4 - FIFA/CIES International University Network

EVENTS
SHORTSTOP
2018 Winter Olympics: Financial
services giant Allianz became a
partner of Munich’s bid to host the
event, joining a group of sponsors that
includes adidas, BMW and Lufthansa.
2012 London Olympics: Bidders
interested in taking over the Olympic
Stadium after the Games were due to
submit fully costed and financed plans
by the end of September. West Ham
and AEG, which owns the O2 arena, are
two of the frontrunners.
2009 winner Nikolay Davydenko serves - Getty Images Sport
ROCK CONCERT ATMOSPHERE
Bernardo Domingues talks to ATP World Tour chairman and president
Adam Helfant about plans for the second Finals at London’s O2 this November.
HARVARD LAW GRADUATE and former Nike
executive Adam Helfant was tasked last year with
steering the ATP World Tour, the professional
tennis circuit organised by the Association of
Tennis Professionals, through its biggest overhaul
since its inception in 1990. With a large number
of fundamental changes already decided before he
took office, his concern has been to better promote
men’s professional tennis and broaden its fanbase.
“This year we’ve already seen attendance
records at Indian Wells, Miami, Rome and
Madrid, so we’re optimistic that we will
equal or better the mark that we set last year
(4.4 million spectators),” says Helfant, speaking
to SportBusiness International as the Tour reached
News York for this month’s US Open.
One of the biggest achievements of Helfant’s
initial year was the success of the ATP World
Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London. The
year-end tournament, featuring the Tour’s eight
best players and eight best doubles teams of the
season, moved from Shanghai in 2009 and will be
staged in London until at least 2013 after last year’s
triumphant showcase. The creation of a unique
and compelling event - in what the executive calls
“a rock concert-like atmosphere” - was crucial to
building an environment that surprised tennis
fans and attracted first-timers to the ATP offer.
The 2009 Finals broke the record for
most spectators at an indoor tennis event:
256,000 people over 15 sessions in eight days.
Additionally non-ticket holders were catered for
with a practice court outside the main venue to
engage the 5,000 to 7,000 people that visit the
O2 everyday. This year there will be two practice
courts instead of one set up outside the main
venue and a new 6,725-square-metere fanzone
will be introduced, with seating for 400 people
accessible to non-ticket holders.
“It’s our jewel event and in the first year the
bar was set pretty high, but we’re working hard
to make sure we surpass that,” he says. “We do
want to give greater access to the sport and it
was a big deal last year.”
This May organisers sold 100,000 tickets for
the 2010 edition within 12 hours of going on
sale and research conducted during and after the
2009 event showed 98 per cent of those who
attended would buy a ticket again and 95 per
cent would make a recommendation to a friend.
Helfant has also pushed through a change based
on negative feedback. Session start times will
be brought forward by 45 minutes to allow fans
enough time to catch regular public transport
after the last evening match.
The re-naming of the Tennis Masters Cup
to ATP World Tour Finals in 2009 and its
move from Shanghai to London were part of
a series of significant adjustments to the core
product - the tour itself- decided under Helfant’s
predecessor, Etienne de Villiers, who left amid
criticism that he excluded players from the
decision-making process.
De Villiers introduced a re-vamped top tier,
the Masters 1000; a new brand look and identity
linking the tournaments to the number of ranking
points awarded to their winners (1000, 500
or 250); and the centralisation of media rights
distribution for the ATP World Tour 500 series.
The results so far have been pleasing, but
those changes are all still being evaluated and at
the same time a good look at the calendar
is taken. Ideas like a season launch to create
more buzz at the start of the year or an NBAinspired
all-star event with skills competitions
and pro-am celebrity doubles matches have been
put on hold until a way can be found to create a
longer off-season.
“That is a Tour issue, not just a player issue,”
says Helfant, “ We want to give the guys a better
chance to staying healthier longer and therefore
play more years on the tour.”
World Cup 2018/22: Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin told Fifa the
country will waive visa requirements
for participants if it wins the right to
host either tournament. Russia has
axed visa requirements for sports
events before, allowing Manchester
United and Chelsea fans at the 2008
Champions League final to simply show
their tickets at passport control.
Youth Olympic Games: The Netherlands
said it will consider launching a bid
to host the Youth Olympic Games if its
joint bid with Belgium for the 2018 or
2022 FIFA World Cup fails.
2012 London Olympics: The All
England Club said it will drop its allwhite
clothing rule for the Olympic
tennis tournament.
World Cup 2018/22: Event branding
specialist Icon was appointed as an
official supplier to England’s bid to
host the event. The company will
supply city and venue brand dressing
for FIFA’s inspection visit.
FIBA: Basketball’s 2014 World
Championship for Women will be held
in Australia, Brazil or Turkey, the
sport’s governing body has announced.
The FIBA Central Board will make a
final decision, following a close review
of the bids, in spring 2011.
2022 Winter Olympics: Sergey Bubka,
President of Ukraine’s National Olympic
Committee, announced plans to bid
for the Games. “Usually it takes seven
years to get ready to host the Olympics.
Other countries have also started from
scratch - and we will do the same.”
FIFA: World football’s governing
body was revealed to be budgeting
$16m for the London 2012 Olympic
football tournament, according to
insidethegames.biz. The figure is less
than the $22m of expenses incurred
by FIFA for the football tournaments at
the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
SportBusiness International • No.160 • 09.10 27