OLYMPIC REVIEW53 OLYMPIC CONGRESS How do you see the role of sport in today's society? I believe sport has the capacity to be a potent force for good for a number of reasons: ? Sport has a huge reach. In the increasingly fragmented media landscape, with more people every day leading atomised but digitally connected lives, it possesses a rare ability to unite cities, nations and even the world, as we focus passionately on a single event. Every country has a sport that sees its nation glued to its televisions, websites and mobiles following the big match, race or other sporting contest - cricket in India, Superbowl in the US, rugby in New Zealand... and football just about everywhere else. ? Sport is a great leveller, crossing geographies and cultures. It has the capacity to take people out of their environment, to change lives. It has the potential to be inspirational. ? Sport is a tool for social inclusion ( Sebastian Coe talks about sport as " the hidden social worker"). ? Many people - and indeed governments and companies - underestimate sport's power. It can be a positive force for individual and collective development, with social, health and educational benefits as well as a key and proven driver for economic growth. Sport should not just leap on to the main agenda when it comes to bidding or hosting the Games or other major events. It should be embedded in, protected and promoted by public policy in partnership with the private sector, from grassroots to the elite level. ? There is a lot of money in sport and some of it could be used in global development. ? Sport as entertainment - sporting heroes are some of the most famous people on the planet and they are starting to be paid the sort of money previously only Hollywood could justify - although even Ronaldo's $ 10million annual wage at Real Madrid pales in comparison with Harrison Ford's $ 65million earnings last year, thanks mainly to one film, Indiana Jones. Major sports work - or should work - tirelessly and creatively with their media partners to create those heroes, sell the story and heighten the drama. The successes and excesses of the US sports bodies and networks is now commonplace across the globe - witness the extraordinary star- led success of the Indian Premier League. What are the main benefits and risks for the Olympic Movement of the digital revolution? The digital revolution offers the Olympic Movement the opportunity to engage with youth, primarily. London 2012 offers the potential to build on the Beijing Games, where it was young people who showed the greatest increase in engagement with the Olympic Games. The 18- 24 age group jumped from 6% engagement ( those who said they liked or loved the Games) prior to Beijing 2008 ( the lowest engagement of any age group) to more than 30% the highest engagement of all ages ( source: MEC's PartnerZ study). Also, the Olympic Games are one of the few events that unites the world. This makes it a very important event for marketers. Another benefit is that the Games offer on- demand viewing of the long- tail of sports, potentially in High Definition. The risk is that the Olympic Movement does not harness these new channels and doesn't adapt to this new online world of communicating. If the Olympic sports themselves and the way they are promoted online and by mobile do not appeal to the younger audience, they will lose that audience, the broadcasters will reduce their fees and the Movement will risk withering. It is not just about bringing in extreme sports - it is in the mediation of all sports in youth- friendly, engaging and digital platforms. The IOC needs to ensure the iPod, iPhone generation are tuning in, not tuning out. How should the Olympic Movement take advantage of the digital revolution in order to better serve the different stakeholders? The Movement should embrace new channels such as YouTube and Facebook, similar to the way a youth brand, such as Nike, does. Encourage athletes to communicate directly using blogs or Twitter in the run- up to the Games. Make content more widely available outside of the Games events themselves. Leverage content - the stories, the heroes - between the games, not just for the 17- day period of the Games. Use digital channels as an opportunity to show more relevant youth sports such as snowboarding. And crucially, allow those consumers to interact and become creative with the content - this is exactly how Nike builds and fosters communities online and at events such as Supersonic, the refreshed version of Run London. This will involve the IOC, organising committees and national associations letting go more than they ever have, shifting from controlling rights to leveraging assets. Are there any specific tools and means to promote the Olympic values to a general public and make them adhere? Firstly, it should not be about making the general public adhere to the Olympic values. That is far too dogmatic. The Movement needs to foster and allow those values to be shared, shaped and regenerated by a new generation. The fundamental values can remain true, but their expression and form should look very different. If not, only the most conservative of young people will be interested. The internet is a two way medium: it involves participation and interaction. Use it! ? Imagine setting up an Olympic pledge and inviting people to sign up online, for instance... marshalling public opinion to get a movement going ( think Obama). Inspire young people to participate through channels and tonality that engage them. Develop partnerships with relevant youth channels, such as YouTube. ? Showcase Olympic heroes as ambassadors. Leverage the power of popular entertainment such as X Factor or Britain's Got Talent for values sharing. ? Translate the inspiration from the Games itself into a tangible legacy. ? Develop music and cultural partnerships to leverage support and momentum. Is the convergence of content production going to sweep away the specific characteristics of the various media ( news agencies, printed press, moving images, Internet)? How should the IOC respond to this? All media will be digital. It's too early to say how media will develop precisely, but traditional media is very challenged. Lines will definitely blur. The IOC needs to make its content available across the new channels and formats and to distribute archive and supportive footage in those new channels and formats. There will still be the marquee moments, when the world stops for just over nine and a half seconds in awe at the world's fastest man. But 99% of the consumption of the Games will be increasingly in an individualised, digital, PC or mobile manner. SIR MARTIN SORRELL, CEO, WPP Below left High- definition television gives the IOC a great opportunity to appeal to a younger audience around the world, according to Sir Martin Sorrell

54OLYMPIC REVIEW OLYMPIC CONGRESS A The activities are focusing on the vital challenges that the entire western world is facing," said Ulla Nygaard Pedersen, Event Manager at Sport Event Denmark. " It is all about engaging youngsters in sport and a healthy lifestyle." More than 12,000 pupils will be part of the Olympic spirit and will get the chance to meet Danish and international Olympians who will drop by over the course of the festival. During the festivities, the preferred mode of transport will be bicycle, with Copenhagen officially appointed as a Bike City by the International Cycling Union ( UCI). The Bike City concept is designed for internationally- renowned cities wanting to get involved in cycling ( from competition to sport for all), as an environmentally-friendly leisure sport and a gentle means of transport. The awarding of the label is based on criteria such as the city's active commitment to HOST CITY COPENHAGEN IS PUTTING ON A FUN- FILLED AND EDUCATIONAL OLYMPIC FESTIVAL - AIMED IN PARTICULAR AT THE YOUNGER GENERATION - TO COINCIDE WITH THE 13TH OLYMPIC CONGRESS, AS OLYMPIC REVIEW DISCOVERS s a proud sporting nation, Denmark wants to make the most of hosting the Olympic Congress and has organised a sports festival in Copenhagen to showcase sport, hoping to appeal, in particular, to youngsters from across the country. With Olympic Congresses few and far between, the Danes want to make October's gathering a real celebration of sport and use the occasion to encourage more people to take up an active, healthy lifestyle. Across the country, youngsters have been vying to qualify for the City Youth Olympic Games, which will take place on 3 October in Copenhagen's Town Hall square, where youngsters will compete in modern versions of some traditional Olympic Games sports - street basketball, street soccer and TeamGym. " We are staging a great variety of sports activities, shows and have- a- try across the city.