09 December 2019 ISSUE

Sports X Tourism Development Foreword / 02 APEC Best Practices Sharing / 03 -Summary Report on 7th ASPN Meeting in Taipei / 03 - Pacific Perspective on Unique Natural Advantages with Sports / 08 Sports Exchange Platform / 27 -Fun Sports TW: Featured 12 International Events / 27 -Insight 2020 Olympics: Green and Sustainability / 30 -Insight: Why Do Cities Host Major Sports Events / 34 -2019 Smart Cities and Sport Summit in Tokyo / 38 -Pre-Olympic ICANS 2020 in Taipei / 41 Sports Innovation Accelerating / 44 -Introduction to SPIN Accelerator TW 2nd Cycle Teams / 44 -The Challenges and Outlook of MeetAgile / 48 -When Sports Technology Meets Blockchain / 52 APEC Best Sports Exchange Sports Innovation Foreword Practices Sharing Platform Accelerating

Foreword

SportsSportsAPEC Innovation RelatedBest Practices Platform In today's society, sport has become an indispensableAccelerating part of Sharingcity development worldwide, with numerous international sports events held around the world every year. Each economy has developed its own sports that are suited to development in line with its climate and culture. Thus, attracting tourists to participate in sports would be the key task for the economies around the world.

In this issue, we will examine in depth the popular outdoor sports of 5 APEC economies, namely Malaysia, the , Chinese Taipei, and Viet Nam, and how each economy uses its climate, terrain and cultural advantages to drive sport tourism and attract local and foreign tourists to visit and also engage in outdoor sports; the keys to attracting athletes for off-site training in winter will also be discussed.

To give APEC Sports Newsletter readers a better understanding of sports events, information related to events including Fun Sports TW: Featured 12 International Events, the sustainability concept and environmental friendliness of Tokyo 2020 , Sportcal's GSI Cities Index 2018, Tokyo's 2019 Smart Cities & Sport Summit and the International Conference for Adaptations and Nutrition in Sports in 2020 (ICANS 2020) is presented in this issue.

As technology develops vibrantly, sports events are gradually combining with technology; the final section brings new sports technology innovations and trends, the content touching on the linking of sports technology and the new blockchain technology. We will also see how the teams of SPIN Accelerator TW 2nd cycle have aligned with world sports technology, interviewing the 2 founders of MeetAgile who discuss the difficulties in starting their business and future outlook.

As sport becomes more popular globally, Forbes magazine has pointed out that the sports industry has had the highest growth of any industry in recent year. The sports should develop in accordance with the geographical advantages of each economy to attract people from overseas and locals to visit in the off-peak period. Thus, it will bring in substantial tourism revenue and achieve a win-win situation. It is hoped that this issue of newsletter can give readers deeper viewpoints and inspire innovative ideas.

Chin-Hsung Kao Executive Director of ASPN

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Summary Report on 7th ASPN Meeting in Taipei

By/ APEC Sports Newsletter editorial group

On November 5, 2019, the Sports Administration, Ministry of Education held the 7th ASPN Meeting in Taipei – "2019 APEC Sports Cities Forum: International Events X Sports Innovation." This event focused on "branding sports events, molding sports cities," inviting 28 industry, government and The 2019 APEC Sports Cities Forum academic representatives from 13 APEC economies, attracted nearly 160 participants 3 international sports organizations and 8 sports start-ups. The forum sought to strengthen Chinese Taipei's exchanges with economies around the world, jointly focusing on how sports events stimulate city marketing and better understanding trends in sports innovative technology.

The forum invited Administrative Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao to give the opening remarks, in which he noted that sports tourism is a trend that much attention is currently being given around the world. Hosting international

Photo of ASPN members, local sports events that combine innovative technology and overseas VIPs, and diplomatic applications and local characteristics not only representatives boosts the local economy and industries, but also help enhance a city's image and international reputation. Lin also thanked representatives in attendance from foreign Embassies and Missions stationed from Australia; Eswatini; Malaysia; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Singapore; St. Lucia and Turkey. Director-General of Department of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bob LJ Chen and International Olympic Committee member Wu Ching-kuo also attended the forum, where together with the other participants they were regaled with details of more than 100 international sports events held in Chinese Taipei, witnessing important moments in which the eyes of the world were on us.

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Sport and Cities – Complementary Development

As the global passion for sport increases, the sports industry has become an indispensable element in city development around the world. Professor Munehiko Harada from the Sports Tourism Alliance (JSTA) discussed how the Japanese government proactively sought opportunities to host large scale international sports events, while facing a lower birthrate and an VIPs and other attendees listen to a presentation ageing population. It has also used the government's rich natural and cultural environment together with the tourism industry to create sizeable benefits. Examples include the recent development of Budo tourism and Kendo tourism, which have been used to boost growth in the travel industry and thereby regenerate local towns that have fallen into decline as people move away. Dr. Celia Kiram, Commissioner of Philippine Sports Commission discussed the Philippine's rich water-based geographical environment and the government's focus on the career development of children and juveniles. The Philippines government organizes series of junior lifeguard and sail boat making courses, providing job opportunities, in the hope that these young people will go on to give back to society and breathe new life into city development. As with many rapidly developing economies, Chinese Taipei has been looking closely at how to best use the tangible or intangible assets left behind from hosting sports events. Professor Yeh Kung-ting from National Sport University takes the well known Dragon Boat competition as an example of how it is possible to combine a traditional festival and competitive sport to attract visitors, providing local governments with incomes and boosting local economic development. Mr. David Gilbert, President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC), explained how sports development is based on promotional work undertaken Deputy Director-General of the Sports by individual states and cities in the United Administration Lin Che-hung took a photo with the top 3 sports city representatives States. As such, regional integration,

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improving competitiveness and vibrant construction are the responsibility of related regional sports agencies. Since Cleveland attaches much importance to the media effects of sports competitions and the appeal of peripheral business opportunities, it has become the first choice to host many international sports events.

Examples of Sports Cities

The city of Melbourne has a highly efficient public transport system, which makes it easy and convenient for visitors to reach downtown and attend the F1 Grand Prix, which attracts even more tourists from overseas. Naga City in the Philippines and Undon Thani City in

The forum set up a sports cities Thailand have both adopted public-private partnership display area for attendees to visit to promote comprehensive city sports development, including undertakings to host more international sports events in the future. Fukuoka Prefecture has coordinated with the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games, focusing on regional innovation to turn Fukuoka into one of the top Japanese sports cities. Hòa Bình Province, as with Taitung County or Penghu County, is renowned for its rich array of natural and cultural resources and has recognized that a proper combination of competitions and local culture would have a major impact on the development of sports tourism; Tainan City is a model for how to combine sport and popular culture, as promotional materials for the 2019 WSBC U-12 included Pokemon for the first time, with impressive results. Taipei City and New Taipei City are 2 rapidly developing cities that have numerous sports venues and as such much experience hosting high quality international sports events. Taichung City and Kaohsiung City attract large numbers of visitors each year for special festivals such as the Taichung Jazz Festival and the Kaohsiung Love River Dragon Boat Festival. These events boost the tourism and leisure industries, while also serving as a foundation stone on which to further develop the sports industry.

International Organizations Catalyze City Development

The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA) used its Mission 2030 to advocate For a Better World Through Sport for All, supported by education, network

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and experience sharing, to promote various city-based indicators. This program is designed to address the fact that global urbanization means urban populations are reaching the point of saturation and crisis. On top of which, the hustle and bustle of urban life has drastically reduced both the frequency and time city

residents spend on sport and exercise, leading to Deputy Director-General Lin Che- the general spread of non-communicable diseases. hung of the Sports Administration took a photo with the top 3 sports TAFISA junior director Mr. Jean-Francois Laurent said innovations team winners he hoped that this advocacy will help to improve the competitive soft power of cities. In 2011, sport marketing information leader, Sportcal, implemented a Global Sports Impact (GSI) event study looking at the long-term income balance of taking part in sports competitions. In addition to its insightful analysis of the mutually beneficial links established by international organizations and hosting cities, Mr. Krzysztof Kropielnicki, head of Sportscal Events took time to note that the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) 2019 held in Budapest allowed free entry in an effort to reduce the distance between athletes and the public, creating opportunities for exchange between the two. This indicates that only by embracing a city vision and promoting related policies is it possible to facilitate urban development.

