Sao Paulo, September 04 (QNA) - The Sport Integrity Week, organized by the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), continued today for the first time in 35 capitals and cities around the world, including Doha, New York, London, Paris, Geneva, Madrid, Lisbon, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Guinea Bissau, Luanda and others, with international participation of prominent speakers from the Americas, Europe and the Middle East and Africa region.
Today's activities saw the organization of the 'Sport Integrity Forum Latin America', hosted by SIGA Latin America, in cooperation with the Sao Paulo Football Club in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with more than 35 high-level speakers taking part from various sectors.
Chairman of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and Vice Chairman of SIGA Mohammed Hanzab said the organization of this forum reflected SIGA's firm belief in the importance of sport as an important enabler for achieving sustainable development and its role in empowering women, youth and communities to achieve desired goals in the fields of health, education and social integration, especially in developing countries. He hoped that the forum's work will contribute to creating a sound environment for investment in sports and using it as a tool to promote economic development in the Latin American region, where sports are considered one of the most important sources of national income, and football is an attraction for foreign direct investment.
SIGA's CEO Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros opened the forum and stressed the importance of this event in strengthening governance and developing solutions to the challenges facing integrity in sports in this region of the world where football is a source of passion and inspiration, in addition to the role it plays in supporting the economy of a large number of its countries. He indicated that the forum reflects the ongoing reform efforts led by SIGA to restore the reputation of sports and enhance its credibility which has become an urgent need in light of the current challenges, while praising the remarkable level of global participation in this event.
Participants stressed the importance of developing appropriate legislative and regulatory frameworks at the levels of national and continental federations and governments to ensure compliance with standards of integrity and combating corruption, financial mismanagement and unethical behavior in sports in the Latin American region.
They called for strengthening cooperation between governments, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and for sectoral cooperation between those in the fields of finance and business, sponsors, media outlets, broadcasting rights owners, sports clubs and associations, and fans to spread a culture of transparency and accountability. They noted the importance of moving ahead with establishing legal mechanisms to enforce the law and criminalize acts that contradict the principles of integrity and transparency and governance in national laws to more effectively prevent and combat transnational organized crime in sport.
On the sidelines of the forum, a match of integrity was held at Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo, the second largest sports stadium in Brazil, with the participation of football legends led by Brazilian Ronaldo, along with other Brazilian and Congolese footballers.
Strikingly, the match witnessed Brazilian female footballers, alongside several prominent figures in the sponsoring company.
The organization of the match comes as a unique initiative launched by SIGA to celebrate the affirmative sports values to spread hope and joy that represent the essence of the beautiful game.
The works also included numerous sessions among them a session entitled: sustainability and integrity - the most exigent challenges hosted by the Portuguese club Clube de Futebol "Os Belenenses" and a session entitled: laws, provisions and sports integrity organized by a Portuguese legal services group, as well as a session entitled: training federations on integrity hosted by a Swedish rugby union team in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The SIGA Sport Integrity Week 2023 features an outstanding Qatari participation. The Founder and Chairman of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), and Vice Chairman of SIGA Mohammed Hanzab and HE Director of the QOC's Legal Affairs Department Sheikh Ahmed bin Noah Al-Thani will deliver inaugural remarks before a high-level panel discussion under the theme of governance in sport: from the region to the world.
Organized by the UNESCO Chair in governance and social responsibility in sport at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in collaboration with SIGA, the event will start on Sept. 7 at the Education City in Doha with the participation of Vice President of FQSA Salman Al Ansari as keynote speaker.
Among the key Qatari participants are the Executive Committee member of Qatar Football Association and CEO of Qatar Stars League Hani Taleb Ballan who will deliver inaugural remarks before a panel discussion on changing global knowledge, importing expertise, and exporting excellence. Executive Director of Competitions and Football Development at the Qatar Stars League (QSL) Ahmed Khellil Abbassi will also participate in as a keynote speaker in a panel discussion themed: football in the Middle East: using integrity as a catalyst for growth.
