Social and Soccer: The Indian Super League

There is another major drive to use social media to keep fans interested and, as importantly, to bring new ones to watch and take part.

The Indian Super League now has private funding and a boost of foreign players to help promote soccer in the country. And the other big new signing is social media.

Having seen the part social has played in Major League Soccer in the US, and just how influential the medium can be when it was used to great effect by organizers, sponsors and team during the World Cup in Brazil, the Indian authorities are hoping some of that will rub off on the new season.

With good reason, the channel of choice is Twitter. And, as well as starting the #LetsFootball hashtag campaign, the league wants supports to tweet support for their team during games using the tag to create social media ‘team battles’ throughout each match.

Things will be helped by the influx of foreign stars such as Alessandro Del Piero, Robert Pires and David James – although their popularity may eclipse that of their team – one example cited claims there was 3,435 tweets around ‘Alessandro Del Piero’ but only 2,825 around his team ‘#DelhiDynamos’ in the 24 hours leading up to their opening match.

But, like Formula E and football in the US, the ISL is embracing social media. And its tactics will encourage the conversation goes on way after the final whistle.

The Modern Fanzine: Pundit Arena

The citizen journalism which now pervades our news and sports channels arguably started out with club fanzines and then blogs.

But an Irish start-up is taking things even further by launching a sports website where all the content is contributed by fans – but the big difference and the clever part is that they are paid for their copy.

Pundit Arena offers commentary on 17 sports, with articles written by 200 pundits or contributors as well as a team of four staff writers. Its main topic is football with rugby and boxing next in line in terms of popularity.

The company came into being in October 2013 when its co-founders Mr Barrett and Ross O’Dwyer met while participating in the Ignite Accelerator programme.

Since then using SEO, social media and targeted advertising the site has grown – in no small part to the subject matter and contributors who must be articulate, passionate and legal and get paid once their contribution get 5,000 hits.

So, is this the future of online sports journalism or will the model be difficult to repeat?

Public Spat: QPR and Twitter

Queens Park Rangers found themselves in the media for the wrong reasons this week.

As well as defender Rio Ferdinard being charged with misconduct by the FA for comments he recently made on social media, the club’s owner Tony Fernandes took to the same social channel to back manager Harry Redknapp’s comments saying professional players must be fit.

Interestingly Fernades’ tweet was deleted and this week he issued a statement on the club website regretting that the issue had been played out in public, saying he was disappointed in the two parties involved and confirmed the issue was being dealt with internally.

Once again social media is giving players and owners access to the public, but without that PR filter. Let’s hope they’ve learned a lesson…

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Having spent eight seasons in Formula One managing the digital channels for world champions Red Bull Racing, David Granger now runs Fact 51, a social and digital content agency.

David’s 

 

There is an old British saying: “It never rains but it pours”.

One of Britain’s former protectorates may well have to consider adopting the phrase as its new national slogan.

In Qatar, it hardly ever seems to rain (for four months each year, not even a drop); but when it comes to the 2022 World Cup its difficulties have evolved into a persistent deluge.

The weather, specifically the heat, is now an established part of the popular and prevailing discourse about Qatar’s hosting of FIFA’s showcase tournament.

Indeed, the country’s ruling Al Thani family should not expect this issue to go away any time soon, as concerns about high summer temperatures are likely to intensify as 2022 draws closer.

Even in recent weeks, medical professionals have stressed that they cannot guarantee the well-being of either players at the competition or the fans attending it.

And last week, FIFA Executive Committee member Theo Zwanziger publicly stated that he thought Qatar 2022 would not go ahead due to the hot conditions.

Then there is the routine drenching Qatar receives in respect of the status, rights and treatment of construction – and other – migrant workers.

Organisations ranging from Amnesty International to Human Rights Watch have already expressed concerns about worker deaths, the kafala system and labour oppression.

Now, Qatar’s external image has been further undermined following the recent detention of two British human rights investigators by the country’s secret service after a trip there, supposedly to investigate migrant labour conditions.

One should not forget either that FIFA’s ethics investigation could yet still rain on the country’s parade. While FIFA has stated that investigator and lawyer Michael Garcia’s report into the bidding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will remain confidential, pressure is building for it to be made public.

Already, 2015 FIFA presidential candidate Jerome Champagne and UEFA’s president, Michel Platini, have strongly urged global football’s governing body to come clean on the report’s contents.

