[Source: Global Esports Federation] 

The Global Esports Tour heads to Riyadh, hot on the heels of the first event held in Los Angeles last month. Convened by the Global Esports Federation and hosted by the Saudi Esports Federation, as live audiences return to events across the world. The GET Riyadh goes live from Sunday 24 – Tuesday, 26 October 2021 and will be battled out on PUBG MOBILE, one of the world’s most popular esports titles with over 1 billion total downloads worldwide.

The GET Riyadh will see 16 of the finest PUBG MOBILE pro-teams compete for a prize pool of US$150,000. High profile teams competing in Riyadh include Russia-based Virtus.pro, Saudi’s Rico Infinity Esports, Nepal’s DRS Gaming (Da Real Soldiers) and T2K, Morocco’s Cryptics, and Jordan’s FATE Esports, in a truly global line-up.

“The Global Esports Tour underscores the true energy of our #worldconnected motto. From LA – one of the global centers for entertainment, we head to the Middle East – one of the fastest-growing esports regions on the planet, Saudi Arabia. We are proud to join our host and GEF Board Member HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, and we look forward to connecting with players and fans in Riyadh,” said Paul J. Foster, CEO of the GEF.

“Riyadh is pleased to host the Global Esports Tour, which will be a prominent part of our annual calendar of esports events. The Global Esports Federation has been a valuable partner to us, and we are delighted to bring this event to our nation's capital, Riyadh. Esports continues to flourish around the world, and we are excited about the opportunity to host and organize tournaments that connect, excite, and engage the community," said HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, President of the Saudi Esports Federation.

Joining the pro-team line-up and providing their expert commentary and analysis at the GET Riyadh will be British esports commentator and analyst, Jake “Highland Wolf” Hannett; as well as esports caster, analyst and coach, Joshua “Professor Tarzan” Chan. They will be joined by Arabic casters and gaming video creators Abdulaziz “Henky” Almuhanna and Tariq “K0de” Khtatneh.

The broadcast kicks off at 4.00pm (Riyadh) daily, from Sunday, October 24, 2021, till Tuesday, October 26, 2021. Broadcast channels:

● Global Esports Federation Twitch Channel

● Global Esports Federation YouTube Channel

[Source: Global Esports Federation (GEF)] Launching a runway into worldwide expansion, the Global Esports Federation Board today unveils the first three host cities for its premier flagship event: Singapore 2021, Istanbul 2022 and Riyadh 2023.

The Global Esports Games, held each year in December, will convene the world in a celebration of esports, virtual sport, music and entertainment. The GEG will feature teams from across the world participating in multi-title esports competitions and active esports.

In parallel, GEFcon, a global convention of thought leaders, and the GEFestival, a dynamic celebration of inclusive esports culture highlighting music, art, technology, fashion, food and much more, promise to add to the diverse, immersive and world-class program.

“The Global Esports Games has drawn overwhelming interest. We have undergone a rigorous selection process,” said Chris Chan, President, Global Esports Federation, “Now the work and creativity truly begin as we set the stage for the world’s esports athletes and players to shine.”

“The first Global Esports Games to be held in December this year will provide the opportunity to showcase esports to the world”, said Ng Chong Geng, President, Singapore Esports Association (SGEA). "We are grateful to have the opportunity to host this truly historic event".

Co-Chairs of the Coordination Commission for the Global Esports Games, Angela Ruggiero and Luzeng Song, noted that appointing the right host cities is a key to success. “We will lend our support and guidance so the host cities can unleash their full potential,” Ruggiero said, “and so the incredible untold stories of the power of esports – and sport as the future of entertainment – can be unlocked, too.”

Paul J. Foster, Chief Executive Officer, Global Esports Federation, said the energy, skill and passion of esports, and the technologies that drive it, are captured in the GEF motto: #worldconnected. Carrying that forward to the Global Esports Games, he said, “We have listened to the athletes and players, the incredible publishers and developers, and the wider community to create a platform for athletes to shine, representing countries and territories as in other prestigious multi-sport competitions.”

