This Saturday, the world lost a journalistic pioneer. His work was crucial for uncovering the culture of corruption in world sport: Andrew Jennings set new and higher standards for journalistic coverage of sports politics. Read
@JensSejerA
's obituary👉
In the absence of robust scientific data, sports should take an ethical approach to the inclusion of
#transgender
athletes🌈
Andy Harvey suggests developing benchmarks for tolerable unfairness as a way to determine inclusion.
Read the full comment 👉
IOC President Thomas Bach has made it very clear that politics should be kept out of the
#Olympics
. However, it is a paradox that IOC’s characterisation of politicisation only seems to apply to
#athletes
and not the host nations, writes
@StanisElsborg
.
Today we celebrate the 60th birthday of the man behind Play the Game,
@JensSejerA
!🥳 We look forward to working with you in your tireless fight for more democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in sport🙏💪Congratulations, Jens!
@EmmaBatemanGPW
@FondOfBeetles
It’s a comment by Andy Harvey, not Play the Game’s view.
We have had varying opinion and views about this subject, and will continue to do so. If
@FondOfBeetles
is interested, we are keen to explore this possibility.
For the first time it can be revealed in detail how much cash the IOC paid to an Olympic host. Investigative journalist
@JensWeinreich
publishes the list of 117 payments to Rio 2016 in a worldwide exclusive in his magazine SPORT & POLITICS.
Police in Brasil have raided the home of FIVB president Ary Graça and charged him with tax fraud. This adds to previous allegations against him and his allies raised by many investigations since 2014. Lúcio de Castro
@agsportlight
lays out the details here
”Honestly, I don’t think even the most critical, most negative, most conspiracy-loving follower of
@playthegame_org
in 2009 could imagine the real scope of the crime and corruption,” writes
@JensSejerA
in a wind-up of ten turbulent years in world sport.
Because of
#COVID19
, Play the Game has decided to cancel its 2021 conference. Instead, the conference will take place in Denmark in 2022, which will also mark the 25th anniversary of the first Play the Game conference held in June 1997👇🎙
Last month Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, Olympic power broker, was sentenced to prison in a Swiss criminal court. Now
@JensWeinreich
describes the methods that brought the Sheikh to power and assesses the implications of his conviction. Read and learn!
In 2021, the Play the Game conference will take place in Greece, Norway or Poland🇬🇷🇳🇴🇵🇱 Three strong organisations have applied to host the conference that is expected to attract 4-500 athletes, sports officials, journalists, academics and others👇
Sports organisations like to see themselves as promoters of social development and high ethical standards. But sport must also actively avoid harm and improve the human rights situation, writes Sylvia Schenk from
@transparency_de
#HumanRights
U.S. gymnastics coach L. Nassar abused at least 250 young women and girls before his crimes were exposed. Why was he allowed to continue offending for so long? And what can we learn from such cases?
@Hogshead3Au
,
@maryvharvey
,
@ColonJuRiese
,
@Marci_Hamilton
On the last day of
#PTG2019
, the biennial Play the Game Award was awarded to long-time advocate for protection and support of girls and women in sport,
@Hogshead3Au
.
📸
@photojourthomas
Little is known about the inner workings of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
@Grit_Hartmann
provides a fascinating insight into an institution that leads a secretive life and rarely publishes the awards it makes.
International human rights law is clear when it comes to the right of athletes to raise a fist or kneel during sport events. It is a protected right which sports organisations must respect, argues
@FarazShahlaei
.
#AthletePower
Thank you all for your commitment, dedication and contribution to
#PTG2019
- Athlete power on the rise!
Stay tuned for more vidoes and photos on our website. 👇
For press enquiries please contact acting editor
@StanisElsborg
at stanis
@playthegame
.org
See you at
#PTG2021
!
Exclusive research by Play the Game maps the inner circle behind 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia's sports endeavour and unveils more than 300 Saudi sponsorships in sport. The research sheds light on a myriad of conflicts of interest and threats to the integrity of sport👉
In a session on athlete abuse at
#ptg2024
,
@Jujuca1987
will focus on the aftermath of abuse and discuss how sport can and should provide remedy for the affected people💬
Find more sessions on abuse in sport in the full conference programme👉
At
#ptg2024
,
@AndreaFlorence4
will look at the case of
#abuse
of minors in Malian basketball and sport's failure to safeguard athletes!
Find more sessions on abuse in sport and other important issues in international sport in the full programme👉
Yuliya Stepanova became famous for exposing the Russian state doping scandal. Today, she attended the opening of
#PTG2019
in Colorado Springs with her husband Vitaly Stepanov.
Big thanks to all participants and speakers for contribituing to
#ptg2024
🙏
Missed out? Don't worry! We've got you covered with a selection of videos on demand📹
And relive the moments with our conference photos on Flickr📸
Human rights lawyer
@NikkiDryden
calls on
@Olympics
to set up a fair and transparent process for alleged breaches of Rule 50.2. in the Olympic Charter. The rule prevents athletes from expressing themselves freely at Olympic venues.