If this happens then who knows, there could therefore be yet more problems ahead for the Middle East state.

Mud Slinging

Now there are suggestions that Israel may be orchestrating a deliberate campaign among football fans aimed at ensuring that Qatar loses the right to stage the World Cup.

In one recent apparent example of this, football fans protested outside the Qatari embassy in London – a protest organised by the Sussex Friends of Israel and the new Israeli Forum Task Force – claiming that the Qatar supports Islamic terrorism.

The belief is that the campaign actually goes far beyond this, embracing groups in the United States lobbying on behalf of Israel.

Qatar is reportedly close to both the Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, relationships that Israel is keen to destroy. It remains to be seen though what impact the recent expulsion from Qatar of Muslim Brotherhood members will have on attitudes towards plans for the 2022 tournament.

There is a certain irony to concerns about the likes of Hamas as the US government sees Qatar as one of its closest allies in the region, which resulted in the US locating a forward command post in Doha.

The situation is further complicated by tangible evidence that some other Middle Eastern states concerned about Qatar’s regional aspirations are similarly engaged in attempts to undermine the country and its World Cup plans.

If this is indeed a Qatari rainstorm, then surely some of the country’s officials must be mindful of the potential for a consequent sporting and geopolitical mudslide.

Uneasy bedfellows: sport and politics

Qatar 2022 raises some fundamental questions for sport which are not just restricted to this one case, but also to other countries across the world: from mineral-rich, aspirational states like Azerbaijan, to commercial-driven capitalist states such as the US, liberal European democracies like the UK and the emerging rampant affluence of countries including China.

Who said sport and politics should not be mixed?

This seems like a forlorn hope, as we do not appear to have a choice; countries such as Germany and Poland have recently held referendums among their populations about hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.

In both cases, local people voted against submitting a bid, which means there’s a strong chance the games could be staged in either China or Kazakhstan. Both of these countries are using sport as much for political reasons as anything else.

This is in stark contrast to Western nations which increasingly appear to be bidding to host sporting events based on economic criteria. This raises a range of issues about how we want sport to be, what we want from it, which countries should be hosting sporting events and what their motives are.

As such, Qatar may simply be an obvious focus for a much broader set of issues bound-up in global geopolitical and economic shifts, as well as often dense networks of regional interests and political power struggles.

In such cases, it would seem obvious to look to sports’ governing bodies for leadership and clarity. In the case of football however, FIFA’s strongly criticised governance standards have added to the general atmosphere of suspicion, cynicism and confusion.

Moving forward, such organisations need to get to grips with the complex environments in which they operate, otherwise they will be rendered even less fit-for-purpose than they already seem to be.

More progressive approaches to their governance are now a necessity rather than simply being desirable.

Storms ahead

Many people inevitably and obviously claim that sports is about fans, but what choices do fans have when it comes to Qatar?

They are in a seemingly invidious position caught between the inept governance of FIFA, Qatari ambition, Israeli anxiety and Middle Eastern rivalries.

While some fans might be persuaded by Israeli attempts to challenge Qatar’s right to host the 2022 World Cup, the outcry and sensitivities associated with Israel and this summer’s conflict in Gaza do not make such a decision a comfortable one for football fans across the world.

For businesses too, especially those associated with the World Cup or with investments in football, these are challenging times. The continuing strength of Qatar’s economic growth, allied to its hosting of the World Cup present tremendous potential opportunities for business.

However, Israel has powerful friends – particularly in the US – and businesses will be concerned not to fall foul of anti-Qatari sentiment among them.

This is without even considering the possible fall-out for business of FIFA’s ethics investigation and Qatar’s own domestic issues.

Many people might think that a thorough drenching of rain would be sufficient to cleanse even the most stubborn of problems.

But Qatar’s World Cup is still nearly eight years away and so, one suspects, if FIFA does not effectively address cynicism about the 2022 bidding process, if Israel decides to adopt an increasingly bellicose stance towards Qatar and if Qatar itself continues along its current path of nation building and desire for significant geopolitical influence, then all of the people, businesses and organisations associated with the 2022 World Cup would be well advised to consider carrying an umbrella.