[Source: IOC] The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will partner with five International Sports Federations (IFs) and game publishers to produce the Olympic Virtual Series (OVS), the first-ever, Olympic-licensed event for physical and non-physical virtual sports.

Taking place ahead of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the OVS will begin on 13 May, continuing through to 23 June 2021. The Olympic Virtual Series will mobilise virtual sport, esports and gaming enthusiasts all around the world in order to reach new Olympic audiences, while also encouraging the development of physical and non-physical forms of sports in line with the recommendations of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “The Olympic Virtual Series is a new, unique Olympic digital experience that aims to grow direct engagement with new audiences in the field of virtual sports. Its conception is in line with Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and the IOC’s Digital Strategy. It encourages sports participation and promotes the Olympic values, with a special focus on youth.”

David Lappartient, Chair of the IOC’s Esports and Gaming Liaison Group (ELG), and President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), said: “On behalf of the ELG, as well as the UCI, I am delighted to be involved in the launch of the first-ever Olympic Virtual Series. A number of IFs have well established virtual sports initiatives; and thanks to the cooperation between the IOC, the IFs and the publishers, the OVS is an exciting step forward for the virtual sports world and the Olympic Movement”.

The following International Federations and gaming publishers will be part of the Olympic Virtual Series:

- World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) – eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball 2020, Konami Digital Entertainment

- Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – Zwift, Zwift inc.

- World Rowing - Open format

- World Sailing - Virtual Regatta, Virtual Regatta SAS

- Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) - Gran Turismo, Polyphony Digital

The OVS creates a stage to connect the physical sporting world with the virtual and simulation sports gaming community, providing an opportunity to engage with the Olympic Movement. Each IF will offer its corresponding event in a format that maximises online mass participation and prioritises inclusivity and participation through the OVS. The mass-participation Series allows participants around the world to compete from home or their training facilities in order to generate excitement in the build-up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

All five OVS events will differ in form and concept, and will operate via the sport’s respective publisher platform where participants will be able to take part. Fans will have the opportunity to engage and follow the events on the Olympic Channel. Additional information on how to participate, as well as prizes included with select events, will be announced soon. Information will also be available online at www.olympicchannel.com

In line with Recommendation 9 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, which states “Encourage the development of virtual sports and further engage with video gaming communities”, the launch of the first-ever OVS supports the IOC’s Digital Strategy and aims to leverage the growing popularity of virtual sport to promote the Olympic Movement, Olympic values and sports participation and grow direct relations with young people. It supports the IFs in further establishing virtual and simulated forms of sports as a discipline within their regulations and strategies. Building on the success of their respective events, both the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), along with other International Federations such as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and World Taekwondo (WT) have confirmed their excitement and commitment to exploring inclusion in future editions of the OVS.

The International Olympic Committee’s latest strategic reform programme, Agenda 2020+5, recommends that virtual versions of Olympic sports should be considered for inclusion in the Games, only if they require a comparable level of physical activity.

But at the 137^th IOC Session, one IOC Member called for the Olympic umbrella to be extended much wider, to encompass the full scale of the opportunity of gaming.

Following addresses from IOC Members Christophe Rolland and Gianni Infantino, on the recommendation to encourage the development of virtual sports and further engage with the gaming community, Yelena Isinbayeva, IOC Athletes’ Commission Member asked: “Why don’t we try or even think about including competitions like Counter Strike or Dota into the Olympic programme?

“We used to discuss about virtual sports many times, since the very beginning of computer sport before it grew in popularity. And we’d say, if the Olympic movement doesn’t take it under its umbrella someone else will.

“And now we can see the size of the competition for Counter Strike – it’s huge competition, with a huge amount of prize money and with huge number of participations around the globe. Online, it can be a billion people watching around the globe – and I was one of them, because I was interested to find out what people are watching. And I would say it is really impressive when you understand the rules.”

