As the culmination of the Olympic Agenda 2020 decision-making process moves ever closer, the Smart Cities & Sport Summit in Lausanne, provided an insightful prelude for what's to come.

When Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced the reform process in December 2013, it was seen by many as a somewhat unnecessary step, especially after the success of the two most recent Summer Olympic Games in Beijing and London.

But, following the withdrawal of four of the six candidates in the race to host the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, coupled with the growing scepticism of many countries across Europe about the benefits of bidding to host major sporting events, the perception of Agenda 2020's importance has significantly changed.

The Summit is the new initiative of the World Union of Olympic Cities (WUOC), an association of former and future Olympic hosting cities, supported by the IOC, which was created in 2002 with the goal of facilitating effective dialogue in order to ensure the continued positive impact of the Olympic Games.

It has been billed as the most prestigious platform ever for the exchange of ideas and experiences among cities of all sizes as the WUOC, led by its President Daniel Brélaz, aims to reach out to its peers from around the world to share experience and best practice, and to learn from world class experts from the wider sports industry.

The World Union of Olympic Cities welcomed the "Smart Cities & Sport Summit" participants at the Olympic Museum ©ITG



While I would agree the Summit served its intended purpose, the three-day event held from November 5 to 7 in the Olympic capital arguably raised more questions, many of which will be answered at the IOC's Extraordinary Session in Monaco on December 8 and 9.

The day before my trip to Lausanne (November 3), I received an e-mail from Héloïse Lacroix, project manager at TSE Consulting, the international consulting firm specialising in sport.

I had been invited to a press briefing at which Molebatsi Bopape, Minister of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation for Guateng in South Africa, would share the sporting ambitions of the Province and its plans for the future.

It also stated in the e-mail that Guateng, of which Johannesburg is the capital city, had hosted numerous international events, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and that it is the most populous and urbanised Province in South Africa with over 12 million inhabitants contributing over a third of the country's Gross Domestic Product.

All well and good, but what relevance did this have to the Summit I thought to myself?

Although initially scheduled to take place on Wednesday (November 5) in the city's Mövenpick Hotel between 4pm and 5pm, the briefing was re-scheduled for the earlier time of 12:30pm at the stunning Beau-Rivage Palace hotel, where the SportAccord International Federations Forum was being held.

My research in the build-up to the event had informed me that the Palace was extremely well renowned amid the hotel hierarchy and whether self-proclaimed or not, the statement across the welcome sign, which read "one of the leading hotels of the world", certainly backed up what I'd read. The general surroundings and the quality of the food at the conference's Gala Dinner, which was held at the Palace, further reinforced that.  

The "Smart Cities & Sport Summit" was held at the International Institute for Management Development business school on the shores of Lake Geneva ©ITG



I have to say, the briefing was somewhat of a slow burner but when the real reason behind it finally became clear, it was well worth the wait from the perspective of news worthiness.

Bopape's announcement that Guateng intends to bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games, should the IOC deem it acceptable for regions rather than just cities to do so as part of the Agenda 2020, really set the tone for an interesting few days.

One would have to think that a move away from the traditional bidding procedure would breathe new life into the process and perhaps encourage more countries to bite the bullet and put their name in the hat to host major sporting events.

A joint commitment is much less of a financial risk than a sole commitment and although at this stage we can only assume that the IOC will implement this new rule to suit, it seems a perfectly conceivable solution to the worrying trends that have developed.

It's a case of "if, buts and ands" at the moment but Guateng has firmly put its cards on the table and effectively said to the IOC, we're ready when you are.

The opening reception of the Summmit itself was held at the newly-renovated Olympic Museum, which was just as impressive as I had expected it to be.

The aura and sense of history about the place was incredibly powerful and it was a genuine pleasure to have been given the opportunity to visit.

Here, President Brélaz, who is also the Mayor of Lausanne, welcomed participants to the event before city representatives were encouraged to mingle between themselves and discuss the conferences that were to follow in the coming days. 

Moderated by Rick Burton, Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University in New York, and Bill Morris, an expert advisor to the IOC and other international clients, there were four sessions held on day one (November 6) of the Summit and two on day two (November 7) at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) business school on the shores of Lake Geneva.

The Beau-Rivage Palace hotel lived up to its billing from what I saw of it ©ITG



Several questions were posed. How can major sports events be integrated into wider city plans? How can sports cities and partners collaborate? How can a city succeed in building public support for sport investments? What is the role of sport in an active and healthy city? Can sports events contribute to a better life for citizens of the host cities?

Among those tasked with answering the questions were Dr Andrew Smith, reader in tourism and events at the University of Westminster, Professor Dominique Turpin, President of IMD business school, Ron Hutcheson, senior vice-president of leading full service communications agency Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Philippe Furrer, head of the Youth Olympic Games' culture and education, creative services and special projects, and Mihir Bose, a Financial Times journalist.

Nevertheless, it was the keynote speech of Michael Payne, the former IOC director of marketing and television for more than 20 years, who has seen the bidding process from both sides having played a part in the success stories of London 2012 and Rio 2016, that really struck a chord with its audience and brought a real sense of context to everything that had been discussed beforehand.

Starting out his career in the early 1980s, Payne pointed out that there were hardly any bidding cities at that time and argued that the Olympics is now in stronger health and offers greater return than ever before.

The 1984 Olympic Games were awarded to Los Angeles by default after Tehran, the only other city interested on an international level, declined to bid due to the concurrent Iranian political and social changes.

But following the legacy of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, a financial disaster for the Canadian city, support for an LA bid from its citizens was limited to say the least. 

Payne said a lot of media commentators at the time were writing the obituary of the Olympics, saying they've been wonderful for the 20th century but have become too big, too political and too expensive.

That was until the Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch, who served as IOC President between 1980 and 2001, played an instrumental role in revitalising the Games. 

Could the Agenda 2020 have the same effect and inject new life into the Games, at a time where there is clearly an issue surrounding the management and communication of the bidding process?

The spacious conference room provided the ideal setting to promote the exchange of information and experiences between cities ©ITG

Payne argued that national federations and governing bodies have got to become clearer on the bidding process and most importantly, the costs and benefits of hosting major sporting events.