Sports Innovations - Trend of the Times

Global sports innovations promoter HYPE Sports Innovation and outstanding promoter of sports technology National Chiao Tung University's Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy (IAPS) have worked together to lead a diverse range of sports innovations teams at home and overseas. These include, GoMore Inc., LUDO and WUSA, which use AI technology to create digital smart coaches; REMA which uses new technology and materials to create extraordinary sports clothing; Malaysian company BiiB which offers planned digital running services; MeetAgile which combines and real time data analysis; Singular Wings Medical which offers a wearable device to monitor the wearer's vital signs and avoid potentially fatal dangerous over-exertion

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when exercising; Israeli company Freelates which combines Pilates and agile space; new startup Velodash which focuses on group bike rides and activities; and US company Neurun which uses VR technology to help athletes improve their sporting performance. At the forum, they shared resolutions to address the problems faced by sports tech start- ups and application methods of products. Dr. Ilan Hardar, President of HYPE, which helps new enterprises enter and adapt to the new sport innovations ecosystem, expressed optimism over the rise of smart sport technology, suggesting that this trend encourages young people to have the courage to express themselves and serves as an incentive for them to try and realize their innovative ideas.

The fashion for sports innovations has also transcended boundaries and extended to the hosting of international sports events. The spread of social media sites leaves the viewers with different expectations on the presentation of sports competitions. Mr. Mike Yang, founder, and CEO of Nike Sports Camps-Asia/AquaBloom Sports and Mr. Sam Li, head of Sina Sports International Business Strategy and Mr. Danny Fok, head of Sportradar Asia Area business development, discussed the application of new technologies at the forum, such as the future use of VR and AR to assist with the hosting of sports events. Not to be outdone by the successes at using innovative technology for international competitions, The CLUB is seeking to introduce simulators to golf clubs in a major innovation in the sport. General Manager Lee Hsiang-lin hopes to use this technology to provide competitors with the best training possible without going overseas. The energy generated by sports innovations not only pushes technology forward, but also a driving in the development of sports cities. Mr. Huang Yen-ling, CEO of Velodash, Mr. Tan She Yong, CEO of BiiB and Ms. Shelly Bar, CEO of Freelates, discussed the examples of a group cycling ride app, a virtual running application program and 24-HR barrier-free online Pilates' classes, respectively, establishing a foundation on which innovative technologies can help to define the image of a sports city. They also recognized that the combination of Speakers and attendees interact in the sports innovations display sports innovations and sports cities is an imperative area development trend.

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Chinese Taipei's advantages in attracting baseball teams from Republic of Korea and Japan for off-site training

By APEC Sports Newsletter editorial group The Winter League held by the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) attracts Japan's professional baseball league to form 2 teams, the East and West teams, to participate. The Japan Amateur Baseball Association has also begun to take part in the last 3 years, while Korean professional league sends a team made up of substitute servicemen and second-string players. The competition is a fixed exchange event between the baseball leagues of Chinese Taipei; Japan and Republic of Korea (ROK). Actually, whether Winter League or spring and autumn training, Japanese and Korean teams like to pay the visit to train for the biggest advantages of budget friendly and suitable weather.

The Lotte Giants were the first team to bring their main players to Kaohsiung City for spring training. In the past, teams came for spring training but most of the players were second string. The Lotte Giants were willing to ignore the doubters because, not just are weather and costs favorable, Kuo-chin Baseball Field in Kaohsiung built new facilities and improved existing ones; the hotel they stayed was also The Lotte Giants in Kaohsiung for winter training (Photo credit: CPBL) flexible enough to accommodate the dietary tastes of the Koreans. This matching of service and facilities made Kaohsiung the first choice.

As for spring training, it doesn't rain much in winter in the central and southern regions, so they are suitable for planning complete training. The 5 training bases of the CPBL are Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County. In the friendly warmup matches before the formal season begins, CPBL and Korean teams are both very willing to play and exchange with each other. The Uni-lions, a CPBL team, has played with the Lotte Giants, Doosan Bears, KT Wiz, etc. with TV broadcast, not only warming up for the season, but also increasing tourism benefits.

Teams from ROK have been coming to Kaohsiung City for off-site winter training for years, including Junior and university teams. Not only because the weather is good, but also the high popularity of baseball. Furthermore, training in Kaohsiung City costs much lower than going to Okinawa in Japan. Also, when the Korean teams come for off-site training, they are usually

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accompanied by the "mothers team" who prepare the meals for the athletes; therefore, the high conveniency of various foodstuffs from the market is also an attraction so that the athletes can still eat the taste of home made.

The reason that student teams from ROK and Japan come

for off-site trainings is that after the CPBL season ends, Korean baseball team in Kaohsiung for Chinese Taipei holds various level 3 baseball invitational winter training (Photo credit: CPBL) competitions; these include the Taipei AA Baseball Invitational Tournament in Taipei City, Jhu- Luo Shan International Cup in Chiayi and the Hsu Sheng Ming Cup in Kaohsiung, all attracting various teams from ROK and Japan. Moreover, exchange games or joint trainings are held with local schools off the main schedule to give players more experience.

Recently, ROK professional baseball teams have been looking for an Asian training base other than Okinawa and Chinese Taipei's advantages have, therefore, once again come to the fore. However, current baseball venues are mostly for competitions, to attract overseas teams for off-

The Asian Winter Baseball League is site training, there needs to be more training facilities. For a competition organized by the CPBL example, the spring training bases in the U.S. that have a (Photo credit: CPBL) number of basic baseball fields; or, like Kuo-chi Baseball Field that have 2 main fields, 15 bullpens, 2 indoor hitting ranges, plus restaurant, locker rooms and shower. These facilities are sufficient for all levels of baseball teams including professional.

As it doesn't rain much in the southern region in winter, there is not much need for indoor training facilities. Tatung Institute of Commerce and Technology, for example, has 2 main fields and many bullpen pitching areas which is the priority of Korean professional baseball teams when considering the location to hold training camps. This could be considered as a role model of facility improvement for attracting overseas teams in the future.

Manager of the Lotte Giants Lee Jae-gon said "More venues like Kuo-chin Baseball Field in Kaohsiung will certainly attract more professional baseball teams from ROK. Then they will be more confident regarding the warmup games and be willing to stay for the entire spring training period."

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How Malaysia Promotes Tourism by Hosting Sports Events at the End of the Year

By Madam. Nur Nazirah Binti Md Joha, International Relations Division, Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports

Every year, between October and November, the area neighbouring the Sepang International Circuit will see a flurry of activity, marking the start of a busy business weekend.

Hotels are fully booked, restaurants are filled to the brim at mealtimes while plenty of corporate companies pop up their stores and exhibitions that fill the circuit grounds aiming to appeal the huge crowds that throng the Sepang International Circuit for the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix that weekend. Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix

The Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix – to be held from November 1 to 3 this year – is an annual spectacle for fans from Malaysia and the region. Since 1999, when the first Grand Prix took place at the circuit after having Batu Tiga in Shah Alam and Pasir Gudang in Johor as their playground, the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix has grown from strength to strength. A total of 65,000 spectators were recorded at the Sepang International Circuit for the first Grand Prix in 1999. Last year, a total of 169,827 spectators were recorded, and almost 40,000 of them are from outside of Malaysia.

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report in 2013, a tourist spends an average of RM4,000 (around US$ 950) during their visit to Malaysia. The amount spent during the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix will definitely have its trickle-down effect not only for the tourism sector but also the local businesses. With hotels, shops and restaurants doing brisk business during the period, it will also mean more job opportunities for the locals.

The Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit has seen many

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world titles been decided there. By hosting the penultimate round of the , the Sepang International Circuit is able to offer the opportunity to attract a bigger crowd that is eager to see some exciting races happening in front of their eyes. Having the race in October to November also serves to attract more international fans as they can plan ahead for their visit. Zulfahmi Khairuddin, professional rider, MotoGP In recent years, the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix has had its own effect on the landscape. Beginning with the wild card programme in 2009, the economy saw Zulfahmi Khairuddin became a professional

rider in 2010 in the 125cc class (now equivalent to Moto3). Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah, who became the first Malaysian to ride in the premier class MotoGP in 2018, finished third in his Moto2 wild card debut in 2012.

