While COVID-19 caused many professional sporting events to be paused, cancelled altogether or reconfigured within bubbles in 2020, New York maintained its number-one ranking on the annual BCW Ranking of Sports Cities, which identifies the cities most associated with sports. New York edged out London and Los Angeles, which ranked second and third, respectively, to take the top spot. Barcelona, a newcomer in the top five this year, ranks fourth, with Paris in fifth position.
With each edition of the ranking, the three lowest ranked cities drop off the list and the top three non-listed cities named by survey respondents are added. New cities that have been added to the 2021 edition of the ranking are: Birmingham (GBR), Jeddah (KSA) and Abu Dhabi (UAE), which mark a strong sign of the increasing role of the Gulf region in the international sports event market.
Lars Haue-Pedersen, BCW Managing Director - BCW Sports, said:
"In a year of postponement, rescheduling, relocation and modifications for sporting events, it is more interesting than ever to discover the extent to which cities are associated with sport. The organisation of events became uncertain, tourism was banned, and cities could no longer benefit from the degree of international exposure that is linked to hosting events. As a result, cities were forced to make different strategic choices when it came to sports."
"This year's results confirm the trends we have been observing for some time in sports and cities. The cities whose image are largely associated with sports are either hosting major international sporting events or are home to renowned professional sports teams that promote the city's name week after week – as in the case of New York. Sport has a powerful ability to attract, engage and move people, and through an integrated, audience-centric approach, sporting events and professional teams can become excellent vehicles for promoting a city internationally and creating economic impact."
Download the BCW 2021 Ranking of Sports Cities here.
As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.
These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only
Últimas Noticias
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts
The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
McLaren report to FIBA confirms abuses in the Mali women’s basketball program
The investigation could not “independently verify” allegations against FIBA president Hamane Niang, who has resumed his duties after stepping aside during the probe.
ATR Extra: 1st ISF U15 World School Sport Games – Belgrade 2021
Olympic Channel is live streaming the basketball, basketball 3x3, football, judo and wrestling competitions during the event, which runs September 11-19.
International Judo Federation bans Algerian athlete and coach for 10 years for refusing to fight an Israeli at Tokyo 2020
Judoka Fethi Nourine and his coach Amar Benikhlef admitted they were withdrawing from competition to avoid a potential match with Tohar Butbul of Israel.
IIHF bans Belarus hockey president for five years for code of conduct violations - Federation Focus
Also: no contested election for next ITTF president; BWF calendar shrinks as event in India cancelled due to pandemic; FISU announces early bids for 2027 and 2029 World University Games
