London has seen off tough global competition to host the 2011 International SportAccord Convention, raising prospects of a multi-million boost for the capital’s economy.
SportAccord will see over 1,500 of the world’s top sporting officials and business people from more than 60 countries come to the UK capital.
The six-day gathering from 03-08 April 2011 will be the first time the convention has been hosted in the UK. It will take place at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.
The bid to bring this prestigious sports convention was co-ordinated by the Events for London team at Visit London and has been heavily supported and funded by a number of the UK’s sporting and business bodies. Those bodies include the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) whose key role is to build Britain’s capabilities to compete in the global economy.
The government’s sporting body UKSport has also proactively supported the bid as well as the Greater London Authority (GLA), LOCOG, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the London Development Agency (LDA), VisitBritain and Events for London.
The convention will initially contribute over £3m to the London economy. However, it is expected to be worth many more millions through contracts for new businesses and more major events coming to the capital and the UK beyond 2012.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “This is a truly fantastic opportunity for the city. Delivering a legacy for London after the Games is crucially important and SportAccord will now play a significant role in helping us achieve this. Sport is at the heart of this great city and I am looking forward to welcoming all sports leaders, IOC members and Olympic bidding cities to London in 2011 to give them a taste of what’s in store for 2012 and after.”
Tessa Jowell, Olympics Minister said: “The SportAccord Convention is an excellent opportunity for UK businesses to showcase their expertise gained from working on London 2012 to key players in the international event supplier sector. With preparations for the London Games reaching fever pitch in 2011, SportAccord will be a vital forum for British companies looking to capitalise on the business benefits of 2012 and take their experience overseas.”
Hein Verbruggen, Chairman of SportAccord Convention commented, “Our constituents comprise the top leadership in all areas of international sport and have a vested interest in any city that is hosting an Olympic Games and other top-level sporting events. With London preparing to welcome the world for the 2012 Games, there is no better time for the SportAccord Convention to come here and witness the final preparations taking place in your city. We look forward to working with our colleagues here over the coming year and a half, and to together creating an event which will show the world what a wonderful host city London will be – for the SportAccord Convention, the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and future major sports events in the city.”
The convention is a unique annual event organised by the International Sports Movement. It will be attended by the top officials from the Olympic and non-Olympic International Federations of sport, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board, rights holders of major sports events, media, sponsors and other commercial businesses in the global sports industry.