Several more Malaysian riders emerged to line up on the grid in recent years, thanks to the interest the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix has created and with the debut of a Malaysian team – the PETRONAS Sepang Racing Team with Malaysian and international riders – together with other events that peppered the yearly calendar at the Sepang International Circuit. Regional interest has also taken an upward trend in recent times. Now, we can see more and more talents from neighbouring Southeast Asian economies trying to make a name to break into the world championship scene.

As the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix is held towards the end of the year, it is a perfect opportunity to make it a perfect year-ending spectacle at the Sepang International Circuit with more world-class racing. In 2019, the Sepang International Circuit is to host the Races of Malaysia: the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) and the FIA presented by OSCARO (WTCR) from December 14 to 15.

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It is the first time for the 2 world championship events to be hosted back-to-back at the circuit. The WTCR – the premier touring car race is set to have its super-finale round in Malaysia, while the EWC sees the inaugural Sepang 8 Hours motorcycle endurance race with the finest Asian and international teams competing from day to night thus giving spectators an experience like never before.

According to numbers from the Department of Statistics Malaysia in 2018, between October and November, Malaysia recorded an influx of tourists from Singapore and Indonesia amounting to 2,239,373 visitors.

The hosting of the Races of Malaysia in quarter three of the calendar year is a perfect opportunity for Malaysia to grab the market of motorsport-holidaymakers around the world. As it is being hosted close to the holiday season, it is anticipated that visitors would spend more time in Malaysia after the races to enjoy the many cultural and culinary experience. Sports events such as the MotoGP are seen as the catalyst to further strengthen Malaysia's position as the destination for sports tourism choice Mega MotoGPTM Carnival by tourists.

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Sea and Sports: Top Water Adventures in the Philippines

By Dr. Celia H. Kiram, Commissioner, Philippine Sports Commission

The words of Jose Rizal, a hero, painting the Philippines as the pearl of the Orient, echo even louder now, as other cultures can easily marvel with us in one voice over the majesty of Philippine waters. From the myriad of ways that we can now be explored, our teeming waters, weathered by the tropical sun, are growing as top destinations for the world Surfing in Siargao (Photo source: expertvagabond. com) in different activities.

The field of water sports is a center the Philippines put the spotlight on. Given the government's aim of putting these tourist water attractions into world recognition for their protection, they now serve more than a single purpose. Providing a livelihood for our people, it leads us to believe that our motherland has always been bountiful when giving out blessings to us.

Zooming in to the various forms of water sports – surfing, kayaking, diving, wakeboarding, and rafting – are among the most famous. We have destinations known for each water sport due to the suitable physical features of each place.

Surfing is a surface water sport that the provinces of Baler, Aurora, La Union, and Siargao take pride in. This involves riding the face of an active wave and bringing the surfer into the shore. The World Surfing League Men's Qualifying Series, having a QS 3000 rating, is a surfing competition gathering the world's prominent surfers. For the past 24 years, Siargao has hosted the Siargao International Surfing Cup, a tour sanctioned by the – the governing body for professional surfers. The 25th Siargao International Surfing Cup was held on October 4 to 9 this year, again as WSL Qualifying Series Event.

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Another remarkable water sport is kayaking. The seascape of the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Palawan, and Cebu offers a sanctuary for the development of the sport. It involves the use of a boat resembling a canoe where the paddler positions himself at the front and, utilizing a double-bladed paddle, moves the kayak. Its popularity in the Philippines grew rapidly as waters rich in diverse wildlife are numerous. The town of Palompon in Leyte is highlighted as Visayas' sports center with the Abre Grande sports festival. It regularly holds the 15-km marathon kayaking event attended by a massive number of sports enthusiasts.

Cliff diving is also on the list of top water sports where jumping into water while performing acrobatics is a vital aspect. Batangas, Misamis Occidental, and Coron, Palawan are top diving spots where tourists flock. The Red Bull Cliff Diving made its debut in El Nido Palawan in April, 2019. The Small and Big Lagoon in Miniloc Island served as dive sites offering heights of up to 27 meters.

Wakeboarding is another sport popular among water sports enthusiasts. With the use of a wakeboard, the person is pulled behind a motorboat upwards the crest of the water. This sport is both for competition and fun. Camarines Sur, Batangas, and Quirino are some of the stops one should go to witness the proliferation of the sport. The Wake Park World Championships is an esteemed wakeboarding competition pooling in athletes from over 30 economies all over the world. Its 2017 installment took place in Camarines Sur. The local government of Cabarroguis, Quirino launched their own Invitational Wakeboarding Competition in September, 2019, in order to promote the province's tourism.

Another sport on the spotlight is rafting. Rafting banks on the rough waves of the body of water and is usually done by a team. Usually done on whitewater, rafting requires navigation with an inflatable raft and oars. Davao, Samar, and Cagayan de Oro provide the best currents for rafting enthusiasts. Cagayan de Oro is hailed as the "The White Water Rafting Capital" of the Philippines, garnering thrill-seekers from all over the world.

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There are a number of advantages aside from the Philippines' innate climate that makes it ideal for practice of water sports. The accessibility of the bodies of water, the availability of tourist service providers, and the promotion of the government are all key factors in tourism. The Department of Whitewater rafting in Cagayan de Oro Tourism (DOT) has placed priority in solidifying (Photo source: projectlupad.com) our image as one of the top destinations in the world. According to the agency, local tourism boomed in the first half of 2019 earning P245 billion (around US$ 4.8 billion). DOT further noted that from January to June 2019, revenue increased by 17.57% from 2018. Tourism was also able to provide livelihood to 5.4 million Filipinos in 2018.

This prompts the DOT to further the efforts in boosting the Philippines' reputation. One of the remarkable initiatives pushed forward by DOT is the presence of DOT's arm, the Tourism Promotions Board. This marketing office, forwarding the recognition of the Philippines as a world diving capital, has made its rounds in the Asian Dive Expo 2019, the Marine Diving Fair, and Diving, Resort, and Travel Expo Shanghai. The Department of Tourism launched the first Philippine International Dive Expo in order to feature the famous diving sites in the economy.

Our majestic waters and the teeming wildlife gifted by our motherland are a treasure we wish to be recognized. There are countless more sports that are starting to carve its niche in the water sports industry, waiting to be given support. It is now in our hands on how we move to serve the two-pronged purposes of promoting these tourist attractions with the supports from central and local governments and to provide means of livelihood to our people. Other cultures now have the chance to marvel at our waters and express their love and admiration for beautiful Philippines. We should be able to make the most out of it to benefit our people.

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Sports Challenge in Phuket

By Mrs. Nittaya Kerdjuntuk, Director, International Cooperation Division, Sports Authority of Thailand

Thailand "Land of Smiles", you may be acquainted with this. In 2018, the total number of tourists from overseas visiting Thailand was 38.27 million people which made the revenue of 2.01 million Baht. (around US$ 66,000) Whereas Thai tourists travelling Thailand was 226.08 million Baht, (around US$ 7.4 million) the revenue was 1.07 Beautiful landscape on the sea in Phi Phi million Baht (around US$ 35,000). The total revenue from tourism was 3.08 million Baht (around US$ 102,000) which was the 4th in the world. The most attractive provinces were , Chonburi and Phuket, respectively.

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and a vibrant city. Chonburi is popular for night life and a nice beach near Bangkok. However, Phuket, around 841 kilometers from Bangkok, was number 3. What made Phuket attracting to the tourists?

Phuket is heaven on earth. It is the largest island in Thailand, surrounded by various beautiful islands; tiny rocks to larger pieces of land. There are 7 best known islands namely; Phi Phi, Similan, Racha, Coral, Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi, Koh Khai, and Koh Bon.

As Phuket is a tropical island, it has always been attractive for tourists. It is not only a very nice province, but also has a plenty of activities. Thus, Phuket has also been promoted as "Sports City". In 2014, Phuket hosted the 4th successfully. Moreover, many single sports events such as Pancak Silat, Surfing, Speedboat and Sailing have routinely been conducted.

