March 24 – The World Football Forum 2017 held their official launch in Changsha, China yesterday. Their timing could not have been better as later in the day at the Changsha stadium, the Chinese national team stunned Asia with a 1-0 win over South Korea in World Cup qualifying – the first time the Chinese have beaten the South Koreans in more than 40 years.
The World Football Fourm in Changsha will take place May 18-21 and is the first time the event has been staged outside of Europe .
The event was packed, with over 300 journalists from more than 90 media outlets as well as senior representatives from the Chinese Football Association, the Hunan Football Association and the Changsha government.
Edward Cowell, from WFF organiser, Eventica Sport, spoke about the evolution of the event since 2011, and explained its guiding theme as an exploration of the new geography of football – a theme which has has brought it to China. “Across Asia, football is being met by new audiences and new fans. It is in this new geography that the future of football lies,” he said.
The press conference was hosted by the Government of Hunan Province and the Changsha Sports Bureau, whose Director, Li Ping, spoke about developing the city’s credentials as a sports destination. Changsha is one of the host cities proposed in China’s bid to host the 2023 Asian Cup.
The event also provided a platform for a sneak preview of Ronaldinho’s new project – the Global Street Tour. Scheduled to be officially launched by Ronaldinho at WFF in May, it will bring freestyle street football into cities across China.
For more information go to http://worldfootballforum.org
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