’s presence in China also reflects the organisation’s long-term business goal to continue expanding its already international footprint.

“We have clubs across the globe, and we’re looking to expand all the time,” says Andy Young, CFO of City Football Group. “China offers fantastic opportunities for the club.”

CFG has eight offices in seven countries at present and all share a consistent philosophy.

In terms of their approach to the game, all City teams aspire to play ‘beautiful football’ – a high-pressure, possession-based style of play. When it comes to conducting business abroad, the city way is staying nimble and relying on teamwork.

Young and Dyke explain that this includes the use of cloud-based human resource systems and a mobile collaboration platform.

“Cloud-based systems make expanding our global presence very, very easy,” says Young. “As we go into new countries, we’ll be able to just plug our HR solutions straight into the existing infrastructure.”

CFG managers can evaluate staff in different countries using a standardised approach while tying employee objectives to both local and global strategies.

Nimble business practices are also helping CFG manage those coaches spread across China.

“It’s very important that they can communicate and connect together,” says Dyke, and the group’s collaboration platform lets them do just that. Using their smartphones and other mobile devices, the CFG personnel in China can upload videos, ask questions, share the latest news, and host coaching forums.

“It makes the coaches feel more connected to the Club,” Dyke adds.

Winning is Wonderful

“Football is growing fast in China, and we want to be part of that development,” says Dyke.

It’s development that China hopes will result in a generation of top-notch players and winning football teams.

And as Young points out, “When you’re winning, everything is absolutely wonderful.”

Table Tennis England’s ‘future at risk’ after funding loss

Table Tennis England chairman Sandra Deaton says the organisation’s future is “at risk” after losing access to £9m worth of funding.

The governing body’s annual general meeting took place last Saturday with the organisation aiming to pass a proposal in order to make sure its governance met the UK and Sport England rules.

The body required 75% of its members to vote in favour of the proposal, however, they lost out marginally with 74.93% of its members voting, resulting in their funding being frozen

Chairman Sandra Deaton said: “This has put our future at risk.

“Despite being told of the consequences, the action of a small number of the individuals, some with their own agendas, have meant the association is now in a suspended state of the business.

“Table tennis has become the first to fail to deliver on the government’s requirements for funding.”

The proposal being questioned contained changes to the election of new board members.

Manchester United launches online MUTV streaming service

Manchester United have made their official TV network (MUTV) available to supporters across the UK and Ireland via an online streaming platform.

The platform can be accessed on desktops, tablets and phones and gives fans the latest access to live match action and other news about the Red Devils – but without the need for a satellite subscription.

Whilst MUTV was only previously available to those with television subscriptions, it has now become the only place to watch all of United’s pre-season games, including fixtures against Spanish heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Richard Arnold, United’s group managing director, said of the new launch of the service: “The demand from the supporters in the UK and Ireland is unrivalled and naturally all United fans want to know the latest news from the club.

“Being able to watch MUTV online and on the move is something that we have worked on for a long time and are sure it will be hugely popular with our ever-growing family of fans.”

Fans signed up to the new streaming platform will be able to make use of an on-demand section, exclusive interviews, films, features and documentaries, in addition to live Academy action including the under-18s and under-23s.

Tottenham partners with Hewlett Packard Enterprise to support technology vision for new stadium

The Club has selected Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) as its official IT Networking and Wireless Infrastructure Partner for our new, world-class stadium. Set to open in 2018, it will be one of the most technologically advanced stadia ever built, delivering an enhanced event day experience for all visitors.

The new state-of-the-art venue will be the largest football club stadium in London, with a capacity of 61,559 and will also host other major sport and entertainment events such as NFL games and concerts.

Since planning for the new stadium began, the Club has been committed to driving innovation and using modern technology to enhance the in-venue experience for every visitor. As a result, the stadium’s IT infrastructure is being incorporated from the ground up, enabling connectivity across the entire venue for visitors and flexibility to cater for future demands.

The Club is installing Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, networking solutions, with support from HPE’s Pointnext services organisation, to meet its current and future technology demands.

Sanjeev Katwa, our Head of Technology, said: “Creating a technology infrastructure to support an enhanced visitor experience requires solutions that can meet the growing demands of visitors that come to our new stadium.

“We believe Hewlett Packard Enterprise can support us on the journey in building one of the most technologically advanced stadiums in the world.”