International Sports Leaders To Meet In Auckland

Media Release
5 October 2007

International Sports Leaders To Meet In Auckland

More than 600 leaders in sport and recreation from across Australasia will descend on Auckland next autumn to exchange ideas and address current and future issues facing the sector.

Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) and the Australasian Standing Committee on Recreation and Sports (SCORS) will host the International Leaders in Sport conference in April 2008 at Sky City in Auckland, marking the first time the conference has been held outside Australia.

Combining world-class speakers with the latest sports and recreation sector research, the conference will bring together leading Australasian authorities on sport and recreation, and will give delegates the opportunity to participate in wide-ranging discussions about the changing world of sport and recreation and its future directions.

SPARC Chief Executive, Nick Hill, said the 2008 International Leaders in Sport conference will take a close look at the challenges the sector faces, as well as the opportunities presented by changing demographics, new technologies and a host of other factors that are changing the face of sports and recreation in the modern world.
“Finding effective, innovative and winning strategies in the fast-changing world of sport and recreation is what this conference is all about,” said Hill. “This conference brings together leaders in sport and recreation from the academic community and professional organisations, representing a variety of disciplines.
“The programme will be challenging and inspiring, including presentations from some of the best in the field – from Australia, New Zealand and around the world,” Hill added.
The conference will cover four core issues of change and how the sports and recreation sector can best manage them:

Business
Sport and business are becoming ever more closely linked, at every level. What opportunities are emerging? And what pitfalls? What can we learn from what others are doing? How best do we connect with the next generations? What roles do sport betting and the multi-electronic media environment play in sport today?

Community
As much of the world faces serious issues of obesity and inactivity – what’s the role of sport and physical activity in this changing world? How does the development of facilities contribute to communities? How can sport, health and fitness fight the obesity epidemic and address decreasing participation among some sectors of society? How are the new and extreme sports challenging traditional sports?

Performance
Gaining the competitive advantage is all important in the fast-changing world of sport. What’s the latest thinking in elite sport? Who’s doing what to win? What role does talent identification and development play in performance? Who’s getting a psychological, sporting or coaching edge? Where to next in the war on drugs in sport?

The Environment
The environment is changing - in the earth’s climate, in politics, in social attitudes, in government roles and responsibilities. So, how can sport and recreation best respond? How can we be innovative in the face of long-term climate change and drought? What other barriers are there to overcome? What collaborations could add value? How can success be measured? And where does the future lie?

The line-up of speakers currently includes:
• Reynald Temarii, Vice President FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association).
• Martin Snedden, Chief Executive of Rugby New Zealand 2011 and former Cricket New Zealand Chief Executive.
• Ian Taylor, Managing Director, Taylormade Media (the company behind Virtual Spectator and the live 3D web-delivered coverage of this year’s America’s Cup).
• Kereyn Smith, Chief Executive Officer of New Zealand Academy of Sport (South Island); Vice President of the International Netball Federation; and former Netball New Zealand Chair.
• Grant Smith, Chairman 2006 World Junior Squash Championships.

For more information on the conference, please visit www.leadersinsport.com.

Ends

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