MESGO IV Archives

The final session of the fourth edition of MESGO dedicated to the future of sport took place from 5 to 9 March 2018 in Tokyo.

This session was directed by Holger Preuss and Jean-Jacques Gouguet, respectively professor of sport economics at Johannes Gutenberg University and professor in economics at the University of Limoges.

The Tokyo session was an ideal opportunity for MESGO participants to look at the future challenges they might face as sports industry leaders in the coming period and to analyse their specific organisations in the light of another culture.

The week was rather special, with a conference organised and coordinated by the Tsukuba International Academy for Sport (TIAS), the MESGO local academic partner. The discussion focused on the future of sport governance and challenges faced by sports organisations.

The TIAS conference concluded with joint presentations by TIAS students and MESGO participants, who reflected on the future of sports organisations, the future of competition design/regulation, the future of sports marketing, the future of sports events and future ethical challenges faced by sport.

Earlier, participants were given an outsider’s and insider’s view of Japanese culture and sport, in particular through the presentation of sumo, iconic Japanese sport, by Takanobu Nakajima, the former deputy chairman of the Independent Commission of Governance Overhaul at the Japan Sumo Association.

During the week, the issue of legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Games was the hot topic presented by Haruyo Fukuda, director of action and legacy for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

At the Tokyo 2020 venue: Round-table discussion about “Tokyo 2020 and Agenda 2020 – The future of host cities” with Holger Preuss, professor, Johannes Gutenberg University; Haruyo Fukuda, director of action and legacy for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo and Hiromi Kawamura, PR secretary and senior project director for executive office, Tokyo 2020.

Finally, we talked about the future of football in Asia. Our day at the Japan Football Association started with a presentation of the history of Japanese football by Kohzo Tashima, president of the Japan Football Association and ended with a discussion about “markets for sport in Asia” included speakers such as Tom Byer, former AFC technical consultant; Kunihito Morimura, president and CEO at Dentsu Sports Asia and Alex Phillips, head of governance and compliance at UEFA.

At the Japan Football Association: Presentation by Kohzo Tashima, president of the Japan Football Association about football in Japan.

The MESGO participants will meet again at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon on 5 and 6 April as part of the viva voce exam session, during which they will each defend their professional thesis. The graduation ceremony on Friday 6 April will conclude the fourth edition of the programme.

The application process for the next MESGO edition is open until 12:00 CET on Saturday 31 March.

MESGO IV: on the Agenda for Session 2: Governance of Sports Organizations with Professor Jean-Philippe Bonardi, Dean of HEC Lausanne and MESGO Session Director.

Lausanne region was the perfect place to gain insights and first-hand experience of sports organisations and their governance models. During one week, MESGO IV participants had the opportunity to go to the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and finally to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to discuss corporate governance systems, decision-making processes and commercial revenue-generating activities through which sports governing bodies operationalise their missions and objectives. To conclude the week, the MESGO team went to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to tackle governance from another perspective.

Overall, MESGO IV participants have been able to listen, discuss and share their views with senior leaders from various sports organisations, notably :

Steve Aeschlimann, Executive Director, Operations, International Motorcycling Federation (FIM);
Fabio Azevedo, General Director, International Volleyball Federation (FIVB);
Patrick Baumann, Secretary General, International Basketball Federation (FIBA);
François Carrard, Attorney at law, Partner of Kellerhals Carrard and President of the 2016 FIFA Reform Committee;
Martin Kallen, Chief Executive Officer, UEFA Events SA and
Jean-Louis Valentin, FIA Secretary of General for Motor Sport (FIA).

MESGO sessions are also an opportunity for participants to share special moments amongst them and with experienced professionals from the sport industry. Several team-building activities took place during the week, including cooking, wine testing and a football game.

Next stop will take place in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam, from 30 January to 3 February 2017. “Competition Design and Regulation” will be the focus for this third session of MESGO IV.

Tag Archives: MESGO IV

Ninth and last MESGO IV session in Tokyo

MESGO IV Participants met at University of Lausanne in Switzerland for Session 2 !

MESGO IV: on the Agenda for Session 2: Governance of Sports Organizations with Professor Jean-Philippe Bonardi, Dean of HEC Lausanne and MESGO Session Director.