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In November, a female crew from Switzerland will embark on the Canary Islands and sail across the Atlantic. Eight women, six of whom have endured breast cancer, a doctor and a skipper, will cover 3,000 miles aiming to reach Martinique in approximately 21 days.
Faced with the impact of climate change, traditional mountain ski resorts are increasingly looking for innovative ways to attract more visitors in summer. Verbier in the canton of Valais is one of them. The resort, which is so far mostly known for its ski slopes, will host the first edition of a new e-bike festival from 15 to 18 August 2019. The organisers claim the event will become the world’s biggest 100% e-bike event. Open to all ages and levels of riders including total beginners, the “Verbier E-bike Festival” will include activities dedicated to road, downhill and cross-country disciplines. All participants will be supplied with e-bikes if they do not have their own already, giving everyone a chance to test the latest e-bike models.
Science and technology are transforming our ability to maximise human performance and digital innovation provides a quantum leap in learning, training and competing as an athlete. At THE SPOT in May, experts discussed the future for the athletes of tomorrow, their athlete-coach relationship and for sport in general. The panel was composed of a five-time Olympian, industry experts and academic specialists.
Eurovision Sport is partnering with tech start-up Dazzl.tv, offering EBU Members an innovative mobile app and cloud-based solution for the live production and delivery of video content. The recent announcement follows the success of Dazzl.tv during the Start-up battle at THE SPOT in May, where the young tech company won the Eurovision Sport Award in one of the preliminary rounds.
My Coach, a young start-up specialised in conceiving and developing digital tools to ease and improve sports practices, has just achieved the largest fundraising in digital sport in France in 2019, with the company recently announcing a record of EUR 6.6 million raised. Investors included ACG Management, Calao Finance, MAIF Avenir, Région Sud Investissement (handled by Turenne Capital), Turenne Capital, 123 Investissement Managers, BPI France as well as the company’s founding partners.
The Swiss start-up Kooloco has just launched with the ambition to revolutionise sports adventures. Since end June, you can book new experiences with them in Switzerland and around the world. From trekking across the Alps to immersing yourself in Indonesian tribes and the "Great Road" in e-Bike, these adventures are available now on www.kooloco.com and the free mobile application on iOS and Android.
It’s exactly one month after THE SPOT 2019 – a good time to remember some of the best moments of this year’s edition. Among the many out-of-the-box experiences, one in particular was as hot as the current temperatures in Lausanne: The Start-up Battle. Forty-two start-ups specialising in blockchain, virtual reality, data analytics, connected venue, fan engagement, performance & health and other fields had thrown their hats into the ring and it was a young company from the other end of the world, which beat everyone and walked away with CHF 5,000 and newfound fame and prestige.
PRESS RELEASE
The first ever UEFA Start-Up Challenge reached its climax last Thursday when the seven participating start-ups presented their results to experts at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. Carefully selected during a pitch day in February, the young entrepreneurs have been on a three-month mission to address some of UEFA’s current business needs.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will officially inaugurate its new headquarters “Olympic House” on 23 June during the celebration of Olympic Dayand ahead of the IOC Session (the annual meeting of the IOC members) to be held in Lausanne from 24 to 26 June. In 2019 this symbolic day will mark the 125th anniversary of the creation of the IOC.
The second edition of THE SPOT is over… and we miss you already! We really enjoyed and appreciated spending the two days with you in Lausanne last week - talking, thinking and progressing together innovation in sport and physical activity. YOU – the participants – made the event a success.