WHO Director-General to Speak at IF Forum – Conferences & Conventions – Around the Rings

(ATR) The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) will be a Keynote Speaker at the fully virtual International Federation (IF) Forum 2021 on May 25.

SportAccord announced on May 11 that WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has been a leading figure in the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, will speak on the theme of the conference: ‘Lessons We Are Learning from a Global Crisis and How Sport and Society Can Emerge Stronger’.

The address will follow welcome remarks by IOC President Thomas Bach and an opening address by Raffaele Chiulli, President of SportAccord and GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations).

The 15th edition of the invitation-only IF Forum will feature expert speakers from across the global sports movement, including representatives of the IOC, umbrella sports associations and individual IFs, as well as sports industry executives.

Presentations, updates, case studies and panel sessions will be provided on several topics, including ‘Moving Forward, Pivoting and the Lessons We Are Learning’, ‘A Return to Competition and Lessons from the Bubble’, ‘Athlete Mental Health’, ‘Commercial Approaches for IFs in the New Normal’ and ‘The Virtual Experience and its Home within IFs’.

Immediately after the closing remarks of the IF Forum, a virtual launch celebration will take place for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021 in Ekaterinburg, Russia, which runs from November 7-12.

Athletes the Focus of HealthAccord

SportAccord will devote its HealthAccord conference stream to improving the health and wellbeing of athletes.

The conference, with the theme ‘The Power of Sport – The Power to Change’ will take place on November 9 during the six days of the 19th edition of SportAccord in Ekaterinburg.

HealthAccord will feature panel sessions and presentations covering issues including accessible sport and sport policies, mental health, athlete injury monitoring and prevention, the influence of high-performance sports on the body, and safeguarding athletes.

In addition to HealthAccord, CityAccord, the newly launched InvestAccord and ArtAccord, LawAccord, MediaAccord and the main SportAccord Summit program offer delegates plenty of options for specific areas of interest.

Click here to register for SportAccord. Organizations interested in becoming an official partner or exhibitor can contact SportAccord to discuss these investment opportunities by emailing sales@sportaccord.sport.

Conference on Inclusion in September

USA Cycling will host a multi-day Cycling Industry Inclusion Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado in September 2021.

The NGB said the conference is needed given that “recent discriminatory anti-transgender legislation in Arkansas and several other states where USA Cycling and UCI events are being held threatens access to sport”.

The event will focus on four key underrepresented communities in cycling: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual), Disabled athletes, and Women.

Representatives of these communities will be invited to shape the conference agenda and lead the conversations, presentations, and workshops during the event. Cycling industry members will be invited to attend as audience members and tasked with listening and learning.

The conference will be free to attend in-person and live virtual attendance will be available. The dates and other details have not been finalized yet.

IOC VP is Keynote Speaker for Host City Americas

IOC vice president Anita DeFrantz will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural Host City Americas event next month.

Host City Americas, with the theme of Investing in Events, takes place virtually on June 29-30. It is expected to bring more than 1,000 people together, including IOC members, sports ministers, mayors, International Federations and Organizing Committee leaders.

The opening panel, Emerging from the Perfect Storm, includes Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO and Al Kidd, President & CEO of Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA).

Current and former International Federation leaders are on a panel tackling the question of Can Private Investment Save Traditional Sports. 

Click here to register and get your free ticket for Host City Americas.

The 2021 edition of Host City will be a global, hybrid event held in Glasgow, Scotland on December 7-8. The format change is designed to build on last year’s first digital edition, combining the face-to-face interaction at Glasgow’s Technology & Innovation Centre with online connectivity.

Homepage photo: Pan American Health Organization

Written by Gerard Farek

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