SIGA is encouraging governments from all over the world to harness the power of Sport as a social, educational and economic catalyst for growth to act as a cornerstone of the global rebuild needed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and likely economic recession.
To this end, SIGA is working in close partnership with UNESCO to build a “business case for Sport Integrity”. Anchored on solid research, the SIGA-UNESCO joint project will demonstrate the social and economic benefits of sport, identify the main threats facing the sector, measure the return on public investment and encourage governments to effectively invest in the protection of its integrity.
In a letter sent earlier this week by SIGA CEO Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, governments from UNESCO’s member States are invited to provide data and actively participate in the development of this project. This initiative, a key milestone of the SIGA-UNESCO joint project, constitutes the 13th Boosting Measure of SIGA’s new global campaign #SIGASTRIVES.
Speaking on behalf of SIGA, Dr Iain Lindsay, SIGA Director of Research, Knowledge and Innovation, stated:
“Governments must prioritize COVID-19 and its’ socio-economic consequences. It is crucial that sport plays a central role in global recovery. Sport is the cornerstone of all dynamic, economically robust and productive societies. A fruitful global economy uses effective investment in sport to facilitate positive financial, mental and physical health. To maximise its benefit, sport must be free from integrity issues, such as corruption, abuse and financial mismanagement. SIGA, in close collaboration with UNESCO, global governments and all associated stakeholders, are proactively shaping an investment framework to help deliver productive change in the coming restrictive financial climate”
SIGA STRIVES Measure # 14 will be announced on Tuesday 28th April. Stay tuned.