(ATR) SportAccord organizers tell Around the Rings that their first international sports convention in the Middle East, taking place in Dubai next month, is virtually sold out.
Despite the repercussions of the global economic downturn on sport, SportAccord executive director Anna Hellman said 1,200 delegates have so far signed up for the eighth edition of the event at the Atlantis Palm Resort, April 25-30. Capacity is capped at 1,500.
The exhibition space and sponsorship packages are also sold out; around 70 companies are exhibiting. The main conference hotel is fully booked.
"We are on track. It looks very good. We are enjoying working in Dubai. It has been an exciting journey. The financial crisis is not affecting SportAccord," she said.
Commenting on the staging of the event in the Middle East, Hellman said: "We are at the crossroads between continents. Dubai has another dimension to the world of sports."
This year's convention will bring a more diverse mix of delegates, with many more drawn from Africa and Asia than at previous editions, Hellman said.
"We have also been able to put together a conference program that is appropriate for the [Middle East] area," she added, noting the attraction in the speaker line-up of Rahul Dravid, a former captain of India’s national team and a star of the Indian Premier League.
Global themes to be explored at the conference include: the changing geography of sport; sport in the Middle East; sport's role as a leader in sustainable development; and the autonomy of sport.
FormerUnited Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, is one of the keynote speakers. HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, president of the Dubai SportAccord organizers and head of the International Equestrian Federation, and Olympic Council of Asia president H. H. Sheikh Amhad Al-Sabah, are among presenters from the region.
Other speakers include FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Sam Ramsamy, IOC Member from South Africa, IOC member from Morocco Nawal El Moutawakel, Dmitry Chernyshenko, president and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics organizing committee, and Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman.
The IOC Executive Board will meet on the sidelines of SportAccord, April 28 to 30.
Meetings of SportAccord's other stakeholders, SportAccord (General Association of International Sports Federations), ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) and AIOWF (Association of the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations) are also taking place.
With leading global engineering consultancy company, CH2M HILL, on board as the sustainability and legacy partner of SportAccord, Hellman said there is a strong emphasis on delivering a sustainable event management program.
For this reason, most of the social activities and program will be staged at or close to the Atlantis Palm Resort. The two other conference hotels are only a 15-minute shuttle bus journey away.
"We don't want to just talk about sustainable development but to show that we also care," Hellman said, adding that eco-friendly conference bags would be distributed to delegates.
SportAccord visits London next year where 2012 Olympics preparations and legacy issues are expected to provide a big focus on the agenda.
Hellman said the host of 2013 SportAccord would be announced in Dubai or before the summer.
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Written by Mark Bisson
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