What are the benefits for countries to host major sporting events? Why have so many recent major sporting events found a home in non-democratic countries? Can they still contribute to the well-being of the local population? What is the perspective of athletes? Join expert panelists in a Q&A following the discussion.

Panelists:
Marty Conway –Global sports business consultant, faculty member at Georgetown University
Gabriel Waage - Czech Softball Association President and European Softball Federation President
Jiří Ježek - former Czech road and track racing cyclist and Paralympian

Moderator: Jan Kaliba - Foreign Correspondent to Czech Radio, former sports reporter covering major sporting events

Free | RSVP required

BIOGRAPHIES:

Marty Conway has decades of experience in global sports business and marketing, including leadership roles in professional sports organizations, media, and academia. He has held executive positions in high profile companies, including Major League Baseball, the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers, America Online (AOL) and more. He is currently an industry consultant and faculty member at Georgetown University and the Josoor Institute in Doha, Qatar, where he is teaching and preparing professionals for the hosting of the World Cup in 2022.

Gabriel Waage is the president of the Czech Softball Association and president of the European Softball Federation. Under his leadership, the Czech Republic was the first European country to host a Softball World Championship in 2019. An experienced sports diplomat, he has been involved in the organization of multiple international sporting events in countries with different cultural and political backgrounds. He is a member of the Czech Olympic Committee's Executive Board.

Jiří Ježek is a former Czech road and track racing cyclist and Paralympian. He has participated in the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012 Olympics. He is a six-time gold Paralympic games medalist and six-time world champion. In 2011, he was appointed as a member of the inaugural UCI Athletes' Commission. Currently, he is a sports moderator for CNN Prima News.

Jan Kaliba currently resides in Washington, DC, and serves as a Foreign Correspondent to Czech Radio. He used to be a sports reporter and announcer for the same outlet, covering the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and Sochi, soccer World Cup in Brazil and other international sports events for ten years. He has co-founded Football Club, Czech long-read quarterly focused on soccer culture. He graduated from Charles University's Faculty of Social Science with a diploma thesis focused on representation of Beijing 2008 Olympics in the Czech media.

Next in the SPORTSDIP Series:

September – Law as a Tool of Sports Diplomacy

October – Women and Sports: Overcoming Adversity

November – The Importance of Czech Representation in the International Sports Governing Bodies