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Outdoor sports are highly developed in Phuket in particular, and it has long been a popular place for vacation in the winter. Most popular sports in Phuket can be categorized as follows:

‧International Sports: , Golf, and Football etc. These sports are very popular among tourists. Fight show of on Phuket Town Festival Phuket has a lot of schools for boxing; amateur and Thai boxing. In addition, golf is a sport for all ages. Visitors can play across the smooth greens and they can easily fall in love and addicted to golf courses in Phuket.

‧Yoga on the beach: the tourists can naturally feel exertion in the wind and sunshine on the beach.

‧Adventure Sports: Flying Hanuman Ziplining, Whitewater Rafting & 4-Wheel-Drive Adventure, ATV Tour, Go-Kart, Paramotor. These groups are adventure sports on the land and in the water, "Air, Sea, Land" is the conceptual idea of playing these sports. The tourists can play for recreation; competitions are also regularly held in Phuket.

‧Water Sports: Jetski, Sailing, Snorkelling, Kayaking, Surfing, , Wakeboard, Kitesurfing, and Speedboat are the most popular sports in Phuket. More detailed information is as follows.

Jetskiing is the most popular water sport in Thailand. Thailand hosted Jetski World Series in Pattaya and sometimes in Phuket. You will have a chance to challenge yourself and enjoy superb excitement. The unique racing at the site lets you experience the enthusiasm of racers and enjoyment. With the high-power crafts, and the water waves, the racers have to conquer unpredictable waves, chasing to be number one.

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Phuket is a hub of sailing and regatta. In Phuket, safe Sailing and full preparation before setting off is of paramount importance. During December every year, Phuket hosts the King's Cup Regatta, which is one of Asia's largest and most popular regatta. Leisure sailing is popular and there is a thriving tourist industry chartering sailboats. Many other boat and sailing activities take place in Phuket which has made Phuket such a popular destination for boat-related events.

Phuket is great for and diving, with an abundance of colorful marine life, warm water and easy access. The tropical waters of the Andaman Sea are ideal for snorkeling, which can be done all year-round in Phuket, but the best time of the year is from November to April. Furthermore, Phuket is a great place to achieve your PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certificate. It is rated amongst the top 10 diving destinations in the world and many of the centers in the area hold years of experience.

Kayaking can be leisure sport and sport for competition. Kayaking in the sea is an amazing experience. Phuket kayaking trips are self-paddled to relax and enjoy the scenery cruising.

Surfing in Phuket is not ranked among the best in the world, but it definitely should not be dismissed. The surfing season starts as the peak season of tourism is just ending. With the wind direction switching from east to west in April, the western sea coasts go from flat ripples to perfect waves for riding until the winds turn back around October. At the same time, the air and water are both usually good and the lower Wakeboarding in Phuket

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number of tourists puts fewer obstacles in the water, making Phuket a comfortable and safe place to surf.

Phuket wakeboarding parks provide an opportunity to enjoy a fun and extreme water sport away from the bustle of the beaches and in the safety of a carefully controlled environment. Cable water-skiing involves being dragged at high speed around a circuit on a shallow lake, where you would have the unpredictability of the speedboat's wake to contend. Practicing at one of Phuket wakeboarding parks is certainly not a breeze as the sport is easy to learn, but difficult to master. The shallow water and simple layout make it easy to recover, so tourists can quickly restart and do it again.

Kite surfing is presently one of the fastest growing extreme sports in Phuket and the island has all it takes to be a popular location for many kitesurf lovers. Beginners start in the shallow waters and gentle breezes of the southeast coast, while more practiced kite surfers really challenge themselves with each individual dangerous feat.

The activities and sports are tailored to make Phuket the leading destination for leisure tourism, recreation, and sports. Sports Tourism in Phuket is the main strategy to profound the area for outdoor sports and sports for tourism.

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The Overview of Year-End Sports in Viet Nam

By Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bich Van, Vice Director, International Cooperation Department, Viet Nam Sports Administration

Since international integration began, Vietnamese Sports has successfully hosted 3 mega sports events, namely the 22nd Southeast in Ha Noi 2003, the 3rd in Ha Noi 2009 and the 5th Asian Beach Games in Danang 2016.

Elite and professional sports, sports for all and the recreational sports are the main body of the Vietnamese Sports. Every year, hundreds of sports events of more than 40 sports and many traditional festivals and sport for all competitions are held. In the winter, the climate in the North is very cool and suitable for organizing events such as hiking, marathon and climbing. These events usually attract a large number of foreign tourists from over 100 economies around the world. The climate in the South is a tropical monsoon climate, with 2 distinct seasons, the dry and rainy seasons, hot and sunny all of the year, suitable in organizing aquatic sports.

Aquatic sports in the southern Viet Nam

Viet Nam has great advantages to develop sport tourism, especially for the provinces or cities in the North and the coastal cities. In most Europe, America and East Asia, the winter and spring are full of snow and cold weather, limiting most outdoor sports activities, while the weather in Viet Nam is wonderful for such activities.

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In 2019, 22 international sport events are held in Viet Nam including 12 sport events hosted in the North and 10 sports events hosted in the South. Football is the most popular sport in Viet Nam. In 2019, 11 international football tournaments and the 9 international friendly matches were organized in Viet Nam such as the AFC U23 Championship 2020 qualifying group K, AFC U19 Women's Championships 2019 qualifying 2, AFC U18 Championships 2019, AFC U16 Championships 2020 qualifying group H, AFF Championships 2019, AFC U19 Championships 2020 qualifying group J.

Football, the top sport in Viet Nam attracting various number of football fans every year, contributing to the economic development and sport tourism. Viet Nam co-organized the Asian Football Cup in 2007 with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, marking the 4th football cup the 4 economies co-hosted. The tournament was held at My Dinh National Stadium in Vietnamese football team Ha Noi and attracted the attention of a large number of international tourists.

Besides football there is volleyball; in the total of 22 international competitions held in Viet Nam, there were 4 volleyball tournaments including Asian Women's Beach Volleyball Championships, the World Beach Volleyball Championships, the Asian U23 Women's Volleyball Championships and the International Volleyball VTV Cup.

Not only football and volleyball, the Formula Race 1 (F1) will be held in Ha Noi in the coming year 2020 for the first time. Many travel agencies believe it will attract foreign tourists to watch the event in combination with the touring activities. Thus, it is the promising potential for the development of sport tourism – the huge sport industry in the near future.

Besides, golf, football and volleyball have been considered elite sports having

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great contributions to the development of sports tourism in Viet Nam. Sport for all, recreational sports and adventure sports such as marathon, mountain climbing have been chosen as the important key points of sport tourism.

With a 2,000 km coastline from the North to the South, the strongest advantages of Viet Nam have been recreational beach sports such as scuba diving, kayaking, boating, jet skiing, and paragliding and so on. With the rich and diversified natural resources and ecology, many localities in Viet Nam have fully favorable conditions to develop different types of eco-tourism, discovery and community tourism. They are increasingly popular and chosen by domestic and foreign tourists. Many places have become an ideal venue to organize new sports such as climbing, jogging and running across the jungle, hiking through the forest, and wild water rafting.

Danang International Marathon

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Fun Sports TW: Featured 12 International Events

By APEC Sports Newsletter editorial group

In 2019, Chinese Taipei held more than 130 international sports events in which domestic athletes had the advantage of competing at home. This provided the younger generation with an opportunity to watch international sports events up close, while showcasing high quality international events and encouraging the public to attend and show their support for locally held events. In addition to enhancing its international visibility and highlighting the added value and benefits of hosting international sports events, it is hoped these events could serve as a benchmark against which event organizers could give equal to quality and quantity, and gradually improving the quality of such events and its related services. In order to ensure the world takes more notice of this economy, 12 featured events were chosen from the international sporting events held in 2019 and presented as "Fun Sports TW: Featured 12 International Events." This combination of local culture, tourist attractions and international events also proved extremely beneficial to the successful marketing of the host economy.

