Cities across the world have welcomed the results of the Global Sports Impact (GSI) project, an extensive study by Sportcal that analyses the success of cities in attracting major sports events.
Tokyo 2020, the Japanese capital’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games, Auckland, one of the host cities for last year’s Rugby World Cup, and London, host of this summer’s Olympics, were among those expressing their approval for Sportcal’s innovative index.
The project, the first results of which were published yesterday, analysed nearly 700 major sporting events between 2007 and 2018. Events that have been included in the study include those that are constantly rotated throughout the world and can be hosted in more than one continent, including Olympic Games, major multi-sport games and world championships.
The city ranking was led by London, fresh from its success in hosting this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, followed by Rio de Janeiro (host of the 2016 Olympics), Moscow, Beijing, Paris and then Tokyo and Auckland.
Masato Mizuno, chief executive of Tokyo 2020, said: “Tokyo 2020 is thrilled to see the results of the Global Sports Impact Project’s latest study which places Tokyo in sixth position. In general, the world has high regard for Japanese operational capabilities, and this ranking validates our conviction that Tokyo is a modern, forward-thinking capital city prepared to deliver a dynamic and spectacular celebration for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Tokyo’s will be a world-class experience for all visitors – athletes and spectators alike.”
Paul Dunphy, Manager Event Prospecting and Bidding at Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development, commended Sportcal’s boldness in taking a lead on finding an objective system for comparing cities’ success in attracting events.
He said: “There is no doubt that the industry globally needs to standardise this information; a lot of this research can be so variable. From our perspective, the result is an accurate reflection of where we are at as a city. We’re at a stage where we’re regrouping [after the Rugby World Cup], and saying, ‘What are we looking at for the next seven years?’
“There’s been a global need for consolidation of this research. At the moment, it’s difficult as a city to understand [the information]. Each of the sports federations gives you a view on the value of their property, but if we can get consistency across the sports industry, that’s great.”
Ian Edmondson, Director of Major Events at London & Partners, said: “We’re glad that London has been recognised as part of an independent statistical assessment. We are serious about sport, not just for 2012, but beyond, as our newly-announced bid to host the IPC World Championships, alongside the World Athletics Championships in 2017, indicates.”
The GSI project, among the most extensive studies of the sports events industry ever undertaken, has looked at the impact of sport on host nations and cities across a range of indicators, including economic, financial, sport, media, social and environmental.
Tokyo is bidding against Istanbul and Madrid to host the 2020 Olympics, with the International Olympic Committee due to select the host city in September next year.