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Professor Simon Chadwick holds the position of Chair in Sport Business Strategy and Marketing at Coventry University Business School, where he is also the founder and Director of CIBS (Centre for the International Business of Sport). Simon is the founding Editor of ‘Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal’, is a former Editor of the ‘International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship’ (he continues to serve as an editorial board member for several other sport journals), and has authored and published more than 600 articles, conference papers and books on sport. His academic research has appeared in journals including Sloan Management Review, the Journal of Advertising Research, Thunderbird International Business Review, Management Decision, Marketing Review and Sport Marketing Quarterly. Simon has co-edited the books ‘The Business of Sport Management’ and ‘The Marketing of Sport’ (both Financial Times Prentice Hall), ‘Managing Football: An International Perspective’ (Elsevier), ‘Sport Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice’ (F.I.T.), and ‘International Cases in the Business of Sport’ (Routledge). Alongside his books, Chadwick has created a Sport Marketing talk series for Henry Stewart Publishing, is Editor of a Sport Marketing book series for Routledge (Taylor and Francis), and is a visiting academic at IESE and Instituto de Empresa in Spain; the University of Paris, France; the Russian International Olympic University in Sochi, and the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

Follow Simon on Twitter @Prof_Chadwick

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National Hockey League (NHL) side Arizona Coyotes has renewed its one-year affiliation agreement with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL, doctor General Manager Don Maloney announced today.

The deal will allow the Gladiators to work closely with the Coyotes and the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Portland Pirates for the fourth consecutive season.

“We’re excited to extend our affiliation with the Coyotes and to continue our part in the hockey and personal development of NHL and AHL prospects for both Arizona and Portland, physician ” said Gladiators President Steve Chapman.

“We’ve had quality conversations this year on several topics and I’m confident the overall player development process for all three organisations will be significantly improved.

“We understand their goals and they understand ours. They are a quality organisation with quality people and we look forward to working with them again this season.”

Under Armour is often seen as a man’s brand, championing macho sports and aligning with world-class athletes. It could be expected then that, in the run-up to a new NFL season, its marketing would adopt the same burly, testosterone-fuelled tone synonymous with America’s quintessential contact sport. Well not this time.

Instead the company is concentrating on its feminine side. The second of its three 2014 marketing campaigns launches next week, aiming to promote Under Armour’s relevance to women athletes of all levels. The Baltimore-based brand has enlisted ballerina, Misty Copeland, of the American Ballet Theatre to front the initiative. Modern social trends increasingly see females wearing sportswear outside the gym and apparel brands across the board are cottoning on. Most realize that to attract the 21^st century woman, style as well as practicality must be held in equal measure. Under Armour’s new product line hits shelves this autumn so it is reasonable to expect designs to reflect this.

Another influence behind the new marketing direction is likely to be the 26% sales increase the brand’s women’s line enjoyed over the second quarter. Riding this wave, the new campaign will highlight Under Armour’s commitment to growing its women’s business to equal the size of its men’s sector. In its own words the company wants to “grow up” with its female customers, positioning itself as ‘the’ brand of this increasingly athletic female generation.

What cleverer way to promote this, than by giving women centre stage during the NFL run-up and ongoing MLS season, one of the most macho times in America’s sporting calendar. How better to highlight the value of the gender to its brand. A marketing miss-match and a sports PR paradox, the campaign’s effectiveness will result from its eccentricity. Sports agencies are already taking note.

Having begun by targeting professional sportsmen before expanding to essentially a male-dominated product line, Under Armour now looks set to give women greater credence. A transformation is underway from a brand for boys to a brand for athletes.

The next few months will see what effect the campaign will have. Under Armour can build upon encouraging second quarter sales that jumped 34%, even if profit stayed level following an 11% increase in marketing expenses. The company has since re-evaluated its annual sales forecast to a notable $3 billion. Will this feminine touch help get them over the line?

Watch the Sports Marketing Show on iSportconnect TV.

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Rebecca Hopkins is Managing Director of ENS Ltd, a London-based sports agency tasked with promoting and protecting brands in sport. They specialize in sports PR, crisis management and online public relations.

Rebecca’s 

 

As the tournament approaches its final stages, the battle of the big three kit manufacturers is being dominated by Adidas. Official FIFA Partner Adidas, and Puma are the kit suppliers to 8 of the 32 teams who competed in Brazil, while Nike has agreements with 10 of the teams. Puma had no teams left in the tournament by the quarter final stages and with Nike supported Brazil and the Netherlands going out in the semi finals, the stage is now clear for Adidas who are the suppliers to both finalists, Germany and Argentina.

