The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) has called on Lebanon and countries across the region to embed Sport Integrity as a central pillar of their national sports strategies and to partner with SIGA in delivering concrete, measurable reforms.
Speaking remotely at the national conference “Towards a National Sports Strategy in Lebanon”, held in Beirut under the patronage of the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, SIGA Co-Founder & Global CEO and Executive Chairman of SIGA ASIA, welcomed the Lebanese Government’s vision of sport as a driver of national development.
“My career gives me perspective on both the challenges and the opportunities for sport to become exactly what the Government of Lebanon is seeking: a true catalyst for human, social, and economic development,” he noted, commending the leadership of the President and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Nora Bayrakdarian.
On the day after the launch of SIGA ASIA in Dubai, Macedo de Medeiros stressed that the integrity threats facing sport today are “real, global and increasingly sophisticated, often involving organised crime”. In this context, he highlighted SIGA’s role as the world’s largest independent and neutral multi-stakeholder coalition in the field of Sport Integrity and invited Lebanon and neighbouring countries to fully align with SIGA’s vision and mission.
Macedo de Medeiros presented SIGA’s Universal Standards on Sport Integrity as the most advanced, comprehensive and holistic set of integrity standards available to governments and the wider sports industry. These Universal Standards cover five interlinked areas in order to tackle global problems through an integrated approach:
- Good governance in sport
- Financial integrity and transparency
- Sports betting integrity
- Youth development and protection
- Sustainability
Speaking of the SIGA Universal Standards, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros added relevant information regarding SIRVS – the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System:
“They are the silver bullets because they provide the map and the pathway,Whether you are a government or a sports organisation, you do not need to reinvent the wheel. These Standards contain world-class principles, rules and benchmarks that, if implemented, enable sport to enhance its reputation and protect itself against the mounting threats confronting the sector.”
SIRVS is the seal of trust that sport can exhibit. It tells fans, sponsors, investors and society at large which organisations are prepared to open themselves to independent scrutiny and prove their commitment to integrity. SIGA doesn’t leave organisations to their own mercy. We walk the walk with them and ensure they can meet the standards.”
SIGA’s Global CEO also referenced the Sport Transparency Index, publicly launched last June by a consortium led by SIGA. Based solely on publicly available information, the Index assessed nearly 600 sports organisations across Europe and demonstrated where they stand in terms of transparency.
“Transparency is the first evidence of integrity. More than proclamations, we need proof. These tools – the Universal Standards, SIRVS and the Sport Transparency Index – are ready to be deployed in Lebanon and across the region. We stand ready to work with those who are serious about reform.”
Positioning Lebanon within a broader regional momentum, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros recalled that his intervention in Beirut followed his participation, as invited guest, in the public presentation of the Dubai National Sports Strategy. Taken together, these engagements reflect a growing recognition in the Middle East that sport must be anchored in integrity, good governance and accountability if it is to fulfil its potential as a catalyst for sustainable development.
“Governments are the custodians of the public interest. They speak and act with the legitimacy granted by the people, including those who work in, love and invest in sport. If we act as a united front, mobilising the expertise and knowledge that already exists, we have a real opportunity not only to face this challenge, but to win it.”
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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.
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