The first sports event of the year was the New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon, the route of which goes through Wanli, Jinshan and Shimen on the North coast, taking in some of the most beautiful coastal landscapes, with stunning sea and mountain views, making this one of our classic marathons. At the "Taiwan Santaizi Challenger (Tennis)", the order of New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon serve was decided by "throwing divination blocks" offers distinctive north coast scenery instead of a coin toss. A mascot called "Fire Sanzi" was designed in reference to the image of Santaizi (Third Prince), ingeniously combining traditional folk culture with a sports event. This year the WDSF & Swarovski (Stage 2) adopted the theme "Welcome the World" at an event held in Taipei, with the top 12 ranked dancers in the world showing off their skills for a local audience. Kaohsiung Love River Dragon Boat Festival is the only dragon boat event with traditional, competitive

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The order of serve at the Santaizi ATP Challenger The WDSF & Swarovski (Stage 2) adopted the was decided by throwing divination blocks. theme "Welcome the World"

Kaohsiung Love River Dragon At the WBSC V U-12 Baseball The William Jones' Cup Boat Festival the only dragon boat World Cup®2019, Chinese International Tournament is competition with traditional dragon Taipei's young players defended highly anticipated by basketball boats, competitive dragon boats and the home court to full effect and fans every summer night dragon boat competitions. kept the title at home and night dragon boat races. The main visual design was based on the motif "LOVE Kaohsiung" and, together with a rich array of peripheral activities, sought to boost sports tourism in the city.

In the third quarter of 2019, the most anticipated event for local basketball fans was the long-running William Jones Cup International Tournament. This year the men's preliminaries were moved to Changhua for the first time. The WBSC V U-12 ® 2019 successfully used the unique culture of Tainan and invited internationally renowned "Pokémon" as a promotion ambassador for the event, spreading the renown of domestic baseball. The 2019 AVC Beach Taichung Bank – Beach Tour - Penghu Open was our first ever international beach volleyball tournament. The eye-catching scenery provided by Aimen and Lintou beach made this the perfect place for the event and turned it into an offshore island sunshine carnival. One of our outstanding badminton players, Chou Tien-cheng, led the home team to defend the

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title at the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open 2019, the highest level badminton event all year, and, with more than 10,000 fans and President Tsai Ing-wen cheering him on, Chou won the men's singles title.

The next event in 2019 was the "Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA" women's golf competition, 2019 AVC Beach Taichung Bank–Beach integrating multiple elements to present a more Tour–Penghu Open varied and appealing feast of sport. The WBSC Premier12 was a qualification tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games, with the best players in the world competing for the honor of being recognized as the No. 1 team. The Chinese Taipei team achieved its objective of reaching the second round of the event which proved to be a major attraction for baseball fans and the media Chou Tien-cheng led the home players and helped to promote local tourism. Taipei OEC at the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open Open is the highest women's professional tennis 2019 and also won the men's singles badminton title challenger tournament that has seen several heavyweight players, and each year attracts large numbers of tennis fans to watch the best local players go up against the best in the world. Throughout the year, it has become one of the iconic international events locally. "The Taiwan Open of Surfing" is being held at Chin-tsun Harbor in Taitung County, a location approved by the World Surf League, a top surf location that surfers from around the world want to visit. Moreover, the event is also an opportunity to successfully market East coast tourism and promote water-based sports.

For more information on our international sports events in 2019, visit the "FUN SPORTS TW" fans page at https://www.facebook.com/huntSportsinTaiwan/ or visit the online event calendar http://funsportsintaiwan.accupass.com for the latest and most up to date information.

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Insight Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Green and sustainability

By Ms. Nancy Liu, Senior Translator & Freelance Writer

In 1964, Tokyo hosted its first Olympic Games, demonstrating to the world its technology prowess, economic advancement and unrivalled hospitality. Half a century later, this great city of 37 million people is out to impress the world again, but this time with its creativity to incorporate sustainability into the Games. To be held from July 24 to August 8, next year's Olympics is a stage not only for elite international athletes but also for Japan, an economy that has suffered greatly from the Fukushima disaster in 2011 and now on the move toward a greener and brighter future. Here are six sustainable and cool undertakings in the Games you might want to know.

Tokyo celebrates one-year countdown to 2020 Olympics (Photo credit: IOC)

(1) Medals will be made out of recycled smartphones

Two years before the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the organizing committee announced an ambitious plan to make all the gold, silver and bronze medals out of discarded cellphones, tablets and small electronic devices, to make the Games Environmentally friendly medals (Photo the most environmentally-friendly to date. credit: IOC)

This landmark initiative was immediately backed by 1,621 municipalities, which managed to collect nearly 79,000 tons of used devices, including 6.21 million used mobile phones

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during the two year period. The 28.4kg of gold, 3,500kg of silver, and 2,700kg bronze extracted from outdated consumer electronics are sufficient to make 5,000 medals for winning athletes.

(2) Athletes to sleep on cardboard beds

Sleeping on cardboard boxes is not everyone's cup of tea, but with a few improvements, recycled cardboard can transform into comfortable beds that fulfill environmental suitability goals.

In September, Japanese bedding company Airweave unveiled the cardboard bed athletes will sleep on during the Games, marking the first time in Olympic and Paralympic history that all beds and bedding are made almost entirely from recycled materials. The bed frames, made out of high-resistance lightweight cardboard, come with three-part customizable polyethylene mattresses that athletes can adjust to their own needs. After the Games, 26,000 such beds will be recycled into paper and plastic products.

(3) Team uniforms will be made from recycled fabric

This might come as less of a surprise to you considering the all-out effort Japan is pulling to host a sustainable Olympics, but the Japanese team, torchbearers and all the staff and volunteers taking part in this grand event will wear sportswear made from recycled materials.

To create the new Japanese Olympic uniform, polyester fiber from approximately 30,000 donated items of used athletic wear will be extracted. To encourage wider public engagement, popular Japanese sports figures are pitching in with donation of clothes. Sportswear firm Asics said that it is working out ways to incorporate more recycled polyester and natural plant ingredients to contribute to the green agenda.

(4) Podiums to be made out of recycled shampoo bottles

Plastic bottles can go a long way. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is out to prove this by

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making podiums for the medal ceremonies out of plastic, including shampoo bottles, donated by the public and retrieved from the oceans. After the Games, the podiums will be used for educational purposes and then recycled back into packaging for consumer products. In another effort to demonstrate that trash can have a second life, the apparel for runners in the torch relay will also feature plastic bottles as a material source.

(5) Food waste will be taken seriously

For both competing athletes and spectators, winning seems to be what matters most. However, Japan is working hard trying to bring another equally important issue to their attention – food waste.

It is said that during the Games, up to 45,000 meals a day will be provided at the Athletes Village, without counting meals for the staff and audience at different competition venues. To minimize edible food loss, one of the measures to be put in place is portion control, whereby food will be served in moderate portions and tableware downsized to avoid excessive serving. Also, information and communication technology will be employed to grasp exactly how much food is required for each event and educational messages will be likely displayed in cafeterias to raise awareness.

(6) Using only renewable energy

To become the first 100% renewables powered Games, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Organizing Committee has been undertaking a series of measures, such as installing renewable energy system in permanent sporting venues and buying renewable electricity from power companies. If successful, all venues, including the athlete's village, the international broadcasting center and the main press center, will be powered entirely by renewables next summer - an unprecedented feat in the history of the Games, according to officials.

The carbon zero strategy also involves renting 99% of the items to be procured. The organizer said it will utilize leasing and buy-back arrangements as a way to implement

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reuse-friendly procurement. As an example, approximately 15,000 room air conditioners in athlete's village, 2,000 chairs and 1,000 desks will be leased instead of bought. This is an effective use of resources as well as a great cost-saving idea.

With this once-every-four-year sports spectacle less than 10 months away, preparation is in full swing. It is worth mentioning that not only is the infrastructure going green, Japan is also aiming to introduce a sustainable lifestyle that goes beyond separating garbage for recycle. Through the delivery of the Games, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Tokyo 2020 mascot (Photo credit: IOC) - gender equality, zero hunger and quality education, among others—will be focused on and pursued. The organizer said it hopes to bring forth to the pressing problems the word is facing today.

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Insight: Why Do Cities Host Major Sports Events?

By Mr. Krzysztof Kropielnicki, Head of Events, Sportcal

The sports events industry is witnessing an accelerated expansion in the number of events taking place. There are many reasons that bidding for and hosting major sports events can be attractive to cities, economies, and the various stakeholders within these. Therefore, what are the main motivations behind hosting large-scale sports events and what cities are the most successful in attracting them?