The
@coe
has begun a revision of the European Sports Charter that lays down the basic principles for national sports policies in member states. Human rights in sport is an important part of the process🔎👇
Since 2002, the Play the Game Award has been awarded to an individual or group of persons who have made an outstanding effort to strengthen the basic ethical values of sport. The first winner of the
#PTGAward
was Canadian journalist and author, Laura Robinson👇
#PTG2022
In order to ensure that Play the Game 2022 can deliver cutting edge content, we rely on the expertise and creativity of a programme committee. It is our pleasure to announce that the committee for
#PTG2022
from 27-30 June 2022 has now been appointed👇
In an interview with Play the Game, a former match-fixer tells how effectively criminal syndicates are still manipulating sports results despite all initiatives against it. The whole approach against
#Matchfixing
could be wrong,
@declan_hill
reports.
A new report documents a “tyranny of cash” and widespread corruption in international weightlifting. It confirms journalistic investigations published over the past decade, writes
@JensSejerA
, international director
@playthegame_org
#PTG2019
about to begin!
We look forward to welcoming all delegates here in Colorado Springs tomorrow when the 11th edition of the Play the Game conference kicks off.
Athlete power on the rise! See you all!
📸
@photojourthomas
We can now present the first confirmed speakers for our 25th anniversary conference. The abstract submission for
#PTG2022
is still open, and we invite everyone to submit. For full list of speakers👉
Join
@playthegame_org
's free webinar on 23 November where we release governance data from more than 100 sports federations in 15 countries. Findings are discussed by international experts
@SarahLewis_OBE
and
@MaduroPoiares
A number of international sports federations are financially heavily dependent on their share of the revenues from the
#Olympics
. Investigative reporter
@JensWeinreich
reveals how the
@iocmedia
plans to distribute the money from
#Tokyo2020
.
Play the Game is excited to announce
@heraskevych
as a speaker at
#ptg2024
📣
Vladyslav Heraskevych is a two-time Olympian from Ukraine🇺🇦 He will join our session on
#Paris2024
and Russian and Belarusian participation in the Olympics🎙
Join the debate👉
The governance structures in national sports organisations in 13 different countries will come under scrutiny in the coming year as
@playthegame_org
initiates the third round of the National Sports Governance Observer project with a number of new partners.
Athlete power, good governance, anti-doping, corruption and sport monopolies are among the themes at Play the Game 2019, 13-16 Oct in Colorado Springs. Take part in the discussions and send in your abstract by 23 April
#cfp
#ptg2019
#COS
Play the Game 2019 - Athlete power on the rise - has opened. Over the next four days, more than 300 participants will take part in debate and discussions with over 170 speakers in more than 40 sessions. Welcome!
#PTG2019
Play the Game/the Danish Institute for Sports Studies is recruiting an academic researcher who will contribute to developing the professional profile of the institute and strengthening our international leadership role within the governance of sport.
Play the Game 2022 is over - thank you to all delegates for taking part in our 25th anniversary conference🙏🏼🥳 We look forward to seeing you all next year at
#ptg2023
!
📸:
@photojourthomas
#ptg2022
Call for Papers:
Join leading stakeholders in debates on sports governance, corruption and crime, safeguarding of athletes, the future of anti-doping and other vital issues in sport.
Play the Game 2019, Colorado Springs, 13-16 October
#ptg2019
#CFP
@UCCS
Meet our conference team!
With around 350 participants,
#ptg2022
is set for three and a half days with inspiring debates on the most topical themes in the world of sport. See the full conference programme👉
These days 10 countries are gathered for a seminar in sports governance hosted by
@playthegame_org
. For more info on our Sports Governance Observer, see below.
📸Int. director
@JensSejerA
sharing the story of Play the Game and why it was founded in 1997.
Researchers, athletes and anti-doping experts have worked together to develop the National Anti-Doping Governance Observer (NADGO) tool. A report out today reveals the results from benchmarking 11 national anti-doping agencies and explains the methodology.
In Copenhagen kicking off the National Anti-Doping Governance Observer
#NADGO
, an
#ErasmusPlus
project aspiring to improve national anti-doping governance. Great group representing a wide range of stakeholders.
Poor governance structures and economic instability in smaller Europen football leagues are key factors in match-fixing, argues
@MenarySteve
in this analysis that includes a list of match-fixing incidents in Europe in 2020.
The voting system ’One nation, one vote’ is used in most international sports federations, but it leads to challenges to good governance 🙋♀️🙋♂️ In this article,
@Peterforsbergdk
presents new research to stimulate debate about alternative voting systems👇
On the occasion of International Olympic Day,
@mahums
,
@eliwolff10
and
@NinaSiegfried
lay out the case for athlete advocacy and call on sport governing bodies to support humanitarian athletes who speak out for causes grounded in the principles of Olympism.
Save the date❌
Play the Game's 2024 conference will take place in the city of Trondheim🇳🇴
Co-hosted by
@NTNUnorway
, the conference is set to focus on winter sport, climate change in addition to classic themes like governance and geopolitics👉
#ptg2024
If you are unable to join
#ptg2022