The need to encompass Esports is clearly not lost on the IOC. In his address, Jean-Christophe Rolland said: “It is a fantastic opportunity that the IOC and the Olympic Movement want to seize in virtual sports – I should even say have to seize.

“Technology continues to develop at an incredible pace. The games… become more and more realistic and the platforms on which they operate become more accessible. Therefore the numbers of people engaged in these virtual forms of sport continue to grow incredibly fast.”

Gianni Infantino highlighted the catalytic effect of the pandemic. “The impact of Covid has introduced many challenges, but it has also accelerated many existing trends. Throughout Covid-19 the gaming industry has continued to grow, highlighted by a 30% growth in gamers, 75% growth in gaming usage and the industry being worth over US$150bn in 2020.

“This growth has been mirrored in virtual sports, where several IFs, including my own, have accelerated our investment and focus on virtual forms of our sport to engage with young people and hosted official virtual competitions.”

“Fully reflect the physical activity”

Rolland stressed the importance of the roles and responsibilities of IFs in establishing virtual and simulated forms of sports, citing the example of rowing on ergometers at the recent 2021 Virtual Indoor Rowing Championships.

“It is exciting that this recommendation opens the possibilities for IFs to look at potential proposals to include their respective physical virtual sports in the Olympic programme in the future. To be clear, this is only considering those virtual sports which fully reflect the physical activity of the actual sport and are fully governed by the respective IF. They will be considered as a discipline of the sport within that IF.”

“Virtual sport must be linked to physical activity,” added IOC Member William Frederick Blick. “In Uganda, the ergometers are used when the weather is bad. I’ve also attended a competition where they used ergometers to promote the game within the city. This is probably the right way to go; it should be linked to physical activity.”

But Isinbayeva highlighted that competitive gamers also undergo rigorous physical and mental training. “They train in the gym – training can be eight hours a day like a normal athlete – because they have to be physically prepared to sit for eight hours or more in front of the computer and play the game. Of course they train their concentration, their mental health, because only strong mental athletes can participate on that.

Incentives and digital natives

Isinbayeva also stressed the need to make traditional sport more attractive to future athletes. “Yes, of course we need to offer them better conditions; we have to share our values, we have to show them what they will get if they practice or choose more traditional sport.

“But I see the tendency that more youth really want to compete in Counter Strike, because they can get money faster than participating in Olympic games and gaining sponsors. They can start to compete there, if I’m not wrong, from age 16 – and from age 18 they can earn good money if they are in the right team.”

“Every generation of young people has embraced the new technologies and entertainments of their time,” said Infantino. “This current generation has embraced video games and digital entertainment. The IOC digital strategy is focused on reaching out to young people around the world on their platform in their language.

“The object of the recommendations is therefore direct engagement through virtual sport and gaming to encourage sports participation and promote the Olympic values, with a special focus on youth.

“The upcoming Olympic hosts in Paris 2024, Milano-Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028 also have a clear focus of reaching out to digital natives in innovative ways, including through the opportunities that virtual sports give to reach out directly to literally anyone anywhere any time.”

Rolland said: “With this additional doorway we will be able to reach out to these young athletes and young audiences at the mass participation level and enlarge the community of people connected to sports. It will also ensure that at the elite level the competitors can be assured they are competing in a well-regulated and well protected competition environment free from manipulation of any kind. And finally, it will allow an official level of regional and global events as these events continue to develop.”

IOC Member Sarah Walker, who sits on the Commissions for Athletes and Digital & Technology, said “As someone who’s into gaming and virtual sport I think there a really cool opportunity for new and young audiences to be interested in the Olympics but also to learn about Olympic values and everything that the Olympics can provide for younger generations. I’m looking forward to how this recommendation evolves and incorporates the engagement with younger generations.”

