World class experts participating in the 2022 International Summit on Global Leadership and Anti-Corruption in Sport, promoted by SIGA in collaboration with the Government of the Azores, reached broad consensus on the urgency of taking measures to clean up sport and protect it from criminal infiltration.
The thought leadership event was part of SIGA’s International Anti Corruption Week, which is part of the annual celebration, on 9 December, of the United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day.
Training of the various Sports’ stakeholders, application of universal rules, regulation of sports betting activities and financial transparency were some of the solutions presented, either in the three panels held, or by the 11 speakers who delivered keynotes.
The echoes of the initiative in the Media are a good example that the main message is the urgency to act: “there’s no room for neutrality in the fight against corruption in Sport”. The synthesis was made by SIGA’s Global CEO, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, and then reinforced by the President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro.
The connection between SIGA and the Azores Government – member of the alliance since January 2022 – was strengthened by the common purpose of eradicating corruption from sport, one of the main concerns of the Executive. During the event, Francisco Lima, Director of the Office for the Prevention and Fight Against Corruption, made a presentation of the work carried out in the field.
The summit began with speeches by Pedro Nascimento Cabral, Mayor of Ponta Delgada; Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, Global CEO, SIGA | Chairman & CEO, SIGA AMERICA | Executive Chairman, SIGA EUROPE | Chairman & CEO, SIGA LATIN AMERICA; João Bosco Mota Amaral, Former President of the Government of Azores | former President of the Portuguese Parliament | University Professor; and Pedro Faria e Castro, Undersecretary for the Presidency, Government of Azores.
This was followed by a Keynote by Giovanni Tartaglia Polcini. The Italian magistrate spoke about “Selected Key Milestones to Address Corruption and Crime in Sport in the Last Decade (2012 – 2022)”. After his speech, it was announced by Macedo de Medeiros that Tartaglia Polcini would be recognised with the SIGA Award Leaders on Anti-Corruption in Sport, for his leading role in including the fight against corruption in sport in the G20 agenda.
David Luna (We Have Had Enough Nonsense! Teaming Up and Leveraging Collective Action to Keep Corruption and Criminality Out of Sport) and Juan Antonio Salazar (Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks for Professional Football) followed on the agenda, before the first panel.
Corruption in Sport: How deep goes the rabbit hole. Moderated by Nuno Perestrelo, SIGA’s Director of Communications and Media, the panel included Ana Celeste Carvalho, High Court Judge | Judge President, Courts of Lisbon, Azores and Madeira; Raquel Brito, Board Member, Observatory of Economy and Fraud Management (@OBEGEF); and Robert daCamara, President, Ponta Delgada Football Association.
Moderated by Katie Simmonds, Global COO, SIGA, the panel “Follow the Money. Ending Money Laundering, Tax Evasion and Criminal Infiltration in Sport” gathered the expertise of Fernando Veiga Gomes, Partner Advogados; Karina Carvalho, Executive Director, Transparency International; and Philippe Rasmussen, Head of Financial Sustainability, UEFA.
The last panel, entitled “Countering Illegal Betting, Match Fixing and Criminal Infiltration in Sport”, was moderated by Nuno Perestrelo and had as speakers João Paulo Almeida, Director General, Portugal Nacional Olympic Committee; Rui Alexandre Jesus, Vice-President for Europe, World Esports Consortium (WESCO); and Rute Soares, Director Integrity & Compliance Unit, Portuguese Football Federation.
Pedro Proença, President Portuguese Professional Football League, and António José Silva, President LEN Aquatics & Portuguese Swimming Federation delivered keynotes on anti-corruption in sport, before the closing ceremony hosted by Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros and José Manuel Bolieiro.
Macedo de Medeiros made clear that “integrity is not proclaimed, it is demonstrated”, and advocated that sports organisations should strive to do so, including going through the #SIRVS tool developed by SIGA.
“Today everyone is required to pick a side. There is no room for neutrality. There is no room for neutrality when it comes to defending, safeguarding and fighting for integrity, whether in sport, public or collective life”
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SIGA is the world´s leading organisation for Sports Integrity. Supported by more than 200 international multi-industry supporters, we are creating a whole new landscape for the global sports industry by promoting the implementation of the highest integrity standards and delivering independent global rating and certification for Sport.
Funded by its members, SIGA is the only organisation to bring together all key stakeholder groups – Sport, Government, International Organisations, Global Business and Civil Society – from every region in the world, around one critical, fundamental Cause: to foster greater Integrity throughout Sport.
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