Etienne Thobois, Regula Meier, Michael Mronz, Sanjog Gupta and Donald Rukare will come together at the SportAccord Forum 2026 to examine how the global market for major sporting events is changing.
Taking place from 5 to 7 October at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, the SportAccord Forum will explore the theme When the playbook changes: Leading sport in a new reality.
The panel discussion, “Shifting sands of the global events landscape”, will consider how rising costs, changing expectations of host cities and new sources of international demand are reshaping the decisions surrounding major events.
Where is demand growing, and where is it becoming harder to sustain? Which hosting models are proving viable? What are cities now looking for from sports properties, and how must rights holders respond?
The session will bring together five leaders with experience spanning major-event delivery, International Federation leadership, commercial development and the Olympic Movement.
Etienne Thobois, CEO of Paris 2024 and a BWF Board Member, will bring direct experience of delivering one of the world’s largest sporting events.
Regula Meier, President of the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), will bring the perspective of a rapidly growing winter sport following ski mountaineering’s Olympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026.
Michael Mronz, IOC Member and German sports and events entrepreneur, offers a perspective shaped by decades of involvement in the development, organisation and commercialisation of international sporting events.
Sanjog Gupta, CEO of the International Cricket Council, leads one of the world’s largest sports as it prepares to return to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028.
Donald Rukare, President of Commonwealth Sport, will contribute the perspective of a major multisport organisation following the delivery of the streamlined Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Kelly Fairweather, Managing Director of SportAccord, said:
“The market for major sporting events is evolving rapidly and in different ways across the world. This session brings together five leaders with distinct perspectives on that change. It will give International Federations valuable insight into what hosts and partners are looking for, where new opportunities may emerge and how event models will need to evolve.”
The SportAccord Forum brings together the leadership of International Federations and key figures from across the global sports industry for three days of focused discussion, knowledge exchange and relationship-building.
Further programme and speaker announcements will follow in the coming days.