“Act as soon as possible”

Competing for their attention will be not be easy. “In the future it will be a huge challenge to the Olympic movement, to the traditional sport, this computer sport, which is not less interesting than the Olympic Games,” said Isinbayeva.

“So, to be competitive to this, we have to offer them a better condition – or we can take them under our umbrella, if it’s possible. We don’t know if they will accept this, because being on the Olympic programme has many conditions and restrictions – the qualifying process, the number of participants, the countries, I don’t know – but why don’t we even think about it, why don’t we try? We definitely have to act as soon as possible otherwise we will lose this chance.”

Ultimately, strategy is just as important as speed. “Over the past few years we have taken the first steps into this world of virtual sports and the current context has certainly reinforced the relevance,” said Rolland. “The opportunities are incredible if we approach it with clear strategy and direction.

“The new Olympic Agenda 2020+5 recommendation shapes this direction and we look forward to seizing these vital opportunities, the changing landscape of technology, society and sport bring to us.”

[Source: PR Newswire] Bally's Corporation, a leading U.S. provider of land-based gaming and interactive entertainment, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Monkey Knife Fight (MKF), the award-winning, fastest-growing[1] gaming platform and third-largest daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator in North America. The all-stock transaction makes Bally's just the third sports betting company in the U.S. to have a fantasy sports segment. In 2020, MKF, which offers its loyal users a dynamic and creative slate of daily sports and e-sports contests, was ranked by SponsorUnited as the sixth most-searched and tenth fastest-growing brand in sports and entertainment.

Bally's acquisition of MKF is the latest step in the company's long-term growth and diversification strategy to become the first truly vertically integrated sports betting and iGaming company in the U.S. with a B2B2C business model. Importantly, it complements Bally's recent media partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group and its pending acquisition of Bet.Works, including its proprietary technology stack.

"With this acquisition, we are pleased to enter into the high-growth DFS market. Monkey Knife Fight is a unique asset that we look forward to incorporating into Bally's constantly growing omnichannel portfolio of land-based casinos and iGaming platforms," said George Papanier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bally's Corporation. "As with all of the properties and services that fall under the iconic Bally's brand, we are committed to providing a best-in-class DFS platform to sports fans around the country."

With approximately 180,000 registered users and 80,000 depositing players, MKF's distinctive, user-friendly gaming platform will become an integral component of the "Bally's Interactive" division, as well as contribute to Bally's growing player database. MKF will support Bally's plans to develop a potential sports bettors database in states such as California, Florida and Texas, which are expected to account for 20-25% of U.S. sports betting revenues (according to Wall Street analyst research estimates). It will also enable Bally's to build a player database in Canada, a market that is expected to authorize sports betting in the near future. In addition, the acquisition will lead to Bally's developing new and engaging content with MKF for its customers.

Papanier continued, "The MKF acquisition will allow Bally's to leverage both its current customer database as well as DFS's collection of depositing players. These assets will also provide Bally's with a significant advantage in launching its own B2C sports betting operations."

Additionally, Bally's intends to combine MKF's expansive geographic presence, which spans 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, with Sinclair's significant media footprint, including its portfolio of 21 regional sports networks, to engage sports fans across the U.S by providing unique DFS offerings.

"Since our inception, we have distinguished ourselves from competitors by providing the best experiences for our valued players, forming strategic partnerships with teams, ownership groups and players unions, and acquiring strategic assets to bolster our position in the market," said Bill Asher, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Monkey Knife Fight. "I am immensely proud of all we have accomplished over the past three years at MKF and am confident that the talented Bally's team has what it takes to continue to grow and develop what is already a great business."

As part of the acquisition, MKF is set to receive immediately exercisable penny warrants to purchase up to approximately $50 million in Bally's common shares (subject to adjustment) at closing, and (2) contingent penny warrants to purchase up to approximately $20 million in additional Bally's common shares on each of the first and second anniversaries of closing, for a possible total of up to approximately $40 million. The contingency relates to MKF's continued operations in jurisdictions in which it operates at closing. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.

