-----Original Message----- From: owner-ifip_ga@ifip.or.at [mailto:owner-ifip_ga@ifip.or.at]On Behalf Of Plamen Nedkov Sent: segunda-feira, 3 de Junho de 2002 13:08 To: all Subject: [IFIP] IT & Sport + Lottery
Dear All,
We hope you had enough beer, boxer shorts and batteries for the weekend as "King Football" entered the world stage on Friday and the Football World Cup, as the most watched sports event, will keep football fans "glued" to the TV screen throughout June. In 1998, 33.4 billion viewers watched the World Cup in France [with 1 billion viewers for the final alone] and 41 billion viewers are expected to see the matches in South Korea and Japan.
Why this amazing interest in sport?
Carl von Clausewitz once said that War is a continuation of politics by other means and this phrase continues to dominate political and strategic parlance. Can Sport then be regarded as a "war with acceptable [peaceful] means"? There is passion, struggle, and victories .. but there is camaraderie and respect for opponents. Sport reflects practically all aspects of human activity and achievement - work, leisure, BIG money... [The fact that FIFA got the fantastic sum of US $ 828 million for this year's World Cup TV rights speaks for itself!]
How does IFIP relate to Sport?
In 1991, several IFIP officials met in Barcelona for dinner with members of the Organizing Committee of the '92 Olympics, we held our General Assembly '95 at the Olympics stadium in Calgary, Council '98 was hosted to a sightseeing tour and Dinner at Old Trafford, the Manchester United home-base.... and the Slovak IFIP GA representative is a world champion in team correspondence chess. We have some 80 WGs in 12 major areas of IT research, development and applications but it appears "Sport" is not identified as a special area of IFIP's interest.
Is it time for IFIP to find a niche in the sport domain? - We hope you could help us find the answer by responding to the following:
-------------------------------- Questionnaire -- please respond by 14 June 2002
1. Should IFIP systematically engage in IT activities related to Sport? [YES/NO]
2. If YES, would you recommend that the specific activity is carried out within one of IFIP's 12 TCs or it is initiated as a Specialist Group [following the example of TC 1 "Foundations of Computer Science" which formerly was Specialist Group 14]
3. Please identify one or two items which you feel such a body should address.
4. Is there any person currently involved in IFIP you think would be interested, knowledgeable and available to champion such an activity.
5. Would you be personally interested if this activity is endorsed? 5.a - to provide leadership 5.b - to take part as a participant
Name: IFIP function: ------------------------------:<-------------------:<
IF it turns that many think it is worthwhile IFIP to be involved in "IT & Sport" we would forward the matter to IFIP's Technical Assembly.
And now, going back to the World Cup in Korea and Japan, here is a question to all the football fans out there:
1. Which two teams will play the World Cup Final on 30 June and who will win?
All correct answers submitted by 14 June will enter a draw and there will be a special prize for the winner.
Good luck,
The Delivery Co.
-------------------------------- Plamen Nedkov Executive Director, IFIP Hofstrasse 3, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria Tel: +43 2236 73616 Fax: +43 2236 736169 http://www.ifip.org/