Ban Ki Moon At SportAccord -- Federation Focus

(ATR) IOC Ethics Commission chair and ex-U.N. secretary general Ban Ki Moon acknowledged the need for sport to exploit the power of big data at SportAccord in Gold Coast Australia.

Moon delivered a welcome speech at the opening of the annual convention being held for the first time in Australia.

"We need big data, analytics. We need to use modern technology, artificial intelligence. Even robotics," Moon said.

During a visit to the exhibition hall of the convention the diplomat and gatekeeper of IOC ethics rules stopped by

the booth of the 2019 AIBA Boxing World Championships in Ekaterinburg, Russia 2019. He posed for pictures with the event mascot and tournament organizers.

A press release from the Russian Boxing Federation says that Moon has been invited to the Global Boxing Forum, which take place on June 12-17 in Ekaterinburg. The annual forum is organized by the leading professional boxing groups, AIBA not included.

FIL Rebrands as World Lacrosse

The international federation for men’s and women’s lacrosse unveiled its new name, logo and brand platform at SportAccord this week.

The Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) is now known as World Lacrosse.

The rebranding comes less than six months after the federation received provisional recognition from the IOC. Lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world and the federation says its membership, currently at 62 National Governing Bodies, has more than tripled since 2000.

"Coming just months after being honored by the IOC with Provisional Recognition, the introduction of our new brand platform is yet another important milestone for our organization," World Lacrosse President Sue Redfern said in a statement.

"In introducing our new World Lacrosse name, logo and brand elements, we have attempted to capture the many unique attributes that make lacrosse special — the rich heritage and traditions of our game; the excitement and energy of lacrosse; its growing, global appeal; and, the unique spirit of camaraderie shared by lacrosse enthusiasts the world over."

Along with the name change, World Lacrosse unveiled its new web site address of www.worldlacrosse.sport, the latest international federation to utilize the new .sport domain created by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).

World Lacrosse also announced that it has established its new organizational headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA — a city often referred to as Olympic City USA. Colorado Springs is home to more than 50 national and international sport organizations, including the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

Potential Hosts Line Up for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

There is no shortage of bidders to host the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022.

World Rugby confirmed on Tuesday that a record 11 unions - Argentina, Cayman Islands, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Qatar, Scotland, South Africa and Tunisia – confirmed their expression of interest by the March 31 deadline.

The unions have been issued the formal bid application documents and now have until July 16 to submit their responses. The World Rugby Council will select the 2022 host at its interim meeting in Tokyo on October 29.

"Rugby World Cup Sevens is a major event on the global sporting calendar, a fan and team favorite and is an attractive proposition for unions and cities as a low-investment, high-return event that is great for the city and great for rugby," World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said in a statement.

"We are delighted with the record level of interest. With a core objective of growing the global rugby fan and participation footprint, it is superb to see new interest from emerging rugby nations, which is great for the sport."

World Rugby likely has high hopes for the 2022 event after the success of the 2018 edition in San Francisco.

"Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 attracted a record attendance for a rugby event in the USA of 100,000, generated a record domestic broadcast audience of more than nine million and showcased the very best of San Francisco and rugby to a global broadcast audience in 224 territories. Research conducted by Nielsen Sport confirmed that the tournament generated a US$90.5 million economic contribution to San Francisco, so it was ground-breaking on every level," Beaumont said.

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 will be played during the September and October 2022 window in the international calendar. The event will again comprise 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams and will be played over three days in one venue.

Written by Gerard Farekand Ed Hula

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