Play the Game moves conference dates to 8-12 June 2009

Play the Game has decided to celebrate its 6th world communication conference one week earlier than scheduled. The new dates are 8-12 June. This change will facilitate the sports political debate of the summer season, estimates the director of Play the Game, Jens Sejer Andersen. “After our first announcement we received information that the International Olympic Committee has chosen exactly the same week for a series of meeting in Lausanne related to the selection of the host for the 2016 Summer Games.To avoid a calendar clash for many of our potential delegates and speakers we have decided to bring our conference a bit forward. This will make room for expanding the global debate about mega-events, since the impact of Beijing 2008 and the preparations of London 2012 will be important issues during Play the Game 2009.”In Coventry, preparations for Play the Game have already started. The main venue for opening and plenary sessions will be Coventry Cathedral, a site marked by old and recent history and with the university and room for workshops and parallel sessions within a short walking distance.“The cathedral is an impressive building and is often adapted to hosting conferences. The combination of the ruins from the heavy bombardment during Second World War and the new modernist building is a unique setting for a conference, in particular for the debates about how sport can promote peace and reconciliation,” the director says.You can take a virtual tour of the cathedral and learn about its history at http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/vtour.html