The SIGA Annual General Assembly (AGA), convened in person at the headquarters of PwC Portugal in Lisbon, with additional participation from Members joining remotely, delivered a clear signal for the future: it ratified, by unanimity and acclamation, the election of Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros as Global CEO for a third and final mandate, and approved a series of key strategic documents, including the Global Strategy, Key Priorities and Action Plan. The election had already been decided unanimously by the SIGA Council on 16 March, requiring this final step to be formalised according to SIGA’s constitution.
Before proceeding to the vote, Members were reminded of the 2026–2030 manifesto – a central moment of the Assembly – which sets out SIGA’s transition into a new phase focused on implementation, measurable impact and systemic reform. As articulated in the address delivered during the session, this next cycle is defined by a shift from building frameworks to delivering outcomes.
Addressing Members, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros set out a clear strategic direction for the organisation:
“We are no longer in the phase of credibility. Over the next four years, SIGA must do two things, decisively & simultaneously:
− Strengthen itself internally;
− Expand its impact externally.Because internal strength gives us credibility. External impact gives us relevance. And without relevance, credibility fades.
The next phase is about making SIGA’s Universal Standards & SIRVS the global benchmark for Sport Integrity: not just recognised – but applied, not just supported – but measured, not just declared – but independently verified.
Integrity cannot live in statements. It must live in systems, decisions, and outcomes.
Integrity is not only a moral imperative. It is an economic one. Governance drives trust, trust drives investment, and investment shapes the Future of Sport.
SIGA has never stood for complacency. It stands for leadership, integrity, and for the belief that when committed people act together, they can shape the future of global sport.
By 2030, SIGA must be the instinctive global reference point for Sport Integrity.
Not one voice among many, but the standard others follow”.
This vision is further reflected in the manifesto’s dual strategic imperative: to strengthen SIGA internally – reinforcing governance, independence, and sustainability – while expanding its external impact through implementation, certification and global influence, positioning SIGA’s Universal Standards and SIRVS as the benchmark for Sport Integrity worldwide. This ambition is encapsulated in the new motto: “All Countries, All Sports, SIRVS Certified”.
In this context, Members were also presented with a set of ten operational objectives for the next cycle:
– Consolidate SIGA’s institutional recognition, legitimacy, and global influence;
– Strengthen and expand the SIGA Universal Standards, including the development of new standards on Social & Environmental Sustainability and AI & Sport Integrity;
– Scale up the global implementation of the Universal Standards and the SIRVS certification system;
– Position SIRVS as the global benchmark for independent verification in sport integrity;
– Expand SIGA’s global footprint through strategic partnerships with governments, sport organisations and industry stakeholders;
– Reinforce SIGA’s financial sustainability and long-term economic model;
– Strengthen governance structures, ensuring independence, accountability and resilience;
– Enhance SIGA’s thought leadership, media presence and advocacy capacity worldwide;
– Invest in capacity-building, education and training programmes across regions;
– Empower key communities, including women and youth, as drivers of integrity in sport.
In addition to the ratification of the CEO mandate and the approval of the Global Strategy, Key Priorities and Action Plan, Members also approved the admission of StreamAMG as a new SIGA Member, as well as the 2025 Annual Report of Activities and the 2026 priorities.
Members also unanimously elected the Ethics Committee, chaired by Fernando Veiga Gomes, with Donna Goldsworthy as Vice-Chair and Deborah Lechtman as member. The Audit & Compliance Committee was likewise elected unanimously, with José Ricardo Gonçalves as Chair, Lauren Coppola as Vice-Chair, and Anne-Catherine Gamper as member, reinforcing SIGA’s governance and oversight structures.
A further highlight of the Assembly was the announcement of the Co-Chairs of the SIGA EUROPE Advisory Board: Sir David Richards and Alessandra Priante.
Members were also informed of SIGA’s financial position, with a new General Assembly pre-scheduled for June to review and approve the accounts. In parallel, members were informed of the names of Co-Chairs for several Permanent Committees. The full composition will be announced shortly.
Updates were provided on the progress of SIGA’s continental subsidiaries – SIGA AMERICA, SIGA EUROPE, SIGA LATIN AMERICA and SIGA ASIA – as well as on the new SIRVS implementation model. Members were further briefed on the next steps of key initiatives, including the Sport Transparency Index and the SIGA Women Programme, among others.
Taken together, the outcomes of the Assembly set a clear and unified mandate: to move decisively from institutional consolidation to delivery, embedding integrity across global sport through implementation, certification and measurable results.
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ABOUT SIGA
SIGA is the world’s leading organisation for Sport Integrity. We are creating a whole new landscape for the sports industry by delivering independent global rating and certification for world Sport to ensure it is governed and operates under the highest integrity standards: The SIGA Universal Standards.
Funded by our Members, SIGA is a non for profit global independent organisation with one aim: To ensure the sport industry is governed under the highest integrity standards so that the values of sport are protected.
SIGA is the only organisation to bring together sport, governments, academia, international organisations, sponsors, business, rights holders, NGOs and professional services companies, from every region in the world, around a common cause of fostering greater integrity throughout sport.
SIGA is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, as a non for-profit association, and comprises of the following continental subsidiaries: SIGA AMERICA, SIGA EUROPE and SIGA LATIN AMERICA.
For more information on SIGA, including its vision, mission and reform agenda, please refer to the website: www.siga-sport.com and FAQs.
To contact SIGA, please email: comms@siga-sport.com.