It is often difficult to attribute one sole key aim or objective to the complex outcomes that are sought from hosting events. For the most part, the key objectives for any host city or economy can be broken down across the following areas of impact: economic, media and social.

Economic impact

During the course of the 1980s and 1990s, cities began to recognise the potential for hosting major sports events as a vehicle for the implementation of, sometimes ambitious, urban planning. The hosting of major events became a catalyst for the social and economic development of cities.

This approach was exemplified at the 1992 Closing ceremony at Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Barcelona Olympics, where the games had a double objective: to modernise infrastructure and to position itself as a centre of architectural innovation and international inspiration. The city government's long-term planning identified the need for reinvention and regeneration of the city. A run-down industrial port was to be transformed into a modern, vibrant tourist-focused town which is now one of the most visited destinations in Europe, attracting more than 9 million tourists in 2018, five times the total in 1992.

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The approach continues to this day as sport tourism is at the cornerstone of many cities' growth strategies. This led to the emergence of specialist sports events agencies supported by government funds that have the specific mandate to attract major sports events, with the object of increasing tourism and creating other sporting and social benefits. EventScotland and Sport Event Denmark are good examples of organizations that have been established with government funding and support to develop a sports events strategy to bring sports events to their cities and regions.

Media impact

Media coverage and global branding are also seen as key elements of any major sports city strategy. Traditional TV coverage from the major sports events is supplemented and supported by online streaming and social media which enable people to follow all the latest coverage of an event and allow the person to feel part of it and to engage with it. For cities it is an opportunity to reach a massive international audience (as many as hundreds of millions of people for the largest events), grow their worldwide recognition and promote a desired image.

Social impact

Hosting major events can also create a positive footprint in terms of engaging local communities. Volunteering plays a vital role at major sports events and is regarded as an important means for many cities and economies to engage their populations in supporting social projects and grow their capability of to deliver other events in the future. TOTAL BWF World Championships 2019 Sport could also inspire people to become more active which is increasingly seen as a key priority for many cities and governments. However, a commonly-held belief that simply watching elite athletes will encourage

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people to do more exercise appears to be one of the myths. Without a strategic approach to building participation programmes around major events long-term benefits are unlikely to be generated.

GSI Cities Index

Sportcal's GSI (Global Sports Impact) Cities Index shows that the landscape for hosting major sports events is becoming increasingly competitive and cities are becoming more purposeful in their motivations for staging events.

The Index is based on in-depth analysis of major multisport games and world championships over a rolling 14-year period, covering seven years in the past (including the current year) and seven years in the future. In total, 90 economies and 641 cities have hosted, or are scheduled to host events during this period.

Each event is given a weighting based on its GSI Event Rating – this rating is calculated using the latest event data across a range of indicators which measures the size, scale and impact of an event. The GSI Event Ratings are then attributed to the host economies and cities, producing the GSI Nations and Cities Index, a comprehensive ranking of sports host destinations.

The latest edition of the Index, published in April 2019, analysed 730 events across 83 sports, including summer and winter and Olympic 'recognized' sports.

Tokyo, Japan topped the ranking in 2019. In recent years it secured the hosting rights to a number of world championships in the lead-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and and in 2019 alone, it hosted the and baseball's WBSC Premier12. The Japanese capital is in a unique position to capitalize on the opportunities that can be generated from hosting major sports events.

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Rank City Economy GSI Score 1 Tokyo Japan 19,867 2 Paris France 16,048 3 Budapest Hungary 14,961 4 Rio de Janeiro Brazil 13,801 5 Qatar 13,679 6 London United Kingdom 10,747 7 Moscow Russia 10,241 8 Beijing China 8,388 9 Copenhagen Denmark 8,027 10 Minsk Belarus 6,821 11 Nanjing China 6,615 12 Kazan Russia 5,866 13 Sochi Russia 5,857 14 Glasgow United Kingdom 5,769 15 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates 5,627 16 Baku Azerbaijan 5,429 17 Lima Peru 5,217 18 Pyeongchang Republic of Korea 5,213 19 Helsinki Finland 5,181 20 Innsbruck Austria 4,808 The article is based on the extracts from the GSI Report, Sportcal's annual publication that analyses the data from major sports events

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Smart Cities and Sport Summit

By APEC Sports Newsletter editorial group

Smart Cities and Sport Summit – In Brief

The "Smart Cities and Sport Summit" is an annual gathering organized under the "Smart Cities and Sport" initiative proposed by the World Union of Olympic Cities. "Smart Cities and Sport" is a diverse platform initiative that provides cities around the world with an online learning and sharing platform to better understand how to connect sport and cities through the application of smart technology. The Smart Cities and Sport Summit has been held annually since 2014 and is the first gathering in the world designed specifically for cities, where challenges and opportunities related to cities and sport are discussed. As such, it encourages cities to exchange related experiences and ideas.

Annual Smart Cities and Sport Summits

For the first three years the "Smart Cities and Sport Summit" was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, but since 2016 it has been held biennially in a different economy. The locations of the summits are listed in the table below:

Year City

2014 Lausanne, Switzerland

2015 Lausanne, Switzerland

2016 Lausanne, Switzerland

2017 Montreal, Canada

2018 Lausanne, Switzerland

2019 Tokyo, Japan

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Participation Eligibility

Those wishing to attend the "Smart Cities and Sport Summit" are required to register. The event is open to members of the WUOC, all economies, regions and cities, as well as the representatives of international sports organizations, Ifs and NFs, sports organizations, and also the public and media.

2019 Smart Cities and Sport Summit - Highlights

The 6th Smart Cities and Sport Summit was held at the Tokai University Club and Toshi Center Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, from November 12 to 14, 2019. The main issues addressed revolved around "Healthy Cities" and "Urban Sports," with more than 300 attendees from economies, regions and cities around the world. This was the first forum held in an Asian city with a joint event with the TAFISA World Congress held on November 14 to discuss the Sport for All and Global Active City programs. The current Smart Cities and Sport Summit also established a real-time interaction and voting platform on Slido, while also organizing an exchange platform, as a way of boosting interaction and diversity at the forum and making it as lively as possible.

The forum was held in Tokyo, because it is the host city of 2020 Olympics Games, inviting the Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike to be the opening speaker and discuss ongoing planning and preparations for the Olympics. Governor Koike detailed the many tangible and intangible benefits that hosting the Olympics Games have brought to Tokyo; these include comprehensive improvements to the accessible environment, creating appealing urban landscapes and using innovative 5G technology to build a high speed Internet. Moreover, in the run up to the Tokyo 2020, Japan will hold a series of test competitions and peripheral activities, as part of the build up for the main event. The forum has also arranged a sports technology innovation competition, inviting Japanese sports technology innovations teams to display their innovative products and share related innovations experience, in an initiative to echo the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games.

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2020 Forum Information

WUOC announed that the 7th Smart Cities and Sport Summit will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland in October 2020. Key issues and registration details are to be announced at a later date. Those interested in taking part are encouraged to register as when further details become available. The WUOC also welcomes all to attend the Lausanne 2020 , which starts on Jan. 9, 2020, to experience first hand the appeal of the winter Olympics and cheer on young competitors from around the world.

For more information on the Smart Cities and Sport Summit please visit the website: https://www.smartcitiesandsport.org

2019 Smart Cities and Sport Summit A Japaese cultural performance marks the opening of the 2019 Smart Cities and Sport Summit

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Pre-Olympic International Conference for Adaptations and Nutrition in Sport in 2020 to be Grandly Held in Taipei

By Taiwan Society for Sports Nutrition

The Asian Nutrition Society for Sports & Health (ANSSH) has chosen Taipei as the host city for the first time of the Pre-Olympic International Conference for Adaptations and Nutrition in Sport. The event will take place at Taipei International Convention Center from July 10 to 13, 2020 and will be attended by many experts; it is the highest-level nutrition academic gathering in the world. The elite in the field of nutrition are invited to take part. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided throughout. The event will be jointly organized by the Sports Administration, Ministry of Education and the ANSSH with the assistance of the Taiwan Society for Sports Nutrition (TSSN).

