The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) has announced the commencement of the 2024-2025 term for the SIGA Youth Council. The inception meeting today marks the beginning of a new cycle of dynamic and impactful youth-led initiatives in Sport Integrity.
Following a rigorous selection process, the SIGA Youth Council welcomed 18 outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds and geographies who will serve an 18-month term dedicated to promoting and advancing sport integrity. This term’s members were selected from a pool of applicants, representing 46% of men and 54% of women from 19 countries and 6 continental regions, ensuring a balanced representation of gender, geographic location, and expertise.
Notably, three of the SYC members are also representatives of SIGA’s Global Community, representing SIGA members APC Compliance, EPIC Global Solutions, and European Aquatics. This highlights the strong connection within this autonomous and youth-led body of SIGA.
The 2024-2025 SIGA Youth Council will be composed of the following young leaders:
Co-chairs:
- Anca-Maria Gherghel (Research Manager, EPIC Global Solutions, SIGA Member I PhD student in the Sport and Physical Activity Research Centre, SHU) – England
- Likhaya Ntlokonkulu (Sports Presenter, African Playbook Network I Sponsorship Consultant, The World Freestyle Football Association I Pre-Authorisation Service Consultant, Discovery Limited) – South Africa
Members:
- Ana Beatriz Mori (Government and International Relations Analyst, Associação pela Indústria e Comércio Esportivo (ÁPICE)) – Brazil
- André Calapez (Consultant, YFM I Researcher, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon) – Portugal
- Aristides Costeas (Sports Integrity Consultant, APC Compliance, SIGA Member / Programs Executive, Sports Financial Literacy Academy) – Cyprus
- Augusto Piaskoski (Lawyer, Sports Compliance and Governance) – Brazil
- Brian Kavuma (Business Growth & Development Officer, Double Pass) – Belgium
- Chukwuemeka Obijiaku, Co-Founder, The Wellspring Project I Committee Member, U.S. Sports Pharmacy Group I YALI 2023 Fellow – Nigeria
- Ella Joanes (Live Match Supervisor, UEFA) – Switzerland
- Helia Asghari Totmaj (Table tennis coach, Spin Club I Impact Manager, Rising Stars Project) – Iran
- Kemal Mohamedou (Masters in International Public Policy, University College London (UCL) I Common Futures Conversations Member, Chatham House) – England
- Kryštof Gogela (Bachelor in Marketing Management, Fontys University of Applied Sciences I Podcaster, The Twelfth Man) – The Netherlands
- Mouad Benouzekri (Ph.D. student, Tofail’s University and the Hungarian Sports University) – Morocco
- Eden Horton (Government and Legal Studies Student, Bowdoin College) – USA
- Nelly Nkatha Mutuma (Table Tennis Player, National Team of Kenya) – Kenya
- Nour Shamala (Senior Sports Account Executive & Freelance Graphic Designer) – Egypt
- Petra Bukić (Administrative Water Polo Assistant, European Aquatics, SIGA Member) – Croatia
- Reginalda Obara (Associate, Salim Mohamed & Associates Advocates) – Kenya
Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, Global CEO, SIGA, welcomed the new council, and emphasized the positive message those young people are bringing to Sport:
“Please join me in a warm welcome to the new members of the third cohort of the SIGA Youth Council. Nine young women and nine young men – perfect gender parity – from diverse cultural backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities. They will build on the legacy of the previous generation of SIGA Youth Leaders, continue driving change in alignment with SIGA’s mission and vision, and take our independent global movement to new heights. Their passion, enthusiasm and unwavering commitment embody the spirit of reform that SIGA champions. I am confident that they will inspire, motivate and guide the Youth of the World towards a future where Integrity reigns supreme. To the new 18 young SIGA torchbearers, I wish all the best in the pursuit of their important mission and look forward to side with them.”
Anca-Maria Gherghel, Research Manager, EPIC Global Solutions (SIGA Member), and PhD student in the Sport and Physical Activity Research Centre, SHU, share her views on the appointment to the role of co-chair:
“I am really excited to have joined the SIGA Youth Council for the 2024-2025 term. Using the research experience and knowledge I have gained over the past five years, I look forward to working on designing and delivering integrity-related research projects to promote integrity in youth sports. Promoting integrity at this level helps ensure young people are part of a safe, fair, and inclusive environment. The SIGA Youth Council will also help attract more young people to this cause as listening to their voices is crucial in making a real, positive change.”
Likhaya Ntlokonkulu, Sports Presenter, African Playbook Network; Sponsorship Consultant, The World Freestyle Football Association; Pre-Authorisation Service Consultant, Discovery Limited; and member of the previous SIGA Youth Council cohort, has been appointed co-chair for the new cycle. When appointed, he shared his enthusiasm:
“I’m thrilled to be returning to the SIGA Youth Council for the 2024-2025 term. Building on the experiences I gained last year, I’m eager to work alongside my co-chairperson and with the new council members and continue driving positive change in sport integrity. The SIGA Youth Council plays a vital role in amplifying youth voices on this critical issue. In the coming year, we’ll strive to foster the Youth Council’s visibility and impact, in addition to building upon the previous cohort’s success in generating research and policy recommendations related to youth and sports integrity. The diversity of the 2024-2025 Youth Council provides an excellent opportunity to work together, to ensure a future where fair play and ethical practices define the world of sport.”
The SIGA Youth Council, now in its third iteration, continues to embody SIGA’s commitment to empowering youth to have a significant voice and tangible impact in the world of sport. This council will focus on creating and implementing a youth-driven agenda that will further integrity in sports, reinforcing SIGA’s mission and vision.
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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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