Corruption continues to reign in sports in many forms and as such, must be addressed, even at the grassroots level.
In fact, the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) kicked off Day 1 of its Sport Integrity Week 2021 yesterday discussing sports governance, anti-corruption, and international cooperation in sports. The event, involving over 100 renowned speakers worldwide, will end on Friday.
Twentytwo13 is the media partner of SIGA’s Sport Integrity Week 2021.
SIGA chairman Franco Frattini, in his opening speech yesterday, said criminals continued to use sports as a cover for their illegal activities.
“There is illicit betting, the attempt by mafias and organised crime to get access to monies linked to sports events, sports infrastructure … even buying or sponsoring sports clubs,” said Frattini, a renowned Italian judge who was also Italy’s former foreign minister and once served as European Commission vice-president.
“This is a terrible phenomenon in my country… I suppose not only in Italy… where we see mafias, we see organised crime syndicates trying to buy small football clubs just to ‘clean’ their reputation in the area… and at the same time, make (the) sports club an instrument of their illegal operations, in an attempt to control the territory.”
“This is the typical mafia style against which we are fighting every day.”
Frattini added the stakeholders should not forget money laundering, exploitation of women and young athletes in sports.
“I call them (the speakers) protagonists because they are the actors who will be proposing real solutions and share best practices. They will make proposals, feasible proposals, in each area of SIGA’s interest.”
Frattini added that education played a key role in the formation of youths, creating health values where sports play a huge significance.
“We aim to invest in education, to pave the way for a young man, or a young woman to become a key Olympic athlete or a daily athlete.”
The topic for today’s session is financial integrity, transparency, and sustainability in sports.
Visit SIGA’s website for more information.
