By Paul Nicholson
April 11 – The movement towards creating a cross-discipline global sports integrity alliance now has a name for the proposed umbrella body. The official formation of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) took step closer last week at a meeting of leading sports representatives in Madrid.
More than 50 representatives from sport, government, finance, sponsors and the academic world gathered to discuss the principles and launch the organisation which has been driven in large part by the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS). The meeting was hosted by Miguel Cardenal, Spain’s sport minister.
“SIGA has been launched with the sole purpose of protecting the integrity of sport and will work to drive forward key reforms across good governance and financial transparency in sport,” said a press release following the meeting.
Having held a number of informal meetings in New York, Geneva, Brussels, Madrid and London between November 2015 and February 2016 the proposed next step is to establish a “global, independent and neutral sport integrity body”.
Lars-Christer Olsson, president of the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL and president of the Swedish League said: “The community of sport faces a collective crisis of integrity. It’s fair to say that sport cannot bring the highest benefit to society unless it adopts a new approach to business, one that is firmly rooted in the support and commitment of the sport industry, and draws upon the expertise of leading organisations who have set benchmarks in areas such as good governance.”
The view from the meeting was SIGA should be incorporated formally but there was no detail of membership criteria, or how a board or general assembly would be constructed. Next meetings are scheduled for June in Paris and then September in Portugal.
If the detail on how the organisation would be constituted is still to be released (or still being debated), its principles and concerns are more concrete.
Delegates signed a ‘Declaration of Core Principles on Sport Integrity’ which has a set of 12 overarching principles including:
- Support the establishment of an independent betting monitoring platform, capable of providing sport integrity intelligence alerts to sporting, law enforcement, betting operators and government stakeholders to assure early warning advice;
- Support the establishment of independent monitoring, audit and oversight in relation to all sport-related development programs and financial transactions
- Establish international financial integrity standards, appropriate financial reporting, audit and compliance practices, a strong “culture of compliance” and full transparency in the allocation, distribution, use and scrutiny of sports development and solidarity funds;
- Maintain a consistent zero-tolerance policy across the sports industry towards all forms of corruption, bribery and illicit financial dealings;
- Implement the highest governance standards, including but not limited to monitoring of potential conflicts of interest, risk management procedures, gender equality at the board level, independent directors, meaningful stakeholder representation in the decision-making organs, transparent and accountable financial management and proper oversight;
- Assess existing club ownership regulatory frameworks and develop fit and proper club owners and directors’ tests.
Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros (pictured), ICSS Europe CEO, said: “Sport faces a truly decisive moment. In order to emerge from the unprecedented crisis that continues to shakes its very foundations, collective and rapid action is needed. Sport cannot act alone. To achieve the kind of deep reforms needed and meet peoples’ demands and expectations, sport needs the support from the international community of stakeholders, including commercial partners, governments, NGOs, international organisations and other key representatives.
“That is why this wide community of leaders and like-minded organisations have called for a sport integrity global alliance. An alliance committed to achieving the highest levels of integrity, transparency and accountability in sport. This is our indeclinable duty. To sport and the wider society it serves.”
Cardenal echoed de Medeiros’ theme, saying: “We are delighted to host in Madrid this new SIGA meeting that will become a milestone in the struggle to lay the foundations for sport integrity.
“… today we are presented with the real challenge of implementing the core principles of good governance and financial integrity in sport.
“It is our duty to spare no effort to shed light on today’s shadows of corruption, bribery or match fixing among other censurable practices. We must hand over to our children a better world than the one given to us.
“Spain has been adamant on the fight against this new scourge that together with violence and doping jeopardises our sport. Our commitment is not only substantiate with our presence in international forums but also with our course of action.”
The full declaration by those present at the meeting and the SIGA principles can be viewed at: http://www.theicss.org/images/uploads/SIGA_-_Declaration_of_Principles_on_Sport_Integrity_-_8_April_FINAL.pdf?lbisphpreq=1
The delegates to the SIGA meeting can be viewed at: http://www.theicss.org/images/uploads/SIGA_-_List_of_Supporters_in_the_Development_of_SIGA_FINAL.pdf?lbisphpreq=1
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1714689941labto1714689941ofdlr1714689941owedi1714689941sni@n1714689941osloh1714689941cin.l1714689941uap1714689941