Be moved by Play the Game 2013

From the early morning, conference delegates get the chance to stretch their legs and raise their pulse.Experience Aarhus in Running shoesIn his famous book ‘Running with Lydiard’ one of the world’s most successful running coaches, Arthur Lydiard from New Zealand, described the forests south of Aarhus as “some of the best and most beautiful areas anywhere in the world”.

The Play the Game conference venue, Helnan Marselis Hotel, is located right at the foot of the Aarhus Forests where Arthur Lydiard worked as a running coach for a short period in the 1970’es.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 7:00 AM, the Play the Game organisers will be your running guides and show you a bit of the forests and parks in the area and the city centre. 

Every route is designed in accordance with the conference themes:

• The semi-white Elephant Sports Facilities, Royal Palace, Memorial Park, Deer Garden Tour, approx. 6 km. Tuesday morning
• The Massive Urban Development without ever hosting the Olympics and City Centre Tour, approx. 8 km. Wednesday morning.
• The extremely unpleasant but beautiful and unforgettable Cross Country Tour, ending with an optional 10 Degree Celsius Viking Dip (bring a towel and an extra T-shirt), approx. 5 km (hilly). Thursday morning.

After the runs or during the day it is possible to take a shower or a swim in the small hotel swimming pool at Helnan Marselis Hotel or – for the wannabe Vikings – in the sea right outside the hotel.Challenge your motor skillsEqually adventurous is the excursion to one of the most exciting sports facilities in Aarhus, the Hall of Motor Skills (Motorikhallen), Tuesday evening. This facility is designed especially for children in order to challenge and develop their motor skills through play and adventure.Here you will get the chance to challenge your own motor skills in this fun landscape, and the local Gymnastics club, VIK, invites you to a living exhibition of Danish association sport in the more traditional gymnastics hall next door. Afterwards we proceed to a dinner buffet in the multisport facility DGI-huset, located in a former industrial site used for train maintenance. In DGI-huset you can enjoy a game of floorball, indoor soccer or badminton for dessert.Farewell partyOn Thursday evening, we end the four days together in Aarhus with a final conference dinner and farewell party – usually the social highlight of a Play the Game conference. The dinner will take place at NRGi Park & Arena, the home ground for the popular local football team Aarhus GF (AGF).

In the lounge overlooking the football field, Play the Game will host a delicious dinner and drinks and hand over this year’s Play the Game Award.

The award pays tribute to an individual or a group of persons who in their professional careers or as volunteers in sport have made an outstanding effort to strengthen the basic ethical values of sport. Read more about the Play the Game Award here.Exclusive book launchesOn the first evening of the conference, Play the Game invites you to a small book launch party, when Canadian investigative reporter, author and match-fixing expert Declan Hill introduces his second book on match-fixing titled “An insider’s guide to match-fixing” for the first time exclusively for Play the Game 2013 participants.The evening also offers a first look into the ‘International Sports Press Survey 2011’ with never before published numbers and figures on the state of the international sports coverage in print media. The evening will be a great opportunity to say hello to old friends and get introduced to new contacts over a drink or two.