FIFA/CIES International University Network
01.06.2018

Representatives of the global sports industry attend 'Sport and the Future' conference

Less than two weeks remain until the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, which is being held in Russia for the first time in history. During the tournament, the international conference Sport and the Future will take place in Moscow, starting on 29 June. The event will gather over 300 representatives from international sporting organisations, leading experts on worldwide sports and the heads of international and national football associations, leagues and clubs.
 
In the build-up to the event, a memorandum on the joint organisation of the conference was signed on Friday 1 June by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), FIFA Master Alumni Association (FMA), the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and the Football Union of Russia (FUR).
 
“It’s a great pleasure that the CIES has joined forces with the Russian Football Union, the Higher School of Economics, who are our academic partner in Russia, and the FIFA Master Alumni Association to organise this important conference,” said CIES President Pierre Cornu. “The latter will gather more than 300 participants to discuss the future of sport and sports management. At a time when the global sports environment continues to change at great pace, these debates are a necessity. This conference will also provide an opportunity to reinforce the links between all the partners involved in the event, which is a great satisfaction to me.”
 
“Since 2014, the Higher School of Economics has been an academic partner for the FIFA/CIES International University Network and offers the joint professional training programme Sport Management. Therefore, it is a huge honour for us to host one of the largest conferences in the world of sport, when the trends for developing industry in this sector over the next few years will be defined,” noted by HSE Vice-Rector Ivan Prostakov.
 
“On 29 June, the international conference Sport and the Future is being held in Moscow, jointly organised by the Football Union of Russia. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, representatives from the RFU, CIES, FMA, the HSE, as well as hundreds of specialists from the world of football and beyond, will gather to discuss the development of global sport. The upcoming conference is not only a presentation on current topics but also an opportunity to meet and chat with numerous colleagues who are professionals in their fields. We are very happy to take part in this interesting and large conference,” said FUR Acting President and CEO Alexander Alaev.
 
“It is an honour and privilege for the FIFA Master Alumni Association to team up with our prestigious co-organisers of the Sport and the Future conference. At a time when the world comes together to celebrate sport’s finest spectacle, it is fitting that our association - which now boasts 500 professionals in the field of sports management and which every year welcomes graduates focused on becoming future leaders in sport – is involved in debating new and fast-changing trends and demands of the sport industry,” FMA President Giancarlo Dapoto emphasized. 
 
The main aim of the conference is to discuss current trends in developing the global sports industry. The plenary session of the conference will begin with speeches by leading figures from FIFA, CIES, FMA, HSE – part of the FIFA/CIES International University Network – and the RFU. Following this, there are multiple sessions planned on the digital world in sport, the new generation of sport managers, the fundamental aspects of changing sport administration and e-Sports. Representatives from national sporting associations, international telecommunications companies, the International Computer Games Association and other speakers will contribute to these meetings.
 
Organising international academic conferences on sports has recently become a tradition during major sporting events. Over the past few years, the CIES and the FMA have jointly organised a series of events in countries staging big competitions such as the FIFA World Cups, UEFA EURO and the Olympic Games. The conferences typically involve representatives from international sporting organisations, leading international experts, the heads of international and national associations, leagues and clubs, as well as graduates from FIFA Master and the FIFA/CIES Network, which is made up of 16 educational establishments around the world. 
 
During the last World Cup in Brazil in 2014, CIES and FMA joined up with one of their local academic partners, the Fundaçao Getulio Vargas, to organise a similar conference. Over 400 people attended from the sports industry, including the FIFA President, the Brazilian Minister of Sport and other distinguished names.  
 
More details, including the conference programme, can be found on the official website: sportandfuture2018.com