The ANSSH was founded in 2015 and in the same year sports nutrition leaders from seven economies gathered in Taipei for a sports nutrition forum; it was attended by representatives of 15 societies in China; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei and Thailand. Representatives from China; Japan; Republic of Korea and Chinese Taipei Society for Sports Nutrition have served as presidents and vice presidents. The 2nd Asian sports nutrition conference was held in 2016 by the sports nutrition branch of the Beijing Food Institute and chaired by president Yang Zeyi. The 3rd conference was held in Thailand in 2018 (ANSSH 2018) and was chaired by Dr. Rungchai from Thailand. In 2020 the ANSSH will see membership expanded with the joining of Indonesia; Jordan;

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Kuwait and the United Arab Amirates. The 5th conference will be held in Singapore; Dubai is bidding for the right to hold the 6th conference.

The 2020 Conference was originally set to be held in Japan as promised by Dr. Taguchi, former president of the Japan Society for Sports Nutrition in 2016, however, unexpected large scale booking of venues for the Tokyo Olympics and the difficulty of Waseda University to find avenue that can accommodate 1,000 people meant that, in July 2018, Dr. Takata, the current president of the Japan Society for Sports Nutrition asked the ANSSH executive committee to find another host economy. President of the TSSN Kuo Chia- Hua and honorary professor Hsu Mei-chich, represented the TSSN attending the ANSSH Executive Committee meeting in Thailand. It was decided by president Dr. Rungchai that the conferences in 2020 and 2022 will be held by Chinese Taipei and Singapore respectively. Kuo was also elected as the new president of the ANSSH. Two professors from Jordan and Kuwait attended the Thailand conference; Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates will join in the Taipei conference in 2020, as a result of which the number of members of the Executive Committee will increase from seven to eleven.

Additionally, in line with the government's New Southbound policy, the TSSN, current president of the ANSSH Dr. Rungchai of Thailand and the representatives of different economies on the Executive Committee decided that the biennial International Conference on Nutrition in Sport will follow the model used last year when the conference was held in Thailand. And, it will be held jointly with the International Society for Adaptive Medicine with the name of "International Conference for Adaptations and Nutrition in Sports (ICANS) 2020" to be held in Taipei City.

It is confirmed that scholars from New Southbound economies including Australia; Malaysia; New Zealand; Singapore and Thailand will attend the Taipei conference and speakers will come from 22 economies in all; there will be more than 80 overseas speakers and five from a host city, Taipei. Through this meeting, related knowledge will be further spread to Indochina to increase the knowledge influence. The invitees are all in the elite in sports nutrition globally and will make the event the highest-level

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sports nutrition gathering, the professional level equal to that of ACSM and ECSS. The University of Birmingham in the UK and the University of Vienna in Austria will dispatch a total of nine heavyweight scholars to carry out a Joint Symposium with the TSSN.

The mission of the TSSN is to publicly share the latest knowledge Pre-Olympic International Conference for Adaptations and Nutrition in Sport in 2020 will be held in Taipei on July 10 on human sports performance, to 13 and aging. With respect for and with the agreement of speakers, speakers will be filmed, and videos will be posted on YouTube and will be made available on the TSSN and ANSSH websites for viewing by the public afterwards. TSSN also wants to fulfil its international social responsibility. For ICNS 2020, our objective is to present the latest news, products and services, attract more than 500 scholars from domestic and overseas, implement the government's New Southbound policy, and reduce the gap between the advanced economies of Asia and the developing economies of Indochina; we hope to attract 30 economies to this event.

Registration for ICANS 2020 and upload of abstracts began in September. The registration website: http://www.icans2020.com/

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Introduction to SPIN Accelerator TW 2nd Cycle Teams

By Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy (IAPS), National Chiao Tung University

The Sports Administration and the Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy (IAPS) of National Chiao Tung University and HYPE Sports Innovation (HYPE) have cooperated in implementing the SPIN Accelerator TW program. Beginning in October, 2018, two cycles of accelerated training have been held. 2nd Cycle began eight weeks of intensive training in May, 2019.

Through SPIN, teams are provided with customized funding and enterprise matching, linked to the cross-border sports industry network and given a chance to share products or services with representative enterprises in the sports industry and sports team leaders. While nurturing startup teams, the aim is also to set up Asia's first and only sports startup and technology industry cooperation ecosphere.

For 2nd Cycle of training, nine outstanding startup teams with potential were enlisted; two teams were international, from the UK and Germany. The main service content developed by the teams in this term spanned: AI sports detection, sports data detection, wearable devices, sports communities, rehabilitation detection software, instant sports record platform and golf. The teams are introduced below:

Singular Wings Medical Co., Ltd.

This company is focused on hardware design, software development and connection to rear- end cloud platform service for mobile medical devices. The hardware products developed are physiological signal sensing smart wearable devices, such as smart watches, smart clothing and Product Demo at HYPE SPIN Demo Day portable measuring devices and other devices that can detect various physiological signals to help doctors judge symptoms of potential Sudden Cardiac Death. https://singularwings.com/

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Armony Ltd.

Armony is a UK company and has designed the first communication system for professional football training and official competition; it is currently waiting for a license from FIFA. The system allows for effective communication between coach and players and for instructions to be passed directly Product Demo of Armony and precisely to players, helping the team perform better—"Be Ahead of the Game" https://www.armonysports.com

MeetAgile

MeetAgile's competition data management platform GoHoops provides instant recording and instant uploading services for basketball competition data; input data by simple hand movement with an iPad, eliminating the needs for Product Demo of MeetAgile pen and paper or unwieldy computer at courtside. The instant announcement of data through various channels can increase a team's response capability in a game. https://www.facebook.com/Meetagile/

Golface

Golface is a software company with a golf focus. Smart phone software connects all the major Chinese Taipei's golf courses and offers booking functions. After entering the course, people can track fairway, flags and other course information through our APP. There are many strategies for reference; Golface also provides

a convenient scoring and result recording method. Winning App Display of Golface in https://www.golface.com.tw/ 2016

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Sports Innovation Accelerating

FASSOO U.G.

FASSOO U.G. is a SaaS（Software-as-a-Service）AI image analysis platform from Germany that supports multiple languages. The platform will automatically identify anything in videos and picture files people upload to the platform and index specific bookmarks to create metadata and a data platform. FASSOO Booth Display at Nanjing, 2019 It will help sports brands to obtain simpler and clearer advertisement investment statements and promote their advertisements online more effectively.https:// www.fassoo.com

LUDO

LUDO focuses on distance learning solutions. Through AI body identification, learners are quickly provided with sports suggestions and feedback. Teachers are not restricted by time, personal attention span or venue and can deal with the questions of over 10,000 Newest Product of LUDO, 2019 students online at once. LUDO cooperates with world class sports people with professional sports knowledge such as WBA featherweight world champion Wang Xucan and NBA point guard Jeremy Lin. https://www.intro.ludonow. com/

DroneFighter Co., Ltd

DroneFighter Co., Ltd runs the most popular drone races. This is the fastest-growing e-sport in the world. During the competition, players will wear dashing FPV glasses, feeling like they are piloting a fighter jet as they guide their drones. They will fly over obstacles at speeds of over 150 km/h. Drone Drone Fighter Competition Venue

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races can be described as F1 in the air. https://www.facebook.com/DroneFighter/

LONGGOOD Meditech

LONGGOOD Meditech is a software development company that uses smart interactive technology in combination with physical medicine and rehabilitation. LONGGOOD is the only Chinese Taipei's brand to have developed all-round smart

rehabilitation software from testing to rehabilitation LONGGOOD Professional Team & training, from physical therapy, occupational therapy Product to cognitive function training. The core aim is to ease the burden on clinical rehabilitation so that primary medical professionals can also become helpers in physical medicine and rehabilitation. https://en.longgood.com.tw

Jian Ling Technology Co., Ltd.

Jian Ling Technology Co., Ltd. is a provider of health/ fitness, rehabilitation equipment and systems. It developed the world-first SmartMotion smart management system, combining body testing, fitness and rehabilitation equipment with movement sensors, IoT system, APP and the cloud to achieve fully smart management. It can be used in sports Jian Ling Techology Award Winning Product at the 2019 Concours Lépine centers, gyms, rehabilitation center and elderly day International Paris care center etc. http://www.smartmotion.com.tw/

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The Challenges and Outlook of a Sport Tech Startup— MeetAgile

By Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy (IAPS), National Chiao Tung University

The Sports Administration, the Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy (IAPS) of National Chiao Tung University and HYPE Sports Innovation (HYPE) have cooperated in implementing Asia's first sports accelerator, the SPIN Accelerator TW program. It fully supports sports technology

startups by matching them with premier sports MeetAgile was selected as the TOP brands and arranging meetings with leading startup of HYPE SPIN Accelerator TW 2nd Demo Day professors of sports universities. Generating more sports industry business opportunities and startup brand achievements is their target.

Let's see the journey of founding MeetAgile, the winning teams of 2nd SPIN Accelerator TW program.

The story of founding MeetAgile

The project cooperation in 2007 makes Li Guo-han and Su Guan-wei became good friend. They are project manager and senior engineer worked in technology industry. And "basketball" was the key to their closeness.

With a common interest in basketball, they could discuss and exchange their thoughts at ease while playing basketball without presumptions. They've come up with countless ideas about starting a business. All of a sudden, a creative idea started to grow: a management platform of competition data.

Same year, Su was preparing his EMBA thesis in NCCU. So he took this idea as the subject of his thesis. He started to study the context of basketball competition records, make a model and research the business model. With the full support and encouragement of his

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Sports Innovation Accelerating

mentors, he was sure that their business idea was feasible!

In May 2016, Lee and Su started their business – MeetAgile. Started with their favorite sport – basketball, they developed a basketball competition data management platform Gohoops. The aim was to take the value of data into every basketball game and makes significantly increase on the efficiency of recording. As soon as the player come off court, the data of shooting success rate, number of errors, defense effectiveness etc. would be uploaded to the cloud instantly. Gohoops reverses the tradition of courtside recording, saves trouble of asking for data in person and overcomes the difficulty of storing game data. In July of the same year, they established the PlayOne league to connect all the players of the game through this platform. On the one hand, they ran the league's competitions; on the other hand, they verified the function of the system and platform as well as build up basketball-related network.

In September of 2016, the PlayOne league began to recruit basketball teams. All competing teams could check the competition time and venue on the website in advance. On the day of the match, recording station personnel of the league would record the performance of each player with an iPad at courtside. As soon as the games finished, all players were able to see their own performance data on the website. As well as giving players and teams a new experience, MeetAgile continually amend and optimize the competition data system with the onsite game feedback.

In 2017, MeetAgile cooperated with well-known basketball competitions such as the Taipei Songshan Cup and the High School Basketball League and became well-known through basketball circles and the sports industry. With release point success rate and distribution charts, MeetAgile helped Yahoo increase its webpage browsing volume by 43% compared to the same period the year before during the competition; MeetAgile also provided visualized data to Fox Sports broadcast, and received outstanding reviews.

In 2019, more and more basketball competitions start to enjoy MeetAgile's service. The Grand Cup in April at National Taiwan University of Sport, known as their first college

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Sports Innovation Accelerating

customer. MeetAgile gained lots of precious experience through the Cup, such as multiple games at one time, verification of outdoor courts, integration of live broadcast platform and basketball data, inexperienced recording station personnel etc. This valuable experience make the Central University Basketball Federation feel confident about MeetAgile providing high quality MeetAgile’s Team Photo basketball data. In The Central University Basketball League kicked off in September, MeetAgile gave the university players of central region a wonderful data experience like professionals.

MeetAgile also became the data partner of the 41st William Jones Cup in 2019. It gave MeetAgile an up-and-coming opportunity in international basketball tournament. Teams from Republic of Korea and New Zealand etc. were highly interested in this service. MeetAgile also made a new official website of William Jones Cup. A Japanese netizen posted on twitter that he hoped that Japan's B-league could have a similar service like this. With these supports, MeetAgile will keep on providing high quality basketball data services to the following Super Basketball League (SBL) and Women's Super Basketball League (WSBL).

Challenges in starting the business

The Songshan Cup in 2017 was the first big challenge for MeetAgile. Although the new competition data system had been trialed in the PlayOne league for a while, it was still not the most stable state in Su and Lee's mind.

Despite all the difficulty, they still want to meet the challenge. Just as expected, there were various deficiencies found during the Songshan Cup. The stability of MeetAgile's system faced a stiff challenge since the rhythm and intensity of first class competitions are faster and higher than the part-time league. Under the of time, they found

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Sports Innovation Accelerating

the problem of system and solved it right after the games to smoothly carry out the next day's game. MeetAgile keeps putting efforts on optimize the system to handle more challenges in the future.

Under the environment of basketball events here, they both realized that there's a limit of data service. If they don't change their service, the company would get trouble in growing up and that is a negative effect on fundraising. After careful consideration, they decided to change their plan of adding other sports platform into developing a new APP named Gohoops Social. It combines the existing competitions data system with social function to make all players contact to each other, communicate with their performance and watch their photos and videos on Gohoops Social.

This is the only way to develop more different business models. To completely change direction is not an easy decision for Lee and Su to make, sacrificing some short-term benefit is a must for long-term goals.

Future objectives

The Gohoops Social APP will be official launched at the end of 2019. It is hoped that the addition of the social function will bring MeetAgile a breakthrough growth. Gohoops Social provides unprecedented data service and players' exciting game photos and videos. The videos are automatically generated through data and MeetAgile Product—GoHoops—Display program, taking the time point of the score as the catalyst to generate customized exclusive videos.

At this time, MeetAgile are testing technology like live game broadcast with instant data and integration of game time controller. Not only to provide premium service for part-time basketball games, MeetAgile are preparing more value-added service to face official or international competition in the future.

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Sports Innovation Accelerating

Sports technology trends: When sports technology meets blockchain

By Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy (IAPS), National Chiao Tung University

The main technology trends in recent years in addition to digitization are establishment of joint platforms, APP system integration and blockchain application. However, every time we see "blockchain", its application is mostly related to financial technology, with sports application rare; but, did you know, the world's largest sports technology Website Display of the 1st Sports Block chain Startup Accelerator Program of HYPE startup organization – HYPE Sports Sports Innovation https://accelerators. Innovation established the first blockchain hypesportsinnovation.com/blockchain/ accelerator in 2019 specifically for sports technology.

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is best explained in terms of "block" and "chain." To protect information contents, cryptography is used to connect blocks, forming a chain, an information string that is hard to alter.

This term and technology became well known due to the recent Bitcoin fashion. The technology began to be applied to crypto currency because of its characteristics of being difficult to alter. As this technology became more universal, the broadness of its applications became apparent and applications in other areas of business were developed, such as medical records, digital notary and tax. Sports technology industry is also keen to try this new technology application.

The application of blockchain in sports

As mentioned above, blockchain is most often applied to the concept of "unalterable data".

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Sports Innovation Accelerating

When you think of exercise or sports, usually you will think of an activity that involves fitness training and is good for physical and mental health, with nothing to do with data. However, think for a second and you will realize that data and data analysis are at the heart of the sports industry; such as the scoring data in basketball games, batting rate in baseball, running speed of an athlete in athletics and the trading of virtual treasure in e-sports. If extended to sports related industries such as sports betting and sport related platform virtual currency etc., there are huge business opportunities.

HYPE's blockchain accelerator

HYPE Sports Innovation (HYPE) launched the world's first blockchain accelerator program specifically for sports technology in March 2019. This is HYPE's 19th themed accelerator program. This blockchain accelerator program selects the startups with most potential from a host of applicants and invests in them, helping the startup move forward, and changing the face of the future sports industry.

"Although blockchain is a new technology, it has limitless potential, in particular when applied to sport. In this new accelerator program, we will give the selected entrepreneurs unrivalled international personal connections network, investment and cooperation partners, assisting them turn their startup into a leader that really changes this industry."

- Dr. Ilan Hadar, CEO, HYPE Sports Innovation

The case of Lympo

HYPE Blockchain selected Lympo as their first cycle winner in September, 2019.

Lympo is a company that converts user sports data into crypto currency that can be used to exchange products of leading sports brands on its platform. Simply put, if someone walks or runs, it can be converted into virtual currency* with value. *The virtual currency referred here means crypto currency that can be spent on the platform.

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