[Source: Global Esports Federation] The Global Esports Federation starts the new year following the successful staging of the first edition of the #worldconnected series (#wcs20) in December 2020. The event saw participation from 75 countries and territories across seven regions of the world.

The regional esports competitions hosted by the GEF’s Member Federations attracted close to 5,000 esports players worldwide competing in 11 titles, drawing over half a million spectators online. Top matches were streamed live on the GEF’s Twitch channel – twitch.tv/GEF.

In addition, the staging of the inaugural GEFcon attracted over 1,000 participants from around the world. GEFcon20, developed with Sports Innovation Lab, showcased 14 sessions with 50 global thought leaders from esports, sports, technology and innovation sectors. The GEFcon20 sessions remain available for free viewing at GEFcon.org/videos.

“While so many events around the world were cancelled or postponed in 2020, our #wcs20 program demonstrated the Global Esports Federation’s capability, drawing the world’s esports community together. We are encouraged by the support from our diverse Member Federations and are committed to continuous collaboration,” said Chris Chan, President, Global Esports Federation.

“We kick off 2021 with renewed determination and commitment to promoting the credibility, legitimacy and prestige of esports.”

“At the GEF’s December Board Meeting, we reaffirmed our commitment to provide an integrated service platform to our Member Federations, assisting further growth and development. This year we will focus on diverse strategic initiatives, as well as the development and delivery of our global events portfolio, including our annual flagship Global Esports Games,” added Chris Chan.

The Global Esports Federation has signed an exploratory agreement with the Invictus Games Foundation to develop a global strategy to harness the power of esports as a catalyst for social benefit and change.

“We are proud to embark on this strategic collaboration with the Invictus Games Foundation, leveraging the power of esports to elevate the GEF’s values of equality, fair play, diversity, inclusion and innovation,” said Chris Chan, President, Global Esports Federation.

“This agreement offers a world of opportunity for the services community, particularly those suffering from injuries or illness to join the #worldconnected movement, promoting physical, psychological and social inclusion and a stronger global community.”

“The Invictus Games Foundation uses the power of sport and adventurous challenge to inspire, improve and influence the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women. Our Invictus Games is at the heart of that as the epitome of international sports recovery, offering a platform for the armed forces community worldwide to rally together and demonstrate the power of the human spirit in overcoming adversity and achieving extraordinary feats beyond injury,” said Dominic Reid, CEO, Invictus Games Foundation.

“Sports recovery is a proven method to accelerate and reinforce rehabilitation, and we know that participation in an Invictus Games is transformative for competitors and their friends and family. We see a great potential in esports and are excited to collaborate with the Global Esports Federation to further explore the power of technology and innovation for good.”

The agreement aims at establishing a blueprint to inspire recovery and support rehabilitation for wounded servicemen and women through esports; and to further the understanding and inclusive reach of esports to the world’s population.

“Esports, as in traditional sport, showcases human competition and has tremendous cognitive, physical and social benefits. We have seen firsthand the benefits of esports in promoting communications between people, building stronger global communities, and encouraging the connection between people from around the world, wherever they are,” added Chester King, Vice President & Chair, Education, Culture and Wellness Commission, Global Esports Federation.

[Source: Global Esports Federation] The Board of the Global Esports Federation confirmed its flagship event, the Global Esports Games(GEG),will be held for the first time in December 2021. The annual GEG will be hosted in December each year, featuring multi-title esports competitions, capped by world-class Opening and Closing Ceremonies, GEFcon – a thought-leadership convention, and GEFestival – a dynamic celebration of the inclusive esports culture, highlighting music, art, technology, fashion, food and more.

“The Global Esports Games serves as a platform to showcase the world’s best athletes, players, industry partners, brands, innovations and the responsible use of technology in esports,” said Chris Chan, President, Global Esports Federation. “In parallel, the GEF will stage GEFcon – a multi-platform conferencing showcase for dialogue on responsible gaming, technological advancement and shared learning – bringing people together for the celebration of esports.”

