ABOUT SIRVS
- The SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS) is an integral part of SIGA’s ecosystem to usher sport and the wider sporting industry into a new era of enhanced governance, integrity, transparency and accountability. In summary, SIRVS is the game changer that the sports industry needs!
- The purpose of SIRVS is to assess and rate the sports organisation’s level of implementation of and compliance with the SIGA Universal Standards.
- SIRVS is what the sponsors and those that invest in sport are demanding to give them the certainty that their investments are protected from the risk of reputational damage.
What the Sponsors Say
Michael Robichaud, Senior Vice President, Global Sponsorship, Mastercard:
“Mastercard has supported SIGA’s reform agenda since the early days as we believe that from a sponsor’s perspective, preserving sport integrity is integral to protecting our investments & reputation. Today’s consumers are more demanding and as a global business that has a vested interest in the sports industry, we expect the same accountability as our consumers from the sports we sponsor. SIGA & it’s independent rating and verification system will be the game changer that the sport industry needs.’’
Babar Rahman, Head of Global Marketing, Sponsorships and IFE & Connectivity, Qatar Airways
“We sponsor passion. Reputational risk keeps us awake at night. For brands, sponsorship is no longer about putting your logo up. It is about protecting your brand.”
There is currently nothing out there for sponsors to evaluate their investments. We are SIGA Founding Members and Qatar Airways is excited about SIGA’s Rating System.We will use this tool when carrying out our due diligence.”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
SIRVS stands for the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System. An initiative by the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), it’s the only independent rating and certification system in the sports industry to assess sports organisations’ internal processes and practices in accordance with an international set of Universal Standards on Sports Integrity developed by SIGA.
The SIGA Universal Standards is the best-in-class set of international standards developed by SIGA to enhance governance, integrity, transparency, and accountability within sports organisations to support their ongoing governance journeys and achieve excellence. SIGA developed Universal Standards on 4 core topics:
- Good Governance in Sport
- Financial Integrity in Sport
- Sports Betting Integrity
- Youth Development and Protection in Sport
The SIRVS audit is conducted by a member of SIGA’s independent audit team that have experience in delivering rating and certification in accordance with international standards and are trained in the criteria of the SIGA Universal Standards on Sport Integrity and the SIRVS methodology.
The SIRVS audit is broken down into two audits over a period of 4 months and is designed to assess compliance with the criteria and measure the effectiveness of the sports organisations’ implementation of the criteria. For those sports organisations that don’t yet meet certain criteria, the auditors require a corrective action plan that is reviewed at a later date to support the organisations’ governance journey. The final audit report is reviewed by a second member of SIGA’s independent audit team by way of a quality check and presented to the sports organisation. SIGA issues the final certificate.
SIRVS offers three levels of certification: Bronze, Silver, equivalent to Good, Better and Best, respectively. Each level represents a progressively higher standard of adherence to the SIGA Universal Standards on Sport Integrity.
Each level is cumulative, meaning that achieving the Silver certification requires meeting all Bronze criteria and additional Silver criteria. Similarly, the Gold certification requires compliance with all criteria set out for Bronze and Silver, along with its own set of rigorous benchmarks.
In August 2023, Liga Portugal has been awarded the Bronze Certification on Good Governance in Sport, becoming the first Professional Football League globally to undergo the SIRVS process and be independently assessed and rated against SIGA’s governance standards.
In 2021, the European Rugby League was the pioneering sports organisation to achieve SIRVS certification. The European Swimming Federation (LEN) and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) are currently going through SIGA’s independent gap assessment audit that is designed to provide an x-ray on a confidential basis to the sports organisation of where they are in terms of compliance with the SIGA Governance Standards as a precursor to SIRVS. This option is increasingly providing a popular initial audit tool. Several international sports organisations, including UEFA, IMMAF, and others have also publicly committed to going through the SIRVS process.
The SIRVS certification remains valid for three years with top up annual audits in years two and three to ensure ongoing adherence. Sports organisations’ certification may go up or down during the three years cycle.
With stakeholders increasingly demanding sport integrity, SIRVS serves as the sole independent tool that validates an organisation’s best practices in accordance with a set of internationally recognised standards specifically tailored for the sports industry. The SIRVS kitemark is a symbol of compliance to mitigate reputational risks from those that invest financially and by turn, their reputations in sport, including the sponsors, broadcasters, and fans.
SIRVS is a proactive way that sports organisations can demonstrate outwardly that they are committed to the values of Sport Integrity. Against a backdrop of increasing scandals in the industry, SIRVS is the action to show that your sports organisation is walking the talk when it comes to good governance in sport. Achieving SIRVS certification signals to stakeholders an organisation’s steadfast commitment to sport integrity as defined by the SIGA Universal Standards. This not only strengthens their credibility but also positions them as leaders in fostering the future of a trustworthy sport, according to fans’, sponsors’ and broadcasters trust and mitigates the risk of reputational damage.
The confidential gap analysis assessment audit is a tool developed by SIGA as a precursor to an organisation going through SIRVS to assess whether they meet the criteria. It involves a one day virtual or in person audit to identify areas within an organisation that may or may not yet meet the requirements of the SIGA Universal Standards on Sport Integrity and design a corrective action plan for sports organisations to implement in a 12 month period to get them match fit for the SIRVS audit. This assessment pinpoints specific gaps, enabling organisations to understand their current position relative to the Standards and informing them about necessary improvements to achieve certification.
Yes. Training plays a pivotal role and can be delivered at any stage of the SIRVS journey, including at the outset, after the gap analysis audit or post SIRVS. The training is designed to support the sports organisations’ understanding of specific criteria as often the standards are a new language for employees, and it is a chance to develop a deep level understanding of what the criteria means and how you can demonstrate compliance and implementation.
Organizations eager to be assessed against the SIGA Universal Standards through SIRVS should connect with SIGA for details on expressing their commitment and the subsequent application process.