The other visible brand exposure during matches comes through the pitch side perimeter advertising boards, which is a key communication tool for FIFA’s partners and sponsors. FIFA’s 6 main partners receive solus branding on the LED  boards while the 8 sponsors are paired up. The local sponsors all appear together. The signs are changed every 30 seconds during the games giving about 8 showings in total during each half of play – a total of about 8 minutes per match exclusive exposure for the partners and 8 minutes per match of exposure shared with one other brand for the sponsors. This will work out at about 8.5 hours of solus exposure for the 6 partners and 8.5 hours of shared exposure for the 8 sponsors over the entire tournament.

One brand name appears for four of the partners – Visa, Emirates, Sony and Adidas. Powerade, the official sports drink chosen by FIFA  gets some of the Coca Cola allocation while Hyundai shares its exposure with Kia which it part owns.

As for the sponsors, Castrol is paired with Budweiser, Continental is paired with Johnson and Johnson, McDonalds with Yingli Solar while two Brazilian companies are paired together, food giant Marfrig and Telecoms company, Oi.

The sponsors have been more adventurous in using different brand names for different matches. Budweiser has allocated space for beer brands it owns all over the world such as; Brahma (Brazil), Jupiler (Belgium), Quilmes (Argentina), Hasseroder (Germany) and Harbias (China). Mafrig has featured the Irish Moy Park brand, and Johnson & Johnson has given prominence to Listerine, Band Aid and Baby. Others such as McDonalds and Yingli Solar have featured their brands in different languages.

The variations being used by different brands is designed to target as much of the huge global audiences that the World Cup attracts. In 2010 the World Cup reached 3.2 billion people in well over 200 countries, while the final was watched by 715 million people.

The system employed by FIFA is highly effective in delivering equal amounts of exposure for brands in each sponsorship category.  However, added exposure always results when a goal is scored and there are a series of replays.  An analysis of which brands were on show when each of the 167 World Cup goals scored so far in the tournament has shown the following as the World Cup reaches its conclusion:

Partners;  

Adidas  15

Emirates 14

VISA  13

Sony  13

Sponsors;   

Castrol/Budweiser   19

Continental/Johnson & Johnson  14

Mafrig/Oi  13

Yingli Solar/McDonalds  12

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Nigel Currie began his sponsorship career in 1982 with Sports Sponsorship International before joining John Taylor International in 1988 and Craigie Taylor in 1991.  CTI then became the European division of The GEM Group in 2002 part of the CSS Stellar Group of companies.  The agency relaunched as brandRapport at the start of 2006 following an MBO.

He has worked across all aspects of the sponsorship, PR and sports marketing business and has been heavily involved in developing and running sponsorship programmes for companies and brands such as Vodafone, The Famous Grouse, Peugeot, Littlewoods, Carlsberg-Tetley and Toyota. He has also worked for and with governing bodies including the Football League, UEFA, FA, England and Wales Cricket Board, LTA, Hockey Association, International Rugby Board, Rugby Football League and the British Showjumping Association.

He has been involved with the European Sponsorship Consultants Association since 1994, becoming a Director in 1996.  He was elected Chairman of ESCA in June 2002.  He was responsible for coordinating the merger of ESCA with the Institute of Sports Sponsorship (ISS) in 2003 and is now Chairman of the new body, The European Sponsorship Association (ESA).

Although still consulting to brandRapport, he is now a freelance PR and Sponsorship Consultant advising a number of clients on how best to maximise their Sponsorship Programmes.

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The calendar of the year is packed with international sport events. While such events offer great opportunities for athletes to compete with their peers and for fans to celebrate their passion for sport, stadiums and sport arenas are often left half-empty during such events. That is not only demotivating for athletes and fans. It is also a missed opportunity for utilizing an international sport event to further develop sport in the host country. Getting the pricing and distribution of tickets right is a critical success factor in filling sport arenas and stadiums during international sport events and so for building a lasting event legacy of increased interest and participation in sport.

This 13th contribution of mine for iSportconnect’s expert column on sport governance offers perspectives on ticketing at international sport events with a focus on the case of the recent 2014 South American Games. The contribution highlights how the Chilean Government and the City of Santiago as hosts of the Games pursued a strategy for pricing and distribution of tickets, which aimed at increasing Chileans’ interest in sport with a long-term legacy in terms of increased participation in sport and improved population health. The contribution suggests that granting fair and equal access to the competition venues during the 2014 South American Games was a critical success factor in filling sport arenas and stadiums throughout the Games, not least in making tickets available either for free or at a very low price. The contribution also offers some critical questions about ticketing at international sport events for sport leaders to consider, as they start the process of modernizing their governance standards for the future.

