London: The Securing Sport 2014 conference came to an end yesterday after two lively days that saw some very high-profile names in world sport come together under the theme of ‘Sport under threat: the Game is ours to Win’.
The Chairman of the British Olympic Association and Vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, Sebastian Coe, yesterday said: “I’m surprised that it’s only relatively recently that the world of sport confronted the concept that fair play is not a concept solely rooted in the field of play. Whatever federation it is, whatever sporting organisation, all the corporate governance in the world is not going to save you from excesses unless you also have the culture of integrity and doing things the right way from the very top of the organisation.”
“If sport in the 20th century was about connecting with the world, then I think the big challenge in the 21st century is connecting with young people. I think sport is uniquely placed to do that,” Coe said.
“The one thing that is not being talked about is the cataclysmic collapse of trust, particularly among people from the age of 30 down. Young people now sit in the moral hot spot of most of the big issues out there. They are more demanding and want to see more from sport and so connecting with young people and reasserting the values of sport in a modern environment and making the big organisations, like the IOC, the IAAF and FIFA, relevant in their lives is the big challenge.”
Youth empowerment was a key theme of this year’s ‘Save the Dream’ gala dinner, which took place at the Banqueting House in London last night.
‘Save the Dream’ is a joint initiative of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and the Qatar Olympic Committee aimed at promoting and protecting the purity of sport and its values, for the benefit of younger generations.
Footballer Nicole Regnier, UNICEF Colombia National Ambassador, who spoke during the dinner, reminded individuals and organisations about their shared responsibility to guarantee the right to play: “Wouldn’t it be amazing if all children could play and practice sports in a safe and inclusive way? This goal would be easier to achieve if every athlete, sports fan and minister of sport would team up to commit to this goal.”
Keeping to the theme of youth, the final panel of the day, ‘The Cost to our Children: Exposing the Realities of Hosting Major Sporting’, examined the impact major sporting events have on children. Panellists discussed specific examples of youth exploitation in sport and instructed delegates on how to avoid profiteering from the vulnerable.
Speaking on the panel, Susan Bissell, UNICEF’s Chief of Child Protection, said: “Sport can be an incredibly powerful force in children’s lives and it can help them learn and practice discipline, fair play and team work.
“But we know sport is not immune to the violence engrained in our societies, and that children too often face harassment, excessive pressure and abuse. Preventing and responding appropriately to this violence is essential to protecting our children and preserving the intrinsic value of sport.”
Gary Stahl, representative of UNICEF Brazil, said: “Sports mega events pose challenges and opportunities for the protection of children and adolescents against violence. The preparatory work conducted by the Brazilian government, UNICEF and partners in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil has shown that these events can be an opportunity to strengthen national child protection systems.”
Mohammed Hanzab, President of the ICSS, said in his closing remarks: “Once again, Securing Sport has brought together the world’s leaders in sport safety, security and integrity to confront issues like the financial integrity of sport, match-fixing and illegal betting, transparency and child welfare in order to protect sport’s credibility.
“It is crucial that we work together to combat the unprecedented threat facing sport. Strong leadership, determination and collaboration are now vital if we are to secure the ongoing safety, security and integrity of sport.”
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