POSTED: Monday February 9th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SportAccord announces preliminary program for Denver convention March 23-27

Tennis great Andre Agassi, Colorado-based philanthropist Andrea Jaeger, and Paralympic gold medalist Chris Waddell join impressive list of speakers

Denver, Colo. – Andre Agassi, former number one professional tennis player, eight-time Grand Slam and Olympic Gold medal winner, will join the impressive list of speakers confirmed for Sportaccord 2009 from March 23-27 in Denver, Colo. With Sportaccord taking place in the Americas for the first time, another first and highlight of the conference program will be a panel on the topic of Sport & Philanthropy – The Value of Giving Back.
 
Agassi will be a featured panelist at Sportaccord along with Paralympics multi-gold medalist Chris Waddell and former world number two tennis star and founder of the Little Star Foundation Andrea Jaeger. Agassi and Jaeger are both founding athletes of Athletes for Hope, which is a charitable organization created by successful athletes who have a deep commitment to charitable and community causes. Agassi is also the founder of the non-profit that bears his name, the Andre Agassi Foundation, which is dedicated to transforming U.S. public education for underserved youth. The stellar panel will also include Suzanne Hamm, chief marketing officer of Stanford Financial Group, and Kathy Behrens, senior VP community and player programs at the NBA. The session will be moderated by Peter Roby, athletics director at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass.
 
“Sportaccord typically draws some of the most powerful people in sport to discuss the current state and future of international sport and Sportaccord 2009 is no exception,” said Anna Hellman, executive director of Sportaccord. “From commissioners and CEOs to athletes and international icons, this year’s lineup of speakers will not disappoint and we are also pleased to be able to offer so many new panel topics this year,” she added.
 
Sportaccord previously announced that legendary media business pioneer and CNN founder Ted Turner and NBC Universal Sports & Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol had joined the outstanding list of speakers at Sportaccord. Other recently confirmed speakers include President of EA Sports Peter Moore, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, as well as President of the International Ice Hockey Federation René Fasel and Patrick Baumann, secretary general of the International Basketball Federation.
 
The seventh edition of the convention will take place at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.  With expected attendance of 1,500 delegates from 500 organizations around the world, Sportaccord 2009 in Denver will again enable the sports community opportunity to come together on a global scale, in an exclusive and unique environment, to build relationships, exchange knowledge and develop ideas.
 
Sportaccord week will feature a dynamic exhibition, numerous networking receptions and top-level conference sessions, including the new City Forum, as well as the annual general meetings of the Sports Governing Bodies. The four Candidate Cities for hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be exhibitors and will make presentations during the conference. Online registration is now open for Sportaccord 2009 at www.sportaccord.com.
 
Sportaccord and the Metro Denver Sports Commission (MDSC) are also looking for volunteers who will have the opportunity to work alongside world sports leaders and sports celebrities as the conference unfolds. The official languages of the world sports community are English and French; however, some volunteer positions will require bilingual skills in Russian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Italian or Portuguese. Most of the 1,300 volunteer shift positions will be available to English-only speaking candidates. Interested candidates can apply online at www.denversports.org.
 
The MDSC, which was established in 2001 to create a legacy of economic and social vitality through sports, has worked with Sportaccord over the past year to secure this opportunity in Denver. By continuing to attract to Denver major sporting events and elite athletes from around the globe, hosting Sportaccord 2009 will help further build the city’s reputation as a premier destination for sports, both nationally and internationally.
 
For more information, visit www.sportaccord.com.
 
About Sportaccord
Sportaccord annually brings representatives from the 100 international sports federations affiliated to GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations), ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) and AIOWF (Association of the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations), as well as the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, together with sponsors, bidding and host cities, architects, sports lawyers, broadcasters, games organising committees, rights holders and other specialists to discuss the key issues facing the sports industry. 

Owned by GAISF, ASOIF and AIOWF, Sportaccord encompasses the annual Congress and General Assembly of each association, while offering the sports community a powerful opportunity to come together in an exclusive and authoritative networking environment to build relationships, exchange knowledge and develop ideas.

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Keywords · SportAccrod · Andre Agassi · Andrea Jaeger · Chris Waddell · GAISF · ASOIF · AIOWF

Name: Jay Stuart
Organization: SportAccord
Email:
Phone: +41 (0)21 601 75 97
URL: http://sportaccord.com/

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