FIFA World Cup bid winners confirmed for Dubai sport summit

Dubai, November 21, 2012//Hosting the football World Cup will be at the top of the agenda when sports leaders from around the world gather in Dubai for a landmark sporting summit.

It was today confirmed that South Africa 2010 and Russia 2018 will be represented at the Host Cities summit – being held at Meydan on December 4 and 5.

Danny Jordaan, Vice President of the South African Football Association, will talk about taking the tournament to Africa for the first time and what it takes to make a successful World Cup.

He will be joined by Alexey Sorokin, CEO of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee in Russia, who will offer insight into how his country won the bidding race.

Host Cities is presented by Emirates airline and will take place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council for Dubai Government and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council.

“The World Cup is arguably the biggest sporting occasion on earth,” said Danny Jordaan.

“At Host Cities the stories of how three different countries won the bidding race will be heard and it should be fascinating for everyone attending,”

“It was historic for South Africa and I will try and explain not only what went into the winning bid but also the legacy of the World Cup for my country,”

Alexey Sorokin said: “We at Russia 2018 are proud of the way we conducted ourselves throughout a long and highly competitive campaign.

“And we are already looking forward to welcoming the global football community in 2018.”

Host Cities will also welcome leading sports administrators from golf’s European Tour, the International Cricket Council, US Tennis Association and Emirates Airline - whose sport sponsorship portfolio includes FIFA World Cup, European Tour golf and international cricket.

Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, said: “As a major sponsor of international sports events around the world including the FIFA World Cup, ICC Cricket World Cup and the Dubai World Cup, Emirates realises the power of sports to unite and drive economic development.

“We look forward to some very interesting insights being shared at Host Cities, which will no doubt be of great benefit to future sports events around the world.”

Host Cities will involve a conference featuring high-profile speakers, panel-led case study explanations, practical workshops and informal networking and learning opportunities for prospective hosts. 

The event will also feature social networking opportunities including a golf day at the Emirates Golf Club on November 3 hosted by Golf in Dubai, and a banquet hosted by Definitely Dubai on December 5.

The event is being organised by Streamline Marketing Group, specialists in launching landmark live events such as the recent Global Aerospace Summit in Abu Dhabi.