The GEF has received an unprecedented response following its global call for expressions of interest to host the Global Esports Games. Member Federations from 20 countries will attend an Applicant Briefing session on Friday, October 30, 2020, led by GEF Board Member, Lorenzo Giorgetti, as Chair of the GEF Selection Committee. The briefing will provide the applicants with detailed information on the opportunities, requirements and the selection process.

The Board of the GEF has confirmed that a Coordination Commission will be established to oversee the planning, preparation and staging of the Global Esports Games. Four-time Olympian and acclaimed global business and sports leader, Angela Ruggiero (USA), will head the Commission together with Senior Advisor to the GEF Board and Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Luzeng Song (China),as Co-chairs of the Commission. The experienced duo will lead a team of Members of the GEF Board, experts and advisors, adding their distinguished leadership experience to the planning, preparation and staging of the GEG.

“I look forward to ensuring that esports athletes have the optimal conditions to shine. I am particularly interested in the vast potential and diverse opportunities esports can offer the world,” said Angela Ruggiero, Co-Chair, Coordination Commission, Global Esports Federation. “I believe esports is delivering in new ways, leveraging on technology that can appeal to younger audiences and fans across the world. The Global Esports Games will be an exciting new frontier for the convergence of esports and traditional sports.”

As esports continues to advance on the global stage, the Global Esports Games is positioned to reset the bar and offer a new level for athletes and players and the entire esports community. Song Luzeng brings with him close to 40 years of experience in the Olympic movement and will contribute to the complex task of overseeing the successful preparations and staging of the Global Esports Games.

The Global Esports Games is an unprecedented multi-title esports event of a global scale to combine the gaming, performance, education, and business aspects of esports onto one international stage. The GEG paves the way for the future of esports – convening some of the best-known names in esports globally, elevating the credibility, legitimacy and prestige of esports.

[Source: Global Esports Federation] The Global Esports Federation announces the appointment of Sports Innovation Lab as Global Supporter, aimed at further enhancing the GEF’s mission to promote the credibility, legitimacy and prestige of esports. Through this global partnership, Sports Innovation Lab will develop the GEF’s global events portfolio, including the landmark GEFcon – the Global Esports Federation’s convention, thought-leadership and dialogue platform.

“We are proud to welcome Sports Innovation Lab as our Global Supporter in an effort to deepen our involvement with the stakeholders in esports, including fans worldwide on one global, inclusive platform,” said Chris Chan, President, Global Esports Federation.

“As the world’s convening platform for the esports ecosystem, engagement with players and athletes, as well as fans is paramount,” said HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Head of GEF’s Focus Group on Culture and Board Member, Global Esports Federation. “We continue to work towards elevating esports in the global arena, encouraging greater inclusion, interaction and participation within the world’s esports community,”

Sports Innovation Lab inspires brands to create breakthrough fan experiences through data-driven technology insights and industry-leading research – putting ground-breaking research into practice and ultimately providing exponential value to the end customer (the Fluid Fan).

“Sports Innovation Lab is honored to be named as a Global Supporter of the Global Esports Federation. We look forward to applying to the esports space and this partnership with the GEF the expertise and insights we’ve gained from our experiences in working with world-class organizations like the NFL and others,” said Angela Ruggiero, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sports Innovation Lab.

“Together, we will create and scale breakthrough fan experiences for esports globally to benefit the entire esports ecosystem.”

Sports Innovation Lab is co-founded by Angela Ruggiero, a global sports leader and Olympic Gold Medallist, advocate, entrepreneur, and advisor; and Josh Walker, former VP of Research at Forrester Research and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at General Catalyst. Learn more about Sports Innovation Lab at www.sportsilab.com.

Host City: What are your expectations of Host City 2019 and its theme of “Innovate, Reformulate, Co-Create”?