My 14th contribution is going to be published in the middle of May. It is going to offer perspectives on annual reporting of sport governing bodies with a focus the case of South African Rugby Union.

Pricing and distribution of tickets are critical in achieving the desired legacy of an international sport event

Motives of governments and cities for hosting international sport events vary. For some, it is about economic growth and development. For some, it is about national pride and prestige. For some, it is about further developing sport by increasing interest and participation in sport. For others, it is about a mix of such motivations.

Either way, the strategy for pricing and distribution of tickets for competitions in the context a sport event is a critical success factor in achieving the desired legacy of an international sport event. Across the board, aspects such as fair and equal access for people to attend competitions during the event will greatly influence the legacy of an event. That is especially the case, if the main motivation for hosting an international sport event is further developing sport by increasing interest and participation in sport.

The 2014 South American Games was to increase interest and participation in sport by filling sport arenas and stadiums

As the Chilean Government and the City of Santiago bid to become hosts of the 2014 South American Games, there was a clear strategy for doing so. The hosting of the Games was seen as a means to an end rather than as an end in itself. In fact, it was seen as a potentially very powerful means of increasing Chileans’ interest in sport and of broadening it beyond what was mostly an interest in football and to some extent tennis. The thinking was that increased interest in sport would generate increased participation in and across sport. The thinking was also that increased participation in sport would eventually help the country address and reduce a critical socio-economic challenge, caused by dramatically rising numbers of obesity.

Pricing and distribution of tickets were essential parts of successfully implementing the strategy for hosting the 2014 South American Games. Success was defined as full sport arenas and stadiums in the context of an international sport event with 3,500 participating athletes from 14 countries, 33 sports, 317 medal-awarding disciplines and a total of more than 620,000 tickets for seats and spaces at competition venues.

Inspired by the approach of Colombia and Medellín for their hosting of the 2010 South American Games, 80% of all tickets for all competitions were made available for free at the 2014 South American Games. The remaining 20% tickets were made available for sale to fans wanting the best seats or spaces at specific competitions. Those tickets were all made available at an affordable price between 3 and 12 USD per ticket.

To ensure fair and equal access to the competitions, and as a measure of preventing a black market for reselling tickets, everyone with an interest in attending competitions was given the opportunity to get/buy four tickets for each day of the Games. The handling of the ticketing was outsourced to the company ‘Ticketek’. Through the company, all tickets were made available on a first-come, first-served basis. People wanting tickets had to create a user profile on the Internet. Upon doing so, they could reserve tickets online and pick them up at special ticket distribution venues.

The ticketing system was opened up to the public 40 days prior to the beginning of the 2014 South American Games. Tickets were available until the last minute of a specific competition, if not already sold out. If data indicated a high number of available tickets prior to a specific competition, local schools were offered to send pupils as spectators. Also, for all competitions there was an opportunity for people without tickets to show up at the venue at the time of the actual competition. In case of no-shows, people in line would then be let in on a first-come, first-served basis.

Data analysis shows that 75% of all tickets were booked online in the first week after the tickets were made available. The data also reveals that 25% of free ticket holders did not show up for the actual competition that they had a ticket for (as apposed to 40% at the 2010 South American Games in Medellín, Colombia). Lastly, the data shows that 54% of the total number of seats and spaces at all competitions were eventually filled. There is no data available that estimates the potential revenue opportunity costs of making tickets available for free and at a low price, simply because generating or maximizing ticket revenues were not a strategic objective for hosting the 2014 South American Games.

‘Ding’ appears to have resounded more loudly with FIFA president Sepp Blatter than ‘dong’ over the issue of workers’ rights in Qatar.

Two weeks ago Blatter, assailed with a media storm over the plight of Nepalese construction teams in the 2022 World Cup host state, insisted that he needed to hear the Qatari side of the story before rushing to judgement.

He quoted a saying of his grandmother that a clock chime needed ‘dong’ as well as ‘ding’.

The day after delivering this homespun wisdom Blatter held his first formal meeting with the new Emir of Qatar since the accession of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

The issue of workers’ right was firmly on the agenda, feeding into another firestorm provoked by the Qatari legal system’s failure to level an equitable resolution to the saga of Zahir Belounis, the Franco-Algerian footballer trapped by the notorious kafala tied-worker system.

Immediately after that meeting and while still in Doha, Blatter was diplomatically restrained about the promises of progress he had heard.

Now the veil of diplomacy has fallen.

Zurich talks

After meeting trades union leaders back in Zurich, Blatter declared the present situation in Qatar as “unacceptable.”

While the organising 2022 Supreme Committee has laid down a workers care charter this is applicable – if enforceable – only to direct World Cup projects. But a vast array of unregulated supporting infrastructure is planned which, inevitably, is essential to support the World Cup hosting.

Blatter’s Zurich meeting, set up by German federation president Wolfgang Niersbach, involved an exchange of views with Michael Sommer, president of the International Trade Union Conference, and Theo Zwanziger, a member of the FIFA exco and a long-term critic of the Qatar World Cup award.

A FIFA statement commented unequivocally that the men had met “to discuss the slave-like conditions on building sites for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.”

Blatter said afterwards: “Economic and political leaders must contribute to improving the unacceptable situation in Qatar. That is why I welcome the initiative shown by the DFB and ITUC because together we can achieve change.”

Publicity value

He did concede a belief that the Qatari authorities were taking the situation “very seriously” and acknowledged “what an important role football can play in generating publicity and thus bringing about change.”

The ITUC has long campaigned, largely on its own, about the medieval kafala system of tied employment applied to foreign workers in Qatar. Its work was enhanced by media publicity about the plight of Nepalese workers and then the case of ‘trapped footballer’ Zahir Belounis.

Sommer, also long-term leader of the German confederation of trade unions, said: “We are very pleased that FIFA and the DFB have joined us in our mission to establish humane working conditions . . . Qatar must guarantee the ILO’s core labour standards and thus eliminate discrimination and forced labour as well as allow freedom of association for its 1.3m migrant workers.”

Zwanziger, a former president of the German federation and centrally involved in the FIFA reform process, said that clear progress was by the spring.

He said: “The aim is to be in a position to report on concrete measures for Qatar at the FIFA executive committee meeting in March 2014. Large companies must be reminded of their duties in this area. The international community must also accept its responsibility.”

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Keir Radnedge has been covering football worldwide for more than 40 years, writing 33 books, from tournament guides to comprehensive encyclopedias, aimed at all ages.

His journalism career included The Daily Mail for 20 years as well as The Guardian and other national newspapers and magazines in the UK and around the world. He is a former editor, and remains a lead columnist, with World Soccer, generally recognised as the premier English language magazine on global football.

In addition to his writing, Keir has been a regular analyst for BBC radio and television, Sky Sports, Sky News, Aljazeera and CNN.

Keir Radnedge’s Twitter: @KeirRadnedge

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On the 7th September in Buenos Aires, arthritis the IOC will make important decisions regarding the 2020 Olympic Games. On top of electing a new President and deciding which city should host the Games, the Olympic top chiefs will decide which sport will be added to the 2020 programme.

In this latest report, iSportconnect has caught up with the Presidents and leading members of all the eight sports vying for a spot in 2020, to ask them the simple question; why you?

Read the full article here >>

Senior members of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee met with various members of security in order to strengthen ties among the two parties.

The State of Rio de Janeiro Public Security Secretary, decease José Mariano Beltrame, treatment the Head of the Civil Police, arthritis Martha Rocha, and the Military Police Commander General, Colonel Erir Ribeiro Costa Filho were all at the meeting with the aim of ‘establishing efficient channels of communication.’

Luis Fernando Corrêa, Rio 2016, Security Director, who hosted the visitors said: “They were here in order to get to know the Organising Committee’s new headquarters and to make strategic adjustments to the operational planning.

“It was an important visit, aimed at optimising the institutional relations between Rio 2016 and all the State Public Security Institutions, with the aim of establishing efficient channels of communication and a full understanding of the Games demands.”

Police Chief Martha Rocha, the first woman to hold this position, praised the meeting: “It was a nice opportunity to get to know the Committee’s new headquarters as well as to understand the need to have a Civil Police member inside the Committee from the start.

“All the work done here is planned. We have the opportunity to test and therefore reduce risks during completion.”

The Games Security Plan is an Integrated Action Plan, operated by the three government levels – Federal, State and Municipal.

Beltrame said: “The city’s security planning is not aimed at great events such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games, it serves the citizens.

“I believe that the integration exercise shared by the three government levels and the population, and not the equipment, will be the great Olympic Games legacy”.