The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), through SIGA EUROPE and a consortium of institutional partners officially launched the Sport Transparency Index (Sport T Index) during a high-level event held in Brussels.
Co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme, the Sport T Index is the first independent, evidence-based benchmarking tool to assess transparency and good governance across the European Sport ecosystem.
Developed by SIGA Europe, in conjunction with EPSI; Institute for Sport Governance, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha; ICSS Europe; Brussels School of Governance; FEDAS; European Multisport Club Association; International Olympic Truce Centre, and the Portuguese Swimming Federation, the Sport Transparency Index aims at promoting a culture of accountability and integrity. It evaluates information made available by clubs, leagues, national federations, and international governing bodies against 15 universal transparency indicators spanning three core domains: organisational, operational, and financial. All assessments are based exclusively on information publicly available on stakeholders’ official websites.
The launch event brought together institutional leaders, policymakers, academics, and sport executives from across Europe. Opening addresses were delivered by Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, SIGA’s Global CEO; Sven Van Kerckhoven, Vice Dean of the Brussels School of Governance; Yves Le Lostecque, former Head of the European Commission’s Sport Unit; and Mohammed Hanzab, Chairman of the ICSS and Vice-Chair of the SIGA Council. Together, they stressed the urgent need for transparency, oversight, and reform in sport.
One of the event’s main highlights was the unveiling of the Sport T Index initial results. Among the top performers – each scoring 14 out of 15 indicators – were leading football clubs such as AC Milan, Juventus, the German Bundesliga, as well as the German Table Tennis, Rowing and Tennis Federations, the French Taekwondo Federation, the Ski and the Athletics Association of Slovenia,
Panel discussions during the event featured early adopters such as European Aquatics, the Kosovo Swimming Federation, and the Royal Belgian Swimming Federation, who shared insights on applying the Sport T Index methodology and how it is helping them improve governance frameworks.
From the club perspective, leaders from Olympiakos, Fribourg Olympic Basket Academy, HAŠK Mladost Zagreb, and the French Federation of Company Sport (FFCO) reflected on how the Index provides practical tools – such as training packages and policy recommendations – to inform strategic reform. Football was represented by the Andre Mosqueira do Amaral, CEO of the Portuguese League, who shared the goal of soon reaching maximum score.
Closing the event, Trisha Meyer, Director of the Centre for Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation at VUB, emphasized the broader democratic value of the Sport T Index, which equips the Sport sector with actionable, evidence-based instruments to build capacity and knowledge.
Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, SIGA’s Global CEO, emphasized the importance of the Sport Transparency Index during, and made a powerful call to action to all industry stakeholders:
“The Sport Transparency Index is not just a ranking. It’s a mirror, held up to those who govern, those who lead, and those who benefit from the global spectacle of sport. It asks one simple, fundamental question: Are you living up to the ideals of sport and its values? Are you upholding the trust of athletes, fans, and the global business community?
This Index is more than a scoreboard – it’s a tool for change. It empowers us all – from journalists to policymakers, from fans to athletes and more – to hold those in power accountable and to ensure that sport is run the way it should be: with integrity and transparency.This is not about pointing fingers or casting blame. This is not about naming and shaming. This is about shining a light on where we can do better and encouraging those in positions of power to rise to the occasion. This is about rewarding those who lead by example and challenging those who fall short to strive for something better.
As I thank and pay tribute to all the partners who have joined us in the pursuit of this cause, to the federations, leagues, and clubs I say: the Index is your ally. It’s not a threat. It’s a tool for growth.
To the fans, I say: you have the right to demand more, and you have the power to make it happen. Don’t be bystanders – be active agents of change.
To the sponsors, broadcasters, and commercial partners – to the brands who invest their money and their reputation in sport – I say: you now have a silver bullet at your disposal. You can now make sure that those federations, leagues, and clubs that you put your money in are indeed fit for purpose.
The Sport Transparency Index is yours. We are not just measuring transparency, we are advancing it.
We are launching a new chapter where sport is not only played in the open, but governed in the open, under the lights, in front of billions.”
Mohammed Hanzab, Chairman, The ICSS – one of the project’s partners – added:
“The Sport Transparency Index is not about blaming and shaming; it is actually about praising those sport organizations—clubs and federations—that have decided to publicize their efforts to preserve and enhance the transparency and good governance of their own organizations and the overall sport environment. It is also about encouraging others to follow the same path.
The Index meets the growing demand from fans and sponsors to understand how the sports they support are managed, and addresses the desire of many sport organizations to publicize their efforts and capitalize on transparency as a precious asset.”
For full results and to learn more about the project, register and login at the Sport Transparency Index website: http://www.sporttindex.com
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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.
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