David Lappartient: For an International Federation such as ours, with its extremely varied and packed international calendar, Host City provides a meeting place where the organisers of major events and host cities, regions, and countries can come together. We are delighted to be playing a part this year, alongside the EBU.

The theme of this year’s event,"Innovate, Reformulate, Co-Create", ties in perfectly with our philosophy. In line with our strategic roadmap, Agenda 2022, we are striving to increase the appeal of our sport, which could well involve changing or launching new formats. As well as better meeting the expectations of broadcasters and the public, these formats can, as part of our activities, more effectively respond to today’s key social issues, such as the promotion of gender equality, and make a contribution to a sustainable future.

Host City: What is the rationale and inspiration behind combining all the different cycling disciplines in one single UCI Cycling World Championships that will be hosted for the first time in Scotland in 2023?

David Lappartient: We want to bring all our best athletes together for a single event held at one venue every four years, in the year before the Olympics: the UCI Cycling World Championships, which will celebrate virtually all of our disciplines.

In 2023, more than 2,600 cyclists in 13 disciplines and representing 120 countries will fight it out for the legendary rainbow jersey. It will be an amazing sporting event for the athletes and a memorable festival of cycling for the people of Glasgow and Scotland and for visitors.

Host City: How important was partnership work in creating this new event? Who were the main players involved and how did you work together to achieve this outcome?

David Lappartient: There is no question that this mega event, which is without precedent in the history of our sport, presents us with a massive yet exciting challenge. The competitions will take place at venues both inside and outside the city, indoors and outdoors, including roads, which involves managing traffic.

And when it comes to hosting the athletes, national delegations, TV crews, media and the fans, it takes a great deal of coordination and a close partnership between the stakeholders – the UCI, the organisers, the host broadcaster, the local and national authorities, and many others besides.

Therefore, the expertise available amongst all the host partners in delivering major events of this nature was extremely attractive to the UCI as the event owner.  The leadership of the Scottish Government and their attitude to being innovative and willingness to take on the challenge of the first edition of a new event has been vital to the success of the project. 

Host City: We have seen how hosting major cycling events has driven a surge in participation in the sport in Yorkshire. Do you anticipate similar increase in Scotland following the championships there?

David Lappartient: Absolutely. Scotland is a hotbed of cycling that has produced some great champions. The likes of Graeme Obree, David Millar, Chris Hoy, Craig Maclean (now a coach at the UCI World Cycling Centre), Callum Skinner, Katie Archibald and her team pursuit colleague Neah Evans, Jack Carlin and Neil Flachie have all made history in our sport.

Glasgow, which is a regular destination for the UCI Track World Cup, receives regular praise for actively promoting elite cycling and cycling for all. In recognition of that and the work it does to encourage people of all ages to get out and ride, we awarded it the UCI Bike City Label in 2019. Our mega event will allow Glasgow and Scotland to move to the next level in the development of cycling as a means of transport, a health-enhancing activity, and a leisure pursuit.  

Host City: There is a very interesting partnership between the UCI and Zwift, who are mapping UCI events onto their active esports platform. Can you tell me a bit about the benefits of this partnership to the UCI?

David Lappartient: Cycling Esports presents a wonderful opportunity to develop cycling. It is a new way of practising our fast-growing sport that enables more athletes of all levels to train and take part in competitions, regardless of the weather outside and where they live. It is also an engaging way of improving people’s health by encouraging them to cycle indoors whatever their surroundings, such as urban environments or areas where people cannot cycle due to the terrain.

In teaming up with Zwift, our Federation can reach out to a new and fast-growing community and increase the appeal of our sport by bringing this new discipline into the fold. In the meantime, it can also bring in the necessary safeguards to ensure that competitions are founded on integrity and credibility.

Come to Host City 2019 on 26-27 November to hear UCI President David Lappartient and Eurovision Sport’s Head of Cycling Frederic Sanz’ keynote Case in Point: “Co-creating the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships”