APEC Sports Newsletter
06 November 2018 ISSUE
Mega Games X Sports Professionals Foreword / 02 APEC Economies' Policies / 03 -Summary Report of the 2018 APEC Workshop on Developing Sports Professionals for Mega Games / 03 -Policies and Best Practices Sharing from Indonesia; Malaysia; the Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; Viet Nam; and Chinese Taipei / 07 Perspectives on Regional Sports Issues / 39 -Promotion of the Host Town Initiative: Towards and Beyond the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games / 39 -Sport Tourism in Japan / 43 -National Sports Development Fund in Thailand / 52 -SPIN Accelerator Project: Asia’s First Sports Technology Innovation Acceleration Platform / 55 ASPN Related Events / 57 APEC Economies' Perspectives on ASPN Related Foreword Policies Regional Sports Issues Events
Foreword
Message from APEC Sports Policy Network Executive Director, Dr. Chin-Hsung Kao
The hosting of major sporting events is an epic quest to realize the athletes' dreams and a lavish banquet that expresses friendship, enthusiasm, and vigor. Great management on the part of sporting event personnel both increases the efficiency of event planning and organization and achieves sustainable development through promotion and marketing.
In this issue of the APEC Sports Newsletter, we will focus on the cultivation of professional behind-the-scenes personnel in major sporting events and their specialized skills. Starting from the summary report of the "2018 APEC Workshop on Developing Sports Professionals for Mega Games" and the policies that Indonesia; Malaysia; the Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; Viet Nam and Chinese Taipei employ to cultivate professionals to handle sporting events.
We shall also introduce our readers to the first sports startup accelerator in Asia, developed by National Chiao Tung University and HYPE Sports Innovation, the global trailblazer in launching sports startups. This issue additionally features a special report on the development and operation of Japan's sports tourism industry, an introduction to the operating model of Thailand's National Sports Development Fund, and the latest updates on Japan's Host Town Initiative for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Through the various reports and introductions in this newsletter, we hope our readers can acquire a comprehensive understanding of the topic of talent cultivation in major sporting events, and that they can draw from these pages a range of experience and perspectives, utilizing their collective wisdom and strength to further innovate the talent development process for sporting events, and ensuring the smooth-running organization of future major international events and the promotion of international harmony and friendship.
Chin-Hsung Kao Executive Director of ASPN
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Summary Report of the 2018 APEC Workshop on Developing Sports Professionals for Mega Games
The Sports Administration (SA), Ministry of Education and the Japan Sports Tourism Alliance (JSTA) jointly held the 2018 APEC Workshop on Developing Sports Professionals for Mega Games in Tokyo, on September 26. 15 representatives from industry, government and academia of 9 APEC economies were invited to come together in Tokyo to discuss the nurturing of sports professionals for mega sports events.
Speakers and panel members at the workshop included Dr. Mie Katsuno, Director, Secretariat of Headquarters for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games; Dr. Munehiko Harada, Chairman, Japan Sport Tourism Alliance; Dr. Yoriko Noguchi, 2018 APEC Workshop on Developing Sports Professionals for Head of International Relations, Mega Games Department of Information and International Relations, Japan Sport Council; Ibrahim Bin Mohd Yusof, Under Secretary, Policy and Strategic Planning Division, Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports; Le Thi Hoang Yen, Deputy Director-General, Viet Nam Sport Administration; Dr. Celia Kiram, Commissioner, Philippine Sports Commission; Nittaya Kerdjuntuk, Director, International Cooperation Division, Sports Authority of Thailand; Italo Zanzi, Executive Vice President, Sports Asia Pacific & Middle East, Fox Networks Group; Lirone Glikman, VP Partnerships, HYPE Sports Innovation; Nur Laily Ramawati, Vice Director, International & Protocol, Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee; Jumpei Hashimoto, Director, International Sports Department, Sports Division, Dentsu Inc.; Suhardi Alias, Deputy Director-General, National Sports Council of Malaysia; Peggy Tng, Deputy Director, Singapore Sports Institute; Prof. Ching Yao Huang, Director, Center of
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Industry Accelerator and Strategy, National Chiao Tung University; and Maggie Hsu, Director, International and Cross-Strait Sports Division, Sports Administration.
The Benefits of Hosting Mega Sporting Events
Although member economies invest a considerable amount of resources into hosting mega sporting events, organizing these competitions offers a range of benefits to host economies, including cultural exchanges and tourism opportunities. Japan is currently preparing to host the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. In what is known as the Host Town Initiative, the Japanese central government supports all local governments in their preparations to welcome both foreign athletes and support staff. Under this initiative, sports, cultural, and economic exchanges are conducted with foreign athletes and support staff.
Added to this are the tourism opportunities that result from the hosting of sporting competitions. Beginning in 2019, Japan will host several major international events, which will strengthen the growth of sports tourism. Large numbers of foreign visitors are expected to travel to Japan to watch these sporting events, thus raising the number of foreign visitors. Sports tourism is a mechanism that encourages travel. Through sports tourism, the demand for travel agencies, hotels, transportation, entertainment, insurance, and food can be increased, creating significant economic benefits.
Strategies to Develop Sports Professionals for Mega Sporting Events
Member economies hosting mega sporting events all develop strategies to cultivate and recruit sports professionals. In 2017, when Taipei hosted the Summer Universiade, the staff came primarily from the central and local governments, the organizing committee, and the police. There were also volunteers, 60% of whom were college students, while the remaining 40% were members of the general public. Their knowledge and understanding of the games were bolstered through a series of training courses, lectures by famous athletes, and group training activities. The college students returned to their studies once the Summer Universiade ended and remain a powerful resource to support future international-level events. In 2011, the Sports Administration and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee jointly launched the International Sports Affairs Training Course (ISATC), which imparts knowledge of international
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sports affairs through seminars and domestic and foreign internships, with the goal of developing outstanding international sports affairs professionals.
When Malaysia hosted the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, the Malaysian organizing committee was responsible for all aspects of preparatory work, including budget allocation, human resources, facilities development, event sponsorship and management, transportation, and security. It recruited nearly 13,000 volunteers.
Viet Nam recruits personnel primarily from the Viet Nam Sports Administration and regional sports bureaus when hosting international competitions. As those who work in the Viet NamSports Administration and regional sports bureaus have been engaged in sports-related work over the long term and also regularly attend sports-related training courses in the fields of sports medicine, sports management, sports science, anti-doping management, and Olympic activities, they have more relevant sports-related experience and skills than the average person.
When the Philippines hosts competitions, it sets up committees based on the areas needed for the event. Once the competition is over, volunteers receive certificates of recognition. Volunteers who have undergone training are added to a database to serve as a talent pool for future mega sporting events.
Thailand sets no limits on age, gender, or ethnicity when recruiting volunteers. The only criteria it considers are whether the time commitment and abilities of the applicants qualify them for the work of competition volunteers. To ensure that large-scale competitions go off without a hitch, Thailand recruits talent from a variety of fields, including human resources planning, marketing, administration and finance, transportation, lodging, food and beverages, and communications technology.
Indonesia hosted the 2018 Asian Games. One important factor in the success of the event was the large number of well-trained volunteers. Indonesia established a special process and system to train volunteers for the games. To ensure the event would be a success, the organizer carefully evaluated applicants and carried out talent selection, general training, and task- specific training. It also organized many training lectures. During the recruitment process, it paid careful attention to whether candidates had a background in sports and experience with
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competitions to ensure participating personnel all had the necessary level of sports expertise.
Singapore collaborates with government agencies, the private sector, secondary schools and institutions of higher learning, and sports clubs in volunteer recruitment and training. Together, they work to recruit volunteers for competitions and increase investment into human capital while providing volunteers with the right to choose and undergo training. This gives them the opportunity to bring people from all walks of life together, thus promoting domestic social integration and inclusiveness. Singapore also helps to develop local volunteer groups by building strong, in-depth networks. It uses skill-based training to provide the resources needed to build capacity, develops accreditation and reward systems, and employs technology to improve overall system efficiency.
Sports Startups Drive the Sustainable Development of Industries
New trends in the sports industry have brought about tremendous changes in recent years, and many teams and brands have of necessity transformed themselves. The rapid development of new technologies has redefined consumption patterns. Exercise has undergone an unprecedented transformation due to the emergence of sensors and wearable devices. The preparation and organization of large-scale events have also been profoundly affected. The rise of online media has diversified event broadcasting. For example, social media now has platforms for live competition broadcasts, and audiences can even experience immersive live viewing experiences through virtual reality broadcasts.
In addition, the method in which sports, competitions, and public participation are currently handled has benefited from technology applications and innovations that make sports easier. One good example of this is SPIN Accelerator Project, a startup accelerator for the sports industry offered by National Chiao Tung University's Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy. This program links up resources and business opportunities in the sports innovation and technology market, and works with foreign sports innovation company HYPE Sports Innovation to connect developments in the local sports industry with the international community.
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Cultivating Sports Officials for Major Games: The Malaysian Perspective
By Ibrahim B. Mohd Yusof, Under Secretary of Policy and Strategic Planning Division, Ministry of Youth and Sports
Introduction
The history of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Malaysia began in 1953 with the incorporation under the Department of Public Welfare of a Culture Division, which was responsible for handling all matters relating to youth affairs in Malaysia. Later, in 1964, the Culture Division was placed under the Ministry of Information. At the same time, as a consequence of the growth of organized activities among Malaysian youth, a Youth Division was also formed to promote and supervise these activities under the Ministry. In addition, a Sports Division was formed under the Ministry of Information.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports was established on May 15, 1964, in conjunction with the National Youth Day celebration. In 1972, the Culture Division was formed, leading the Ministry of Youth and Sports to change its name to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. In 1987, the Culture Division was relocated under the renamed Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports subsequently reverted to its original name, and is currently known as the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The core thrust of the Ministry is to drive the development of youth and sports in Malaysia. The ministry upholds two visions: to strengthen human capital and maximize the potential of youth as a future driver of development to achieve Vision 2020 and the post-2020 vision; and to transform Malaysia into a sporting economy through incorporation of sports into its way of life.
One of the core departments under the authority of the Secretary General is the National Department of Youth and Sports. The department has offices across all states,
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and its main functions are to empower and develop youth, to encourage sports at the grassroots level, and to promote volunteerism among youth in line with the Ministry's vision. The Sports Commissioner and Registrar of Youth are also two main departments under the purview of the Secretary General that work closely in the development of sporting activities and youth matters.
To further serve this vision, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is supported by four Federal Agencies which also report directly to the Secretary General. These agencies are the National Sports Council (MSN), with a portfolio to develop high performance sports and athletes; the Malaysia Sports Institute (ISN), responsible for research and development in sports sciences; the Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM), which is the main agency overseeing the operations and maintenance of public sports facilities; and the Institute for Youth Research (IYRES), which conducts research related to the development of Malaysian youth. The Ministry of Youth and Sports is also responsible for the administration of five key legislative acts and two key policies which are listed below: ‧Sports Development Act 1997 [Act 576] ‧Youth Societies and Youth Development Act 2007 [Act 668] ‧National Sports Council of Malaysia Act 1971 [Act 29] ‧Malaysia Stadium Corporation Act 2010 [Act 717] ‧National Sports Institute Act 2011 [Act 729] ‧National Sports Policy ‧Malaysia Youth Policy
These documents are Malaysia's guidelines for regulating youth and sports activities locally and are amended in time to suit changing situations and needs. Apart from this, development programs and strategies are also designed in line with the Malaysia Plan to support development at the highest level.
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Nurturing Sports Professionals in Malaysia
The National Sports Policy is the main sports development policy directed at the creation of a sports culture and strengthening integration through the comprehensive participation of society and achieving excellence at the international level. Part of the policy's aims are focused on capacity building, which includes creating opportunities for careers in sports, strengthening the sports industry, and encouraging good governance and professional sports bodies through an active sports ecosystem. However, the sports ecosystem is always diverse and complex, which in turn points to the importance of having a strong and vibrant sports system which is continually growing and developing, and which can operate in a strong spirit of collaboration with partners within and beyond the sporting sector to deliver optimal outcomes.
With the growth of the sports industry worldwide, more and more sports career opportunities have been created, which has also led to a demand for more sports professionals. Sports professionals in Malaysia are being nurtured through an active sports ecosystem that synergizes the roles of all sports-related governing bodies and private sectors to work hand-in-hand with the support of government policy in order to expand the size of the sports industry in Malaysia. The private sector has produced many sports professionals, especially in managing sporting events and businesses. On the other hand, the Ministry has also played a role in developing more sports professionals by sending its officers to attend sports management courses for knowledge enhancement in planning and decision-making purposes. Many programs have also been conducted at the grassroots level, such as certification instructor training programs for mass sports which have been opened to the general public, university students, sports associations and anyone else interested. In regard to higher-level certification, the National Sports Institute, in collaboration with National Sports Associations and the Ministry of Higher Education, has designed certification programs for high- performance sports coaches, specific sports coaches and even physical education teacher's certifications. All these programs have contributed to the growth of skills and qualifications among sports professionals in Malaysia.
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Moreover, capacity-building programs are also being conducted by the Sports Commissioner to enhance skills and knowledge for sports associations and clubs at different levels. There are over 9,000 registered sports associations and clubs across Malaysia under the purview of the Sports Commissioner. These sports associations and clubs are some of Malaysia's main assets in developing sports professionals as they provide platforms to train and deploy coaches and officials, organize representative- level sports, provide opportunities and pathways from local sports to regional and international competition, deliver critical sports programs, and host international sporting events to stimulate competition at the highest levels. All of this is happening despite the relatively limited resources available to many of these associations, particularly local community-based sports clubs managed and run by volunteers.
As above, the responsibility of nurturing sports professionals in Malaysia has always been distributed across a range of parties in government, sports agencies, sports associations, the private sector, and even volunteers. This is due to the complexities that require close collaboration between all parties to develop a vibrant sports ecosystem.
Kuala Lumpur Games 2017: 29th SEA Games and 9th Para ASEAN Games
Hosting major sporting events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships or Regional Games (Asian Games, SEA Games) has been a dream of many economies, but such events require huge commitments from the hosts. While much focus is put on the Organizing Committees, the respective governments are affecting, and being affected by, the hosting of such large-scale sporting events. This involvement may span the preparation of the event's master plan, which may include budget allocation, human resources, facility development, sponsorship solicitation, event management, transportation, security and safety, and other crucial work needed to make the event a success.
During 2017, Malaysia was once again given the responsibility to host two major sporting events in the Southeast Asia region, namely the 29th SEA Games and the 9th
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Para ASEAN Games which were held in Kuala Lumpur. The 29th SEA Games was held from August 19 to 30, 2017, marking the sixth time that Malaysia had hosted the event after 1965, 1971, 1977, 1989, and 2001. In total, the 12-day event consisted of 38 sports involving 404 events, with a total of 1,335 medals – 404 gold medals, 404 silver medals and 527 bronze medals – awarded to 4,704 athletes and 2,376 officials.
In conjunction with the 29th SEA Games, the 9th Para ASEAN Games was also held from September 17 to 23, 2017, the third time that Malaysia had hosted the games after 2001 and 2009. The 9th Para ASEAN Games were the largest in history, hosting 16 sports involving 369 events with a total of 1,079 medals awarded – 369 gold medals, 368 silver medals and 342 bronze medals. The 29th SEA Games and 9th Para ASEAN Games, collectively referred to as the "Kuala Lumpur Games 2017," were successfully organized with the help of many.
The success of the Kuala Lumpur Games 2017 came about thanks to a highly reliable and professional management team operating throughout the preparation and competition periods. The management team was comprised of a main committee, a full-time event secretariat, technical officers and, most importantly, the volunteers. The management team was established using the concept of utilizing maximum expertise of existing government servants and of prioritizing expertise and experience in hiring contract staff
29th SEA Games and 9th Para ASEAN Games Team Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur Games 2017
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and selecting volunteers, which together resulted in the smooth and efficient execution of the event.
Establishment of the Malaysia Organizing Committee (MASOC)
Preparations to host the Kuala Lumpur Games 2017 started as early as 2013, after Malaysia was named the host economy for the SEA Games 2017 and the ASEAN Para Games 2017 at the SEA Games Federation Meeting held in February 2012. The decision was brought up to a cabinet meeting in October 2013, and received great support from all ministries. To initiate the planning process, a main Organizing Committee was formed, known as MASOC and chaired by the Youth and Sports Minister. This committee consisted of 16 sub-committees, which were divided among relevant Ministries and Agencies according to their respective core functions and areas of expertise. For example, the Road Transport Department led the transportation department, the Ministry of Finance was put in charge of the financial department, and the Royal Malaysia Police led the safety and traffic department. Two local management committees were also established to organize sports events held on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, namely the sailing events in Langkawi and the equestrian events in Terengganu. The formation of the main committee can be considered one of the most crucial elements in the master plan for the Kuala Lumpur Games 2017, and was accomplished 3 years in advance to ensure that the Kuala Lumpur Games 2017 were organized professionally and were able to highlight Malaysia's image. A similar structure was applied for hosting Le Tour de Langkawi, another major sporting event hosted by the ministry.
Full-time MASOC Secretariat
Under the main committee, a permanent MASOC Secretariat was also formed consisting of 148 full-time staff tasked with management of the two major games. The Secretariat consisted of highly experienced staff mainly derived from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and its main Agencies who utilized their expertise in managing sporting events. Staff from the Ministry of Finance were also absorbed into this group to advise on
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financial matters. Another portion of the staff was hired on a contract basis, taking into consideration their individual backgrounds as well as recommendations from National Sports Associations. Many ex-athletes were hired due to their experience in, and enthusiasm for, sporting competitions, as well as their expertise in the technical aspects of relevant sporting events.
Technical Officers
Technical officers were another important group of professionals who ensured that events at these games ran smoothly. Technical officers for the 29th SEA Games were by and large selected by the Olympic Council of Malaysia through close collaboration with National Sports Associations. In a similar fashion, technical officers for the 9th Para ASEAN Games were chosen with advice from the Paralympics Council of Malaysia and with the help of National Paralympics Sports Associations. As these games required special familiarity with the technical aspects of specific sporting events, the credibility and experience of officers were prioritized in selecting officers for the Kuala Lumpur Games 2017.
Volunteer Recruitment
The organizing committee, secretariat and technical officers themselves were still not sufficient for managing a major sports programme requiring huge human resources and staffing. Like many other events, one of the main challenges that faced the administration and management of the Kuala Lumpur Games 2017 was of inadequate personnel. However, staffing levels were successfully augmented through the use of volunteers, who became a vital part of ensuring the efficiency of the games. Overall, 8,202 volunteers were used during the 29th SEA Games 2017 and 3,952 during the 9th Para ASEAN Games 2017.
Recruitment was carried out through an online platform, whereby interested individuals filled out online forms asking them to provide simple background information and experience. This information was used in the volunteer screening process to help
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identify those most suitable for the roles and tasks designated. Out of 55,402 volunteers who registered, the approximately 13,000 who were picked represented a range of backgrounds, including public servants, uniformed service members, pensioners, private sector employees, housewives and students, whose skills and experience were fully utilized in line with the various positions to which they were assigned. The selected volunteers underwent two main training phases, the first of which involved general training for volunteer duties and responsibilities, public relations, self-determination and other subjects, while the second involved specific training for assigned tasks. The training was designed by Malaysia National University (UKM) and facilitated by experienced facilitators who had been training and preparing volunteers since the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 2001 SEA Games.
MASOC Volunteer Recuitment (Image via MASCO KL 2017)
Anti-Violence Task Force Training
As for many such major events, the security and safety of the athletes, officials, supporters and fans was a critical element in defining an event's success. The Royal Malaysian Police, based on their expertise, were chosen to lead the safety and security
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committee with the help of the National Security Council under the Prime Minister's Department (NSC, PMO). An Anti-Violence Task Force chaired by the Director General was established and underwent six security drills to simulate four separate scenarios involving rioting, a suicide bombing, a car bombing and a VIP evacuation. These training sessions ensured that event security forces were to be ready for any contingencies that would arise.
Post-Event
Thanks to the involvement of all these professionals, Malaysia managed to accomplish its goal of organizing a successful SEA XXIX Games (29th SEA Games) and Para ASEAN IX Games (9th Para ASEAN Games), on par with other world-class sporting events. The experience gained by each and every staff member, from initial preparations through to the last day of competition, was critical and served to further enhance the skills and credibility of these staff. In that context, as most of the staff involved were public servants, training courses left these public servants with meaningful management skills gained from organizing the events. Contract staff also benefited from the experience of being part of the management team of successful major events.
Conclusion
Success in hosting major events cannot be achieved by a single entity, but requires the efforts of a whole economy and society. Organising major sports events requires full commitment and cooperation from stakeholders, and strong support from government is a must. It is essential for the host economy to determine its underlying objectives and measure its capacity before deciding to organise major sporting events. A feasibility study should be undertaken to gauge the level of readiness in terms of the political situation, financial strength, public acceptance, the availability of sports facilities, and most importantly, the human resources involved.
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Nurturing Sports Professionals for Major Games in the Philippines
By Dr. Celia Hicarte-Kiram, Commissioner of Philippine Sports Commission
Organized sports in the Philippines began in 1911 when the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (PAAF) was established during the American administration. The PAAF coordinated the Far Eastern Championship Games in 1913, which were attended by China and Japan and hosted by the Philippines in Manila. In 1929, the PAAF was recognized as the Philippines National Olympic Committee after a Filipino swimmer, Teofisto Edilfonso, won the Philippines' first Olympic medal – a bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke event at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. The PAAF was abolished in 1975 and renamed the Philippine Olympic Committee.
Since 1911, the Philippines has hosted a number of major international sporting events, including the following: ‧1913, 1919, 1925 and 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games ‧1954 Asian Games ‧1981 and 1991 Southeast Asian Games ‧2005 ASEAN Para Games ‧2005 Southeast Asian Games ‧2015 Asia Pacific University Games
Aside from these major international multi-sport events, the Philippines has also hosted a range of large-scale single-sport events, recent examples of which include: ‧2016 Asian Taekwondo Olympic Qualifying Tournament ‧2016 Olympic FIBA Qualifying Tournament ‧2017 19th Asian Women Volleyball Championship ‧2017 12th Southeast Asian Youth Athletics Championship ‧2017 1st Southeast Asian Handball Championship
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The 16th Southeast Asian Games were held from A fireworks display during the 23rd Southeast November 24 to December 3, 1991, in Manila. Asian Games in 2005.
‧2017 2nd International Beach Sports Festival (Marathon Swimming) ‧2018 Archery Asia Cup Stage 2 World Ranking Event ‧2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup ‧2018 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers ‧2018 World Ultimate Fighting Championship (Mixed Martial Arts)
As shown above, since 1913 the Philippines has shown it is eminently capable of hosting international multi-sport and single-sport events. In recent years, major regional single- sport competitions have nevertheless made up most of the events hosted there.
Success in hosting major sporting events relies on the effectiveness of the sports professionals and volunteers who run the show. The Philippines is fortunate to have an abundance of human resources needed to host major sports events. As the third largest English-speaking economy in the world, the Philippines has a natural edge in hosting such events, and boasts highly-educated human resources that are easily trainable.
Recruitment of professionals is done through collaboration with the Department of Education, Department of Foreign Affairs, and Department of Tourism, as well as local government units, the military and various other governmental offices in order to satisfy the professional and volunteer staffing requirements of each committee established to handle the event.
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Athletes making an all-out effort to achieve their goals at the 22nd Asian Taekwondo Championship in 2016 (left) and the 12th South East Asian Youth Athletic Championships in 2017 (right).
One good example of this approach was the Philippines' hosting of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in 2005. The Southeast Asian Games is a biennial regional multi-sport event usually attended by 11 delegations from the Southeast Asian region, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Viet Nam, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines.
The hosting of the SEA Games in 2005 was sanctioned by the Philippine government, and approval from the Office of the President was secured prior to its acceptance of hosting duties. The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHILSOC) was formed to oversee the staging of the games, which was headed by the President of the Philippine Olympic Committee and assisted by the Philippine Sports Commission. PHILSOC took the lead in planning and organizing the 23rdth SEA Games in 2005, and different committees were formed to address the areas of administration, operations, support services, venue, accreditation, accommodation, transportation, programming, human resources, technical personnel, marketing, finance, security, media affairs, medical affairs and doping, games, and reception and food.
More than three thousand professionals and volunteers were recruited to run the event. The officials and personnel of the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee and the National Sports Associations were appointed to head the different committees because of their knowledge and experience in handling sporting events.
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Recruits were then briefed and trained on their tasks by the heads of each committee and by the tournament directors of each sport represented at the event.
There are at present no relevant policies in the Philippines to support the recruitment and cultivation of sports professionals, only collaborative projects between industry and academia. The Philippines recruits sports professionals in line with its needs and maintains a portfolio of these professional for future reference.
When hosting a single major event, each National Sports Association has the capability to organize and manage their own event. Moreover, they maintain a pool of sports professionals, most of which are made up of their respective technical officials and members of their clubs who are trained and capable to manage and run these tournaments.
The heads of each committee and the tournament directors of each sport determine the qualifications needed and how many professionals and volunteers need to be recruited to ensure the success of the competition. The number of contingents or delegations, the number of sports to be played, and the location of venues are among the primary factors at play in determining relevant qualifications and the number of sports professionals and volunteers in each committee.
Most professionals from major sports events are recruited by local sports associations to help in holding major single-sport events. They are also recruited by different school- based sports organizations and local government units whenever these bodies host local multi- and single-sports events.
The forthcoming 30th Southeast Asian Games will be hosted by the Philippines from November 29 to December 10, 2019. Preparations for the hosting of this regional multi- sport event are ongoing and include the recruitment of professionals and volunteers to handle and oversee the success of the event.
So far, the professionals selected to head the different committees for the event have been identified by taking advantage of the expertise of the staff of the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee and the National Sports Association.
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The Sports Authority of Thailand and Its Experience in Staging Major Games: Volunteer Program
By Nittaya Kerdjuntuk, Director of International Cooperation Division, Sports Authority of Thailand
History of the Sports Authority of Thailand
Since international sports were introduced for the first time in Thailand during the reign of King Rama V, they have been continuously promoted in parallel with traditional Thai games, drawing considerable interest from among the Thai people. At that time, the Royal Thai Government Gazette of Sports was announced under the Ministry of Education to provide guidelines for encouraging the staging of sports competitions, recruiting foreign sports experts to help in the development of sports in Thailand, and other related endeavors.
During the past century, international sports have been practiced widely throughout Thailand and a variety of these sports have become popular among the Thai people. Before a unified government sports agency was established, regional sports associations were responsible for the participation of Thai athletes in international sports competitions. Under this system, Team Thailand frequently encountered budget crises which led to failures in competition. For this reason, a panel of Thai sports personnel was set up to include high-ranking officials who were also founders of sports associations and members of the Olympic Committee of Thailand. This panel, which included Phraya Chindarak, Luang Sukhum Naya Pradit, Mr. Kalya Isarasena Na Ayudhya, Mr. Chaloke Komarakul Na Nakorn, Mr. Vilas Boonnak, Mr. Sawas Lekayanont and Mr. Kong Visudharom, agreed that it was necessary for Thailand to establish a dedicated government sports organization to formulate its sports policy, to control and promote sports among Thai citizens, and to select talented athletes to compete in international sporting events.
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In 1964, the efforts of these sports experts led to the founding of a government sports body called the Sports Promotion Organization of Thailand (SPOT), which was established to cooperate in organizing and operating amateur sporting activities, contact and cooperate with local and international sports organizations, and monitor and control amateur sports administration and management in order to prevent accidents involving athletes or which could damage Thailand's reputation. Luang Sukhum Naya Pradit, the Secretary General of the Office of the Civil Service Commission and founder of many sports associations, was appointed as the first Director General of the SPOT.
Later on, the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) was established under the Act of Sports Authority of Thailand B.E. 2528 (1985) to replace the SPOT. This newly established sports agency was authorized to promote and control sports across Thailand.
At present, the SAT is a state enterprise under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and has served as the organization in charge of driving the professionalism and development of sports in Thailand, and of elevating Thailand to one of the leading sports economies of Asia. In this, SAT has attempted to promote Thailand's hosting of major sporting events. Since its inception, Thailand, through SPOT and SAT, has hosted the following major regional sporting events:
Year Event Start Date End Date 1966 5th Asian Games (1st edition) December 9 December 20
1970 6th Asian Games (2nd edition) December 9 December 20
1978 8th Asian Games (3rd edition) December 9 December 20
1998 13th Asian Games (4th edition) December 6 December 20
2005 1st Asian Indoor Games November 12 November 19
2007 Summer Universiade August 8 August 18
2009 1st Asian Martial Arts Games August 1 August 9
2014 4th Asian Beach Games November 14 November 23
Table: The Mega Games Hosted by SPOT and SAT
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In order to stage these major games, Thailand requires volunteers in conjunction with the Local Organizing Committee (LOC). Below is a description of the volunteer program used in the most recent event which Thailand hosted.
Volunteer Program in the 4th Asian Beach Games, Phuket, Thailand
The Volunteers Program played a vital role in the successful delivery of these games. The main objective was to provide all Phuket Asian Beach Games Organizing Committee (PABGOC) Programs with the volunteer workforce required by their individual assignments.
Volunteers were selected without bias in regard to gender, age, race or other criteria. The sole qualification for volunteers' recruitment was their availability and suitability to perform their required tasks.
There were prerequisites from all functional areas involved in order for the Volunteers Program to successfully deliver on its mission. Cooperation from all PABGOC Programs was expected so as to ‧Identify each progra's volunteer workforce headcount requirements ‧Job descriptions and skills required ‧Number of working days, number of hours, venues and other requirements.
The training of these volunteers played a vital role in the efficient performance of their duties and, consequently, to the success of the games as a whole. Volunteers underwent three different training sessions: a) General Training, which consisted of general information about Thailand and the Games, customer service, cultural awareness, first aid, safety and security, etiquette and protocol; b) Job Specific Training according to their individually assigned roles; and c) Venue Training to let volunteers get acquainted with the venue areas at which they would be working. Training sessions were organized and delivered by the Training Department in cooperation with the respective Functional Areas as well as Venue Management officials.
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The Volunteers Program required support from Workforce Planning, Training, Marketing, Administration & Finance, Ceremonies, Transportation, Accommodation, Catering, Uniform & Accreditation and Technology in order to deliver the anticipated results.
The significance of Volunteer Programs included: ‧Establishment of a volunteering community in Thailand to support the Asian Beach Games, with a significant proportion of Thai benefiting from the legacy ‧Establishment of an efficient service to support all PABGOC departments requiring volunteers ‧Meeting PABGOC departments' requirements in their needs of volunteers, skills and specialized expertise ‧ Retention of volunteers through management of volunteers' expectations and provision of rewards and other recognitions ‧Leaving a local community legacy of a strong volunteer base
In total, about 2,450 volunteers were involved in staging the games. Among these volunteers, 1,050 were employed as liaison officers, and 1,400 were general volunteers originally employed as students and staff from local government offices and companies in Phuket and adjacent provinces.
th 4 Asian Beach Games Closing Ceremony (Image 4th Asian Beach Games Volunteers (Image via OCA) via OCA)
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Nurturing Sports Professionals for Major Games in Viet Nam
By Le Thi Hoang Yen, Deputy Director-General of Viet Nam Sports Administration
Viet Nam has previously hosted 3 major games: the 22nd SEA Games in 2003 in Hanoi, the 3rd Asian Indoor Games 2009 in Hanoi, and the 5th Asian Beach Games 2016 in Danang.
In future, Viet Nam is also scheduled to host the 31st SEA Games 2021 in Hanoi.
Normally, Viet Nam usually establishes an Organizing Committee and associated subcommittees 1 to 2 years before the games. In the case of the 5th Asian Beach Games, Viet Nam set up 9 subcommittees as below: ‧Operating Centre ‧Technical Subcommittee ‧Finance-Facilities-Sponsorship Mobilization Subcommittee ‧Opening & Closing Ceremony Subcommittee ‧Protocol Subcommittee ‧Security Subcommittee ‧Transportation & Logistic Subcommittee ‧Medical & Doping Control Subcommittee The main sports complex for SEA Games 2021 in Ha Noi ‧Media & Information Subcommittee
The main human resources for the event came from the Sports Administration and local sports agencies, because this group of officials has more knowledge and experience in sports, most of them having worked in a sport environment and attended training courses on sports management, sports medicine, sports nutrition, doping control, Olympics and other relevant topics.
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In addition, Viet Nam invited experts from aboard and selected volunteers from many universities. Volunteers were selected based on their foreign language ability, their knowledge of sports, and other criteria according to the individual requirements of the games in question.
Viet Nam started training volunteers 6 months before the start of competition. In Danang, 1,600 volunteers were selected to undergo general training and group training for 8 separate programs: transportation, visa, liaison officer, flag raising ceremony, award ceremony, opening and closing ceremonies, conferences and meetings, and parties and events.
The process used for the selection and training of these 1,600 volunteers for the 5th Asian Beach Games 2016 in Danang is explained below:
After the training course, the volunteers attended practical courses at airports, hotels, competition venues, headquarters, doping test venues and pre-tournament venues for the games.
The volunteers accompanying VIPs were carefully trained in cultural practices, diplomatic behavior and other related topics.
The goals and objectives of nurturing and training these volunteers are the same goals for training sports professionals for all major games across the world: ‧to expand the knowledge of a large number of students and youth ‧to enhance youth dynamism and make them more active ‧to identify the talents of volunteers ‧to create a friendly environment ‧to make the games a success
Of course, each economy inevitably faces many difficulties and challenges concerning the cultivation of sports professionals for major games. In hosting its own major games, Viet Nam, with relatively small land area and a huge population, faced its own difficulties,
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including a lack of finance, human resources shortages, and infrastructure inadequacy. Control of all aspects of an event is hard to achieve when welcoming a large number of guests. Not many people in Viet Nam can speak foreign languages, nor does it
have much experience in organizing 5th Asian Beach Games 2016 volunteers traning major games. Viet Nam is also relatively course unfamiliar with doping control procedures, so authorities asked WADA and AADA to help in doping master control for ABG5 in 2016.
As a developing economy, Viet Nam tends to place more importance on public welfare investment in areas such as infrastructure, medical facilities, and schools, and there is relatively less political will for hosting such large-scale events. For this and other reasons, Viet Nam has no organization which is specifically tasked with submitting bids for major games and conducting preparation work. Accordingly, the government and Viet Nam Olympic Committee work together to meet the following bidding procedures. First, a city that wants to host the Games will be chosen and be submitted to the IOC/OCA for consideration as an applicant city, with prior approval from the Viet Nam government and prime minister.
For the months after the bid, the IOC/OCA investigates the city on several points.The city must prove that it is big enough to handle the games and the huge number of tourists, athletes, journalists, and politicians that will come with them. The city must show that it can host and organize the games in new stadiums and venues, must arrange all visitors in adequate hotels, and must transport everyone from one place to the next with a reliable mass transit system. The city also needs to show that it can handle the high level of security needed at the games.
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If the IOC/OCA decides that a city has fulfilled the criteria above, the city is considered a "Candidate City" and progresses to the second phase of the process. After submitting an application and an application fee, the IOC/OCA makes a final judgment on which city is the best candidate for the coming games.
Bid committees must pay an application fee. This high fee is meant to discourage cities that are not committed to the efforts necessary to host the Olympics. Following these fees, the cities generally need to begin large construction projects like building a Olympic Village-like community to house athletes, constructing new sports arenas and stadiums, and planning and setting up new transportation systems.
2009 Asian Indoor Games Opening Ceremony 2016 Asian Beach Games at Danang (Image via OCA) (Image via OCA)
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Best Practices for Capacity-Building of Sport Professionals Lessons Learned from the Preparations & Staging of the 18th Asian Games 2018
By Nur Laily Rahmawati, Vice Director of International Relations & Protocol, Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee
When organizing a large-scale, world-class sports competition, the most important things to consider, aside from physical infrastructure, are the sports professionals needed to run the event. The needs of such tournaments mean that people with certain expertise and skills must be available to staff a sports organization and allow it to operate. To develop such professionals, capacity-building programs to develop sports management professionals are crucial to ensure that the best people are available to fulfill the needs of the event.
Along these lines, Indonesia learned a number of lessons that made it possible for the economy to host the 18th Asian Games 2018, which were held from August 18 to September 2, 2018. Indonesians are lucky to have a government that has given strong support and attention to sports ever since September 1948, when Indonesia held its first ever Indonesian Games, only three years after its independence in 1945.
With such enthusiasm and support for sport, Indonesia's previous and current governments have hosted many international and world-class competitions. Before the 18th Asian Games, Indonesia hosted several editions of the Mega Games, from the first iteration in 1948 up to the most recent one in Bandung in 2016. Indonesia has also hosted a number of international sports tournaments, including the 10th, 14th, 19th and 26th Southeast Asian Games, the 3rd Islamic Solidarity Games, and, perhaps most significantly from a historical perspective, the 4th Asian Games in 1962.
The 4th Asian Games were an important milestone in the history of Indonesia as the first international-level sporting competition to have been held there.
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Comprised of 1,460 athletes representing 12 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) across 13 sports, the 4th Asian Games were a major impetus driving Indonesia's establishment and development of many of the organizations and facilities still present today. As an example, the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Sport Complex in Jakarta, built for the purpose of hosting the 4th Asian Games, remains standing today, and recently served as one of the main competition venues for the 18th Asian Games earlier this year.
52 years after its first hosting of the Asian Games, the 33rd OCA General Assembly in Incheon, Korea, awarded Jakarta the honor of organizing the most prominent event in Asian sports. 4th Asian Games Jakarta 1962 Opening Ceremony. This also marked the first time in the Photo NYSN Media history of Asian Games that two cities would host the competitions, with Jakarta as the main host city and Palembang as the co-host city.
The 18th Asian Games in 2018 represented an even more important milestone in the broader history of sports in Asia. This event has become the largest sporting
event in Asia, with 45 National Olympic Opening Ceremony of the 18th Asian Games, Committees across 40 sports and 67 Jakarta-Palembang, 2018. (Copyright INASGOC) sporting disciplines participating this year. A total of 17,569 athletes and officials came to Indonesia to compete in 465 separate events, setting all-time records for the Asian Games.
Such a massive undertaking was planned and prepared in just a limited time. The organizing committee only undertook around 3 years of preparations for the 18th Asian Games, while organizing committees for previous games usually had about 8
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years of preparations each. If not for the support and commitment of the Indonesian government, and the fact that most necessary physical infrastructure was already in place, it would have been impossible for it to smoothly execute the games.
To organize this international sporting event, the Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) was established. INASGOC was charged with planning, preparing for, and organizing these games, which were to be held across four different provinces: the special capital region of Jakarta, South Sumatera, West Java, and Banten.
The key to success in hosting any international sporting event is to have efficient working coordination between the government, the decision makers in the relevant organizing committee, the professionals managing the event, and, last but not least, the volunteers who are out on the field carrying out various functions for the games.
The professionals on the organizing committee and the volunteers are the individuals who manage the event and carry out the fieldwork to ensure the smooth running of the event, respectively. As such, it is logical that these two groups are the groups most
Group photos with volunteers at the 18th Asian Games, 2018.
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in need of capacity-buildings exercises. Sport professionals in particular must maintain their skills and ensure that their capabilities and expertise are up to date in order to carry out their key functions. However, it's also important to improve the skills of all people within the organization, not just these professionals. While sports management professionals hold a large part of the responsibility in carrying out the event, they depend on volunteers to assist them in completing many specific and important tasks.
To make these games a success, a large number of interviews, recruitment events and training seminars were conducted to ensure the professionalism of all workers involved in the Games. Background and experience in sporting events were emphasized in the recruitment of staff and volunteers. In addition, for security reasons, potentials recruits also underwent document screenings and background checks. More than 13,000 domestic and international volunteers who passed document-checks, careful psychological examinations and interviews were then entered into a process to select the best candidate for each specific assignment. Those who passed selection were invited to join general training and sporting values training to ensure their understanding of the games and the importance of sporting values. Job-specific training was also organized to give these workers more detailed information about their particular assignments.
In conclusion, the work of organizing a successful sporting event requires fully trained and responsible professionals to deliver the best possible services to all athletes, officials, delegates and VIPs in attendance. The implementation of a careful administrative screening, interview and psychological evaluation process is encouraged at all stages to ensure security and the capability of each and every individual to achieve maximum performances in all departments. It is the responsibility of event organizers to train and monitor human resources in order to maintain a high standard of service at all times and Basketball competition at the 18th Asian Games, 2018. (Copyright INASGOC) places.
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Sport Volunteers – Bedrock of the Events Industry
By Peggy Tng, Deputy Director of Event & Fan Development, Singapore Sport Institute
Framed by Singapore's sporting blueprint of Vision 2030, Sport Singapore's (SportSG) overall events strategy is poised to support the delivery of economy-wide outcomes of promoting health & wellness, developing a caring & cohesive community, and forging strong Singaporean identity & pride.
Through our Events Strategy, we envision a Singapore where individuals and communities are strengthened through a lifetime of sporting experiences. Sport thereby becomes a journey and celebration of Singapore's people and places, uniting the public and inspiring the Singapore spirit.
SportSG's portfolio of events can be broadly categorized into (i) Team Singapore events, (ii) spectator events and (iii) participation events. At its core, spectator events are typically events that are part of a world or regional series which are organized primarily to provide top-class sporting action for spectators, as well as to drive demand and consumption of sport. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum are participation events, which are typically home-grown events with a sustainable base of participants. Such events are primarily organized to drive and sustain physical activity amongst Singaporeans, as well as to foster social integration, cohesion and inclusiveness in strengthening the multi-racial and multi-cultural fabric of Singaporean society. The marquee international events in our existing portfolio are BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore, HSBC Singapore Sevens, International Champions Cup Singapore and the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.
Targeted exclusively at building Singaporean pride and identity, Team Singapore events primarily seek to rally fellow Singaporeans to cheer for Singapore's athletes. Through enhancing the international competition calendar and rallying Singaporeans behind Team Singapore, we hope to inspire the next generation of athletes for Team Singapore.
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The key marquee events in Singapore's international competition calendar are Netball Nations Cup and ASEAN Basketball League.
As for the organization of major games, Singapore proudly hosted the 28th South East Asia Games (SEA Games) and 8th ASEAN Para Games in 2015.
It was the fourth time Singapore had hosted the SEA Games since 1993. The 2015 SEA Games saw the effective organization of 402 sporting events across 36 sports, with a total of 749 athletes and 342 officials taking part. The 2015 ASEAN Para Games marked the
first time that Singapore had ever Singapore hosted the 28th South East Asia Games (SEA th hosted the Para Games. Singapore Games) and 8 ASEAN Para Games in 2015
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successfully organized the ASEAN Para Games with 1,181 athletes participating in 336 sporting events across 15 sports. Beyond these significant numbers and statisitcs, which unequivocally bear a strong testimony to the scale and complexities of organizing major games, what was arugably the most significant and long-lasting games legacy for Singapore was the launch of the National Volunteer Movement, called "Team NILA"
The Team NILA movement witnessed the effective recruitment, training and deployment of 11,000 volunteers across 130 different roles for the 2015 SEA Games, and 3,500 volunteers across 60 different roles for the 2015 ASEAN Para Games.
Through this broad movement to help drive the realization of Vision 2030, SportSG seeks to actively and intentionally promote active citizenship and grow a strong culture of giving back to broader society through sport volunteerism. Team NILA thereby provides a powerful and empowering economy-wide platform to strengthen social cohesion, inclusiveness and integration. With a target of as many as 30,000 volunteers and 1.62 million hours of sport volunteerism annually by 2021, it is clear that Team NILA represents a milestone achievement, and is an empowering symbol for developing sports volunteerism in Singapore.
In examining the overall landscape of developing sports volunteerism in Singapore, outside of these volunteer statistics in developing Team NILA, Table 1 below documents the 3-year volunteer statistics for Singapore's marquee international events:
Year 2016 Year 2017 Year 2018 322 volunteers across 300 volunteers across 13 340 volunteers across 14 BNP Paribas WTA Finals 13 different roles different roles different roles HSBC Rugby Sevens 450 volunteers across 55 425 volunteers across 55 400 volunteers across 55 different roles different roles different roles Standard Chartered 4,000 volunteers across 3,600 volunteers across 3,800 volunteers across Singapore Marathon 30 different roles 26 different roles 32 different roles Table1: The 3-year Volunteer Statistics for Singapore’s Marquee International Events
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In critically examining Singapore's model of developing sport volunteerism, there is a "core theory of success" which articulates that the development of a critical and sustainable pool of sport volunteers is to be premised on 4 key foundation pillars:
(i) Collaborations – Working hand-in-glove with government bodies, the private sector, schools and institutes of higher learning in the education sector, and sporting club networks to drive recruitment of sport volunteers and scale up human capital investment in sport volunteerism.
(ii) Culture – Seeking to develop a social-giving culture where volunteerism is essentially about creating meaningful engagement, empowering volunteers with choices and training and ultimately garnering enrolment into our volunteer movement with greater commitment and ownership. Beyond the individual level, volunteerism is also about bringing different people from all walks of life together to promote greater social bonding, social mixing and social inclusiveness as one Team Singapore.
(iii) Community – Focusing on growing our local volunteer community with strong and deep networks whereby all members develop a strong affiliation and identity as a social group, and also building a community that has credibility and relevance as a social movement through strengthening Singapore's social fabric of cohesion, inclusiveness and integration.
(iv) Capital – Providing the general and functional training resources required for capability development, structuring a system of recognition & rewards, and leveraging technology to enhance overall systemic efficiency in addressing the challenges of scale, complexities and variabilities.
Viewed from the longer-term, strategic lens of developing the social DNA of sport volunteerism, SportSG has built a strong foundation through Team NILA. What is important to recognize is that sport volunteerism is essentially more art than science. Amid Singapore's continual efforts to structure and model this volunteer movement, it is relevant to quote the words of Susan J. Ellis, author of more than 120 articles on volunteer management, who said in an interview with our National Volunteer Philanthropy Centre and SG Cares in 2009 to "get them interested, recognize them, train them and appreciate them."
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Introduction to the Cultivation of Sports Professional at the 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade
The 2017 Summer Universiade took place in Taipei from August 19 to August 30, featuring 22 sports and was participated in by 7,376 athletes from 134 economies. Chinese Taipei, with 371 participating athletes, finished in 3rd place with 26 gold, 34 silver, and 30 bronze medals. A large amount of manpower was invested into the preparation and execution of the event, and the organizer took the opportunity to cultivate talent in various sports-related fields, including personnel adept in the operation of organizing committees, volunteer management, and media broadcasts, etc. This article serves as a brief introduction to the cultivation of these talented men and women.
Organizing Committee
An organizing committee is the heart of any sporting event. From the start of organizing work in 2012, the Taipei City Government mobilized 305 individuals from its various departments, and further recruited staff members experienced in sporting event planning, media marketing, and information/communications management in order to carry out the organization and execution of the event; by 2017, around 300 staff members had been recruited. To ensure the smooth running of the event, the Taipei City Government relied heavily on its collaboration with the 22 (21 sports plus 1 demonstration sport) individual national sports associations and their athletic teams, referees, and event helpers for their assistance with the various tasks of event organization and the selection 2017 Taipei Universiade Organzing Committee and training of athletes in all sporting
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categories. The number of personnel required for each category was first determined, followed by discussion of the contents of training programs and workshops with scholars and experts and on-the-ground internships at the test events. Chinese Taipei has accumulated experience in the hosting of international sporting events in the past, but has failed to pass on this experience, as the organizing committees were either task forces or temporary teams that were dissolved once the events had ended. A knowledge management system containing a database of specialist personnel was built for the Taipei Universiade to provide information to institutions looking to hire. The system serves both as a mechanism to pass on expertise in organizing international sporting events, and as a cornerstone for the organization of any future major international sporting event.
Volunteer
Volunteer work is another major behind-the-scenes contributor at sporting events. The planning of volunteer programs and the recruitment and training of college/university students and other candidates of age in the northern region were carried out from 2013 to 2017; foreign students studying at local academic institutions and foreigners from all over the globe were invited to participate in the event as international volunteers. The basic online courses, specialized and professional training courses, leadership training courses, lectures, and group training that were offered, together with the distribution of manpower to the various venues for on-the-job training, boosted the volunteers' understanding of the events and of the correct approach to their tasks. The Volunteer Management Integration Platform, which contains a database of volunteer sign-ups and the content of volunteer training courses, the tasks and scheduling of volunteers, and the creation and submission of volunteer profiles before, during, and after the event, was built as an electronic Photo of Volunteers for 2017 Taipei Universiade
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solution to potential manpower shortages and to achieve maximum efficiency in the handling of volunteer management and utilization. Over 18,000 volunteers were recruited and trained for the 2017 Universiade. Of these, the student volunteers have since returned to their various campuses, ready to support future international events and promote the concept of service and the honor of volunteering.
Media Broadcasts
The International University Sports Federation (FISU) and the Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee have jointly organized the Young Reporters Program to provide young journalists with a unique sporting event experience. 12 local young journalists selected by the Organizing Committee, along with the 13 young journalists selected by FISU, participated in the program. The local young journalists were first taught by experienced sports journalists in the industry and underwent practical training at the test events. During the Universiade, all 25 young journalists were given training courses and interview assignments based on the pre-planned course agenda arranged by the Organizing Committee and FISU. Each young journalist in the program produced 2 press releases each day over the course of the event for a total 288 press releases, 229 of which were published on the official website of the Summer Universiade. The program succeeded in broadening the scope and volume of event coverage, which in turn spurred the cultivation of talent in the sports media industry. 9 local television stations and 6 visual design companies collaborated to record and broadcast the 22 sporting events of the 12-day event all over the world in HD, with the opening and closing ceremonies being broadcast in 4K for the first time, garnering close to 15 million local viewers.
The 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade was a great success, earning the praise and recognition of the spectators as well as the guests from FISU and the various delegations. The human resources involved were one of the most important assets of the event, and the establishment of the personnel database has resulted in long-term benefits such as improvements in equipment and professional skills and the accumulation of experience in skilled personnel. The resulting ripples shall continue to benefit society long after the Universiade is over.
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Promotion of the Host Town Initiative: Towards and Beyond the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games
By Dr. Mie Katsuno, Director of Secretariat of the Headquarters for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Cabinet Secretariat
What is the Host Town Initiative?
In preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Government of Japan is supporting local governments all over Japan in their efforts to host and welcome athletes and staff from abroad. This system is called the "Host Town Initiative."
Any local government (city, town, village, or prefecture) in Japan can apply to be a Host Town by submitting a plan for exchange with a team from any of the cities or regions participating in the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The activity may include interactions in sports, culture, economics, or other areas. If the Cabinet Secretariat considers the plan to fulfill certain requirements, the local government will be registered as a Host Town.
Win-Win Benefits
Half of the expenditures by registered Host Towns on exchange activities can be funded by special local allocation tax subsidies. When local governments issue municipal bonds and renew existing competition facilities in line with criteria established by the International Sports Federation(IFs), the government will allow 30 percent of principal and interest repayments on these projects to be paid from local allocation tax subsidies.
Host Towns will support teams from abroad, and if the visiting team and Host Town reach an agreement, the visiting team may hold training camps in the Host Town before the games to ensure their athletes are in the best condition before competition. Host Towns will welcome and cheer for the teams, individual athletes, and staff during the 2020
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Olympic and Paralympic Games. Furthermore, Host Towns will cultivate international exchanges with the people represented by the visiting teams, and the visiting teams will also have the opportunity to introduce their culture to the Japanese people, which will in turn deepen friendships between the Host Town and the visiting team's economy and lead to regional revitalization. Host Towns will welcome the team before and/or after the games with various events and hospitality functions.
Registration of Host Towns
As of August 31, 2018, 264 local authorities in Japan have registered 334 Host Town projects representing 103 economies. The 3 economies with the most registered Host Towns are Chinese Taipei, France and the United States. As for APEC members, there are 18 Host Towns for Chinese Taipei, 15 for the United States, 14 for Australia, and 12 each for Canada and New Zealand. We hope that all APEC members will have Host Towns to cheer for them during the Games, showing more beautiful regions of Japan and deepening our friendship.
The number of The number of Regions Regions registration registration Chinese Taipei 18 Hong Kong, China 3 The United States 15 Indonesia 3 Australia 14 Russia 3 Canada 12 Malaysia 2 New Zealand 12 Mexico 1 Thailand 9 Papua New Guinea 1 Singapore 7 The Philippines 1 People's Republic of China 6 Brunei Darussalam 0 Republic of Korea 6 Chile 0 Viet Nam 5 Peru 0
Table1: Number of Registered Host Towns for APEC Members; as of 31th August, 2018
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Kanoya City in Kagoshima
Kanoya City is located in Kagoshima Prefecture. In May 2018, Kanoya City, the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Thailand Volleyball Association signed a memorandum of understanding on pre-camp exchanges. Then, from July through August of this year, the Thai women's volleyball team held a training camp in Kanoya City.
At the welcome ceremony, athletes from the Thai women's volleyball team ate pumpkin ice cream certified by Kagoshima GAP. During Thailand's training camp in July, the cooking club of Kanoya Central High School used Kagoshima GAP-certified pumpkins and tea to create a new dish for the welcome reception for the Thailand team. Cultural exchange through interactions between students and the team strengthened mutual bonds of friendship.
“Arigato” Host Towns for Supporting Reconstruction
Under the Host Town initiative, we launched the "Arigato" Host Towns for Supporting Reconstruction. This category shows appreciation for global support by showing the reconstruction of Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake. These exchanges mainly
Cases of the Host Town Initiative Promotion
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consist of post-game activities.
Noda Village is located in Iwate Prefecture of northeast Japan, and it is an "Arigato" Host Town for Chinese Taipei. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Taipei Rotary Club presented Taiko and instruments to children of Noda Village in 2015. In October 2017, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association visited Shizuoka City for a training camp. At that time, the Mayor of Noda Village visited Shizuoka City, which is located in the central- eastern region of Japan, to greet the athletic team and gave samples of Noda village's natural seaweed to the team.
Junior high school students in Shizuoka City and Noda Village visited Taipei to learn about athletics. Students in Shizuoka City reported the resulting poster project to their mayor. Students of Noda village created a poster based on Chinese Taipei athletes and Rotary Club members and reported to the villagers of Noda village in February this year. The poster was then used to decorate the Sanriku Railway North Interlink in March. For another training camp in Shizuoka City, students visited a team from the Chinese Taipei Athletic Association and presented a poster to the team on August 31, 2018.
Host Town of a Harmonious and Inclusive Society
Japan created a new category for the Host Town initiative, named the "Host Town of a Harmonious and Inclusive Society." This category promotes regional action for realizing an inclusive society and exchange with Paralympians in various ways, including post- game visits. There are now 13 cities which have been certified as "Host Towns of a Harmonious and Inclusive Society."
Host Towns Welcome the World!
In Host Towns like Kanoya City, Noda Village and Shizuoka City, a lot of heart-warming exchanges between athletes, citizens and children have taken place. It is expected that further active exchanges will be held before and after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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Sport Tourism in Japan
By Dr. Munehiko Harada, Professor of Waseda University / Chairman of Japan Sport Tourism Alliance
What is Sport Tourism?
Sport Tourism is "an effort to build a mechanism for people to migrate through sports", and it aims to construct a tourism system with sport as its main attraction. However, until very recently, sport and tourism had been treated as very separate and distinct concepts in Japan. While the importance of sport had been recognized in physical education at schools and in community sports, sports events and sports facilities had never been treated as "tourism resources", and general awareness towards sport tourism had been very low.
Japan has traditionally enjoyed "leisure activities which involve human migration and lodging," such as skiing, climbing, swimming in the ocean (sea bathing), and hiking. But these were generally perceived to comprise a small domestic leisure market which only Japanese people enjoyed, and were never really perceived as "sport tourism" (Harada, 2016). In Europe and the United States, sport tourism has been perceived as resilient against recession, and has been highlighted as a fast-growing domain within tourism; as such, sport tourism has been aggressively used as a marketing tool for cities and local communities. When human migration in the sports domain – participation in sporting activities (active sport tourism), watching games (event sport tourism), supporting sporting events through volunteer work (volunteer sport tourism), or visiting sports facilities or sports museums (nostalgia sport tourism) – is taken into account and analyzed through the lens of tourism, it is evident that there is a vast market potential for the revitalization of cities and local communities across Japan.
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The aim of Sport Tourism is to make a mechanism to move people by sports
Belated Arrival of New Tourism
It was in 2002 that tourism began to be viewed as an important industry to revitalize the Japanese economy. In the "Basic Policies for Economic and Fiscal Policy Management and Structural Reform", agreed in 2002, six economic revitalization strategies were proposed. Included in the policies were an item to revitalize the tourism industry and an item for Japanese working people to take longer vacations. This led to the creation of the Asia Gateway Concept (2007), the Basic Act on Promotion of a Tourism Nation (2007), the Basic Act of Sports (2012) and the establishment of the Japan Tourism Agency (2008) and the Japan Sport Agency (2015). Lagging 20 years behind Europe and the US, tourism finally began to be acknowledged as a modern industry in Japan. That came with a paradigm shift in Japan's domestic policies, as part of which the Japanese economy chose to take a new path in nurturing a new value-creating industry, while at the same time maintaining emphasis on the manufacturing industry as the fundamental industry of Japan's economy.
Since 2008, the Japan Tourism Agency has been developing a "New Tourism Creation and Distribution Promotion Project" to create New Tourism related products. New Tourism is a new concept in tourism for Japan, and it includes industrial tourism, eco- tourism, green tourism, health tourism, long-term stays and cultural tourism. However, at that point, sport tourism had still not been included in the definition of New Tourism, and thus did not receive attention as an independent tourism domain.
Things began to take a turn in 2010, when the Promotion of a Tourism Nation
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Headquarters Working Group proposed the concept of sports tourism, followed in June of that year by the establishment of the Sports Tourism Promotion Conference. With this, sport tourism belatedly came to be recognized as an element of New Tourism. In June 2011, the "Basic Act on Promotion of Sport Tourism" was formulated, and since then projects such as appointing tourism "Masters", domestic sport-monitoring tours, and human resource development and training targeted for sport tourism have been undertaken.
Moreover, with Japan now set to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, general interest in sport has increased, and as a secondary effect of that, local municipalities have actively begun working on hosting training camps to be held ahead of the Games. This has also added momentum to the promotion of sport tourism, as well as to the establishment of Regional Sports Commissions.
Establishment of Japan Sport Tourism Alliance & Project Contents
Japan Sport Tourism Alliance（JSTA）was established in April 2012 to promote sport tourism as stipulated in the "Basic Principles to Promote Sport Tourism". The JSTA is the first public interest corporation to be spun off from the Tourism Agency, and the following nine projects are stipulated in its Articles of Association: （1）To build a network of regions, communities and others engaging in sport tourism （2）To support the building of regional platforms for sport tourism （3）To cooperate, support, and propose inviting and hosting international sport competitions （4） To support the promotion and creation of travel-related products which utilize sport （5）To improve the sports environment, and to make proposal on how sports activities can be more easily accessed at travel destinations （6）To develop sport tourism-related human resources and host training events in
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collaboration with universities and other institutions （7）To assemble information on sport in Japan, to disseminate the information both domestically and internationally, and to host lectures and events （8） To research the promotion of sport tourism, various awards and honors, and to support related events （9）To exchange information with overseas sport tourism organizations, and to undertake overseas inspection missions, etc.
The JSTA is currently in its sixth year of operations, and for this year, the following three projects are to serve as pillars for raising awareness of sport tourism: ‧JSTA Seminar series (monthly seminars for members) ‧JSTA Conference series (half-day annual conference to be held in Tokyo once a year) ‧JSTA Convention (two-day annual convention to be held in local cities once a year)
As of September 2018, the JSTA has as members 39 corporations, 26 public interest corporations, 16 sports associations and sports governing bodies, 44 municipal governments (including a number of regional sports commissions), and more than 100 individuals. The JSTA plans to explore and expand stakeholder marketing strategies which emphasize the importance of business-to-business relationships, and hopes to empower its business matchmaking functions by connecting member organizations to one another.
Sport as a Tourism Resource
In an Interim Report delivered in July 2010 to the Sport Tourism Promotion Conference of the Tourism Agency, the author noted that in Japan there are sports such as professional baseball (NPB), professional basketball (B-League), professional soccer (J-League), rugby, professional golf, sumo, and judo which are regarded as "spectator sports ", while other sports such as skiing, climbing, and swimming in the ocean which utilize the diverse natural environment are regarded as "participation sports" which Japanese people enjoy in their everyday lives. Moreover, there are individual volunteers and organizations that
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support these activities and sport events. Generally speaking, Japan is one of Asia's most advanced sporting economies, and the environment surrounding sport in Japan gives it a competitive international advantage.
As stated in the report, if one looks at sport from a sport tourism perspective, the amount of resources in Japan is astounding and full of potential. Japan is a place with many mountainous areas, but with the exception of climbing and skiing there has not been any major or outstanding growth in outdoor recreational sports. However, the variance in altitudes across Japan, which was once considered a hindrance, is now revealed to be a treasure box filled with outdoor sport potential. Sports that have become popular in recent years, such as river rafting, hill climbing, and cycling can all be pursued in mountainous areas, and events in these sports can take place in many of the regions and communities across Japan.
However, due to poor destination management in Japan, these tourism resources have long been abandoned as "hidden assets" and are presently under-utilized. Destination management is an activity to establish the comparative advantages of a travel destination in a particular region (or city) by strategically branding tourism resources, such as historical and cultural monuments, local specialty products, events, and scenery. The number of foreign tourists who visit Japan in 2018 is estimated to exceed 30 million, and the government is aiming to attract 40 million foreign visitors in 2020. Possible travel destinations in Japan stretch from its coral reefs in the south to powder snow in the north, and great potential lies in Japan's vast outdoor resources. For example, the distance between the most northern part of Japan, Soya Cape in Hokkaido, and its most southern part, Hateruma Island, is roughly equivalent in latitudinal terms to the distance from Seattle on the West Coast of the US to Key West in the southern state of Florida. This means that Japan possesses an environment like no other Asian economies, where winter sports and tropical sports can both be enjoyed simultaneously.
Potential for Increase in Sport Tourists
If Asia, a prospective inbound market for sport tourism, continues to maintain economic
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growth, the combined population of middle-income and high-income individuals in the region is forecasted to double to 1.95 billion by 2020 (Yanagawa and Mori, 2010). This number far exceeds the sum of the combined population of developed economies, including those in Europe and the US.
To meet the increasing demand for overseas travel from Asia to Japan, Japan has eased its visa policies according to where visitors are from, in what should act as a positive systematic reform to further boost the number of tourists visiting Japan. For example, visa-issuing conditions for middle-income private Chinese individuals have been relaxed since July 2010, and this has resulted in a huge increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan. In 2012, multiple short-term entry visas for a period of 15 days and maximum of 90 days (valid for three years) were introduced for visitors from Indonesia; Malaysia; and Thailand paving the way for the subsequent introduction of short-term entry visas for visitors from Viet Nam and the Philippines. The stay period for visitors from Indonesia with multiple-entry visas was extended to 30 days. And in 2013, multiple short-term stay entry visas were extended to holders of passports from Myanmar; Laos; and Cambodia. As a result, visitors from these six economies increased from 775,000 in June 2012 to 1.1 million in 2013.
Like Japanese tourists many years ago when they began visiting foreign destinations, many of the Asian tourists currently visiting Japan for the first time come on package holidays in
tour groups visiting famous and Asia and Pacific region has the fastest-growing figure in historical locations. Many Asian tourism
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tourists are interested in shopping, hot springs, and Japanese food. Unlike European or American tourists, they are less interested in traditional Japanese culture and historical monuments, which are similar to their own. It is expected that foreign tourists who have completed a first round of touring around Japan will now shift towards "Special Interest Tourism" which emphasizes the exchange and experience aspects of travel, with specific travel themes such as eco-tourism, medical tourism, and sport tourism.
Sport Tourism-Related Product Development
Tourism is essentially the act of comparing the information one has collected about a particular pre-determined destination with the actual experience of the trip itself, an act to confirm a "pre-established harmony". It also possesses the characteristic of a "recurrence", by which one migrates from the place of departure to the tour destination, and then returns to the place of departure. Thus, sport tourism-related product development will require the consideration of regional and local resources, and must have a strategic perspective on destination management. At the same time, the product needs to offer customer experience that exceeds the expectations of pre-established harmony. When the experience of participating in a sports event or watching sports is spectacular and far exceeds the pre-established harmony, that tourist becomes a repeat tourist who gains attachment to a particular region or community.
Founding Sports Commissions
In cooperation with the Tourism Agency, the JSTA, as the implementing organization of sport tourism, supports the establishment of "Regional Sports Commissions" which act as a one-stop service for providing organizational support in inviting and hosting sports camps and events across Japan. The Saitama Sports Commission, established in the fall of 2011, succeeded in coordinating and hosting the 2014 Le Tour de France Saitama Criterium, while Sports Commission Kansai succeeded in inviting participants to the 2021 World Masters Games. Japan has had much success in bringing international sporting events to Japan. In addition, the Saga Prefecture Sports Commission and the Niigata City Culture and Sports Commission were established in 2013, and the Sports
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Commission Okinawa, Gifu Prefecture Sports Commission, and Sports Commission Aichi are also expected to be set up. According to the Sports Agency, nearly 90 regional sports commissions have been established domestically as of 2018.
Conclusion
In Japan, the birth rate is declining and society is continuing to age. Under such circumstance it is impossible to reboot the high economic growth model of the past. Therefore, Japan, which is shifting from a mature economy to a gradually declining economy, requires a new Public Management Model. One such initiative under this model is a project to bring about the "visualization" of Japan's hidden assets, and the "merchandising" of these assets through business-minded thinking and creativity.
As Uchida (2011) said, "Japan needs to abandon policies with economic growth as the underlying condition, and use its limited but precious 'hidden assets' (e.g. rich natural environment, culture, safety, social equality, cooperation among local communities and system of mutual help, and traditions of manufacturing and craftsmanship) and shift towards 'collaboration platform-based social models'." Japan has many hidden assets
Million People
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that are highly competitive in the global market. The epitome of these assets is the "creation of value" industry, which was hidden behind the manufacturing industry and therefore lagged behind in its industrialization process. Tourism is one such industry with the most potential to grow.
As mentioned, Japan is home to some of the richest natural resources in the world and is also perceived as relatively safe and secure. Depending on destination management, it is possible to further increase the number of foreign tourists coming to Japan. Sport tourism, which is now belatedly part of New Tourism, should attract further attention now that Japan will be hosting the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, and sport tourism is set to become the most promising segment of Japan's "creation of value" industry.
References:
Harada, M. (2016) "Strategic planning for the development of the sports city" (in Japanese) Gakugei Pub. Co. Ltd. Kyoto, Japan. Harada, M. & Kimura, K. (2009)"Sport & health tourism" Tokyo: Taishukan. Yanagawa, N. & Mori, N. (2010) "Income group to lead a "domestic demand" in Asia" NIRA, Monograph Series, No. 31, Foundation for Research Development Organization. Uchida, T. (2011) "Large Public lecture" AERA, p.11.
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National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) Sports Authority of Thailand
By Tatchanart Tongpragob, Director of Elite Sports Development, Sports Authority of Thailand
Background Information on the National Sports Development Fund
The Royal Thai Government is committed to developing the domestic sports industry. On November 20, 1997, the government proclaimed its policy to design measures that could locally expedite the development of sports, ensure the welfare of the athletes, and lead sports in Thailand to success on the world stage. At that time, many sports associations in Thailand were facing financial problems, especially related to inadequate government funding.
Mr. Jurin Laksanawisit, who at the time was the minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office and the Chairman of the Sports Authority of Thailand Committee, proposed to the Cabinet at its meeting on February 16, 1999, to set up the National Sports Development Fund. During this meeting, it was agreed that the National Sports Development Fund would be established under the supervision of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).
The National Sports Development Fund was thereby established on February 16, 1999, as a demonstration of the Cabinet's resolve to relieve the financial problems of sports associations and accelerate the development of sports in Thailand. In 2002, as part of a wave of major government reform, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports was set up under the Reorganization of Ministries Act B.E. 2545 (2002), and the SAT, which had been an official body under the Prime Minister's Office, was transferred to this new ministry.
After this reorganization, SAT agreed to submit a bill to the Legislative Assembly to revise the SAT Act B.E. 2528 (1985). At its meeting on January 9, 2015, the Cabinet submitted a revised draft of the SAT Act to the National Legislative Assembly, which then agreed to
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adopt the revised Act under the name of the Sports Authority of Thailand Act B.E. 2558 (2015).
Section 133 of the SAT Act B.E. 2558 (2015) states the following about the National Sports Development Fund:
"Section 133. The operation, assets, rights, liabilities, and budget of the Athlete Scholarship Fund in accordance with the Articles of the SAT governing Athlete Scholarship Fund Administration, B.E. 2547; National Sports Development Fund in accordance with the Rules of the National Sports Development Fund Management Committee governing National Sports Development Fund Management, B.E. 2548; and Athlete Welfare Fund in accordance with the Rules of the Athlete Welfare Fund Management Committee governing the Fund Expenditure Administration, B.E. 2545; shall be assigned to the National Sports Development Fund in accordance with this Act."
The Merging of Sports Funds
At the Cabinet's meeting on January 27, 2015, it was resolved to assign to the Ministry of Finance the task of analyzing and guiding reform of the working capital management system in case of the need to improve, develop, merge or terminate funds pursuant to the National Council for Peace and Order's resolutions on July 29, 2014, and August 19, 2014, as well as the Cabinet's resolution on October 28, 2014.
Afterwards, the State Audit Office of the Kingdom of Thailand reported to the Prime Minister that it was necessary to examine and review the status of the working capital fund to avoid overlapping duties and enhance efficiency. For this reason, it was decided that the Professional Sports Promotion Fund and the Boxing Fund were to be merged into the existing National Sports Development Fund, the objectives of which are to promote, support, develop, protect and assist sports in Thailand as well as provide sports-related welfare. A major source of the fund's income derives from collections under the 2% Alcohol and Tobacco Tax, which total approximately 4,000 million baht per year.
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Subsequently, General Prayut Chan-ocha, the Leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) at the time, signed order No. 63/2016, dated October 12, 2016, on the promotion and reform of sports in Thailand. The NCPO agreed to merge the Professional Sports Promotion Fund and the Boxing Fund into the National Sports Development Fund and to revise related laws, including the Sports Authority of Thailand Act (Volume 2) B.E. 2560 (2017).
The National Sports Development Fund is managed by the National Sports Development Fund Management Committee pursuant to SAT Act B.E. 2558 (2015), Section 36, for the purposes of sports-related promotion, support, development, protection, assistance, and welfare. The objectives of the fund are as follows: ‧To promote and support domestic and international sports activities; ‧To promote and support development of athletes, sports personnel, and sports Associations; ‧To promote and support the training of athletes to become domestic and international athletes; ‧To reward athletes, sports personnel, and sports associations of Thailand who display virtuous performance in domestic sports or enhance the reputation and dignity; ‧To support scholarships for athletes and sports personnel; ‧To provide welfare for athletes, sports personnel, and persons suffering from any accident or damage or injury due to participation in sports competition or involvement in other cases necessitating relief; ‧To promote and support boxing in accordance with boxing laws and professional sports laws; ‧To be used as the management cost of the Fund.
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SPIN Accelerator Project: Asia's First Sports Technology Innovation Acceleration Platform
By Prof. Ching-Yao Huang, Director of Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy, National Chiao Tung University
In the late summer of 2018, HYPE Sports Innovation (hereinafter referred to as HYPE), a global sports innovation center, has announced the launch of the second phase of the Global Sports Innovation Acceleration Program at the Stamford Bridge Stadium: Home of Chelsea. National Chiao Tung University Industrial Accelerator and Patent Development Strategy Center (hereinafter referred to as IAPS) has officially become one of its partners, and announced the establishment of Asia's first sports innovation accelerator.
Founded in 2014, HYPE aims to build the world's largest sports innovation ecosystem, with over 30,000 members and more than 10,000 startups in retail brands, sports clubs, sports leagues and academia. SPIN Accelerator and SPIN Lab formally integrate the ecosystem resources of the global sports industry, covering the UK, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Ukraine, Israel, Australia, and the United States. This year, HYPE has partnered with IAPS, which holds abundant industry and academia resources.
Look into developed economies over the world, sports industry is booming on the basis of the prevailing sports atmosphere. Many developing economies are actively cultivating players to participate in international competitions, such as football games and track- and-field, to enhance their international visibility by sports engagement. Sports industry is therefore developing often closely related to the economic development policies With development of sports industry, SPIN Accelerator Project will increase international visibility and highlight to the international arena.
Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) reported that the 2017 Taipei Universiade has held a commercial value of NT$45.7 billion. Local sports technology applications and services have gradually become popular and well known to the world since
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international sports events in 2017, such as 2018 Winter Olympics, the World Cup and the Asian Games. In addition to the mature sports industry companies such as Giant, Titan, and PCGBROS (Sports Service Platform) that have dug into domestic market, there are also newly- Sport Innovation Startups developed companies Chasewind (smart bicycle glasses), and GoMore (research and development of a somatosensory wearable device). The operation of SPIN Accelerator Project will play a key role in the integration of related resources and the promotion of business opportunities in sports tech market.
Through the application and service in sports tech, there are two main categories that SPIN Accelerator Project focuses in sports innovation. One is to meet the needs of the general public for the sports consumer, and the other is the combination of professional and technology. With the support of the Sports Administration of Ministry of Education, SPIN Accelerator Project strengthens the links between the sports academic community and the industry, which helps sports industry to develop, and properly utilizes the professional skills of sports talents.
In accordance with incentive of HYPE, "to improve people's lives through the power of sports and innovation", the first step of IAPS will combine the potential and advantages of sports talents to help the new eco-system and build a bridge between athletes and entrepreneurs, and introduce the resources of industry and academia into the sports innovation training and communication platform. Within the platform, we have academics to serve as lecturers in entrepreneurship courses and industry analysis, while arranging experienced executives to share entrepreneurial experience and provide innovative customized guidance for products and technologies.
SPIN Accelerator Project is undoubtedly the leader in promoting the development of the Asian sports science and technology industry, driving the innovation trend of the local sports industry and connecting the local and global markets. We are therefore facilitated with mature high-tech industries, manufacturing industries, and consumers' high quality requirements, that will become entries for the Asian market.
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ASPN Related Events
2018
ASPN Ambassador Activity 27 Location: Tokyo, Japan
Sep The first ASPN Ambassador Event- a friendly female football match between National Taiwan Normal University and Waseda University was organized on September 27 at Tokyo. Through the friendly match, more athletes are able to participate in ASPN event and it promotes sports exchanges between member economies.
2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship 29 Locations: Yokohama, Sapporo, Kobe, Hamamatsu, Nagoya, Osaka
Sep
The 2018 Women's World Championship was the 18th ▲ FIVB world championship competition in women's volleyball. Senior women's teams from FIVB member associations competed to qualify, with the final 20 tournament taking place in Japan from Sept. 29 to Oct. 20, 2018. It is Japan's third time hosting the Oct tournament in 12 years. (Photo copyright of the FIVB)
2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games 6 Location: Buenos Aires
Oct
The III Summer Youth Olympic Games took place from Oct. ▲ 6 to 18 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second event organized by IOC to take place in South America following the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. In 18 addition, it's the first event in Olympic history with an equal number of male and female athletes. Oct
(Photo copyright of the IOC)
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ASPN Related Events
2018 Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship 25 Location: Daxi District, Taoyuan
Oct
The LPGA Taiwan Championship is a female golf ▲ game authorized by WWGR and LPGA. The game attracts top 100 golfers from the world every year, providing the spectators to enjoy an up-close look 28 at the skills of the world's best players. This year's event took place in Taoyuan's Daxi District from Oct Oct. 25 to 28, including the aspects of golf, local culture, visual arts, and sightseeing and tourism. It is broadcast globally to viewers in nearly 170 countries and territories, allowing them to get to know the host economy through the competition and related promotional activities.
2018 10th IeSF Esports World Championship 9 Location: Kaohsiung Arena
Nov
This event dated back to 2009, and since ▲ 2011, the IeSF World Championship has been held on an annual basis. It is currently the only global eSports event featuring 11 teams representing their homelands. This is the 10th year of the competition, Nov and takes place at Kaohsiung Arena.
2019 Australian Open 14 Location: Melbourne
Jan
The 2019 Australian Open is the first Grand Slam ▲ event of the 2019 tennis season. The event has been jointly organized by the International Tennis Federation and the Australian Open committee. The 27 2019 Australian Open takes place from Jan. 14 to 27 in Melbourne, Australia. The Australian Open was Jan founded in 1905, giving it more than a century of history, yet it is still the newest of the four Grand Slam events.
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CALL FOR ARTICLES
This FT (Feature Topic) targets a mixed audience of researchers and investigators from public and private sectors, including those from ASPN members, APEC member economies, other experts and business representative, to share and exchange new concepts, ideas, principles, and methodologies, aiming to advance education and career development for athletes. We seek high quality articles for the column of Perspectives on Regional Sports Issues, which, have not been published elsewhere to topics of interest including, but not limited to, the following:
● Sports Industry Development
● Sports Facility Management
● Sports for All
● School Physical Education
● Training Programs for Competitive Athletes
● APEC Regional Sports Games (policies to support holding the sports games, volunteer training, venue operation⋯etc)
SUBMISSIONS
Article length (introduction through conclusions) should be between 700 and 1,000 words with picture(s). All articles must be submitted through the APEC Sports Policy Network (ASPN) Secretariat (Ms. Lily Pu: [email protected]). Please kindly submit your article in the form of Microsoft word format (.doc or .docx), if you used latex software for article preparation, please send your article in PDF format. Once your article is adopted by the ASPN Secretariat, you will receive the remuneration of US$100 for your contribution.
Publisher: Dr. Chin-Hsung Kao, Executive Director, APEC Sports Policy Network Email: [email protected] ASPN Website: https://aspn.tier.org.tw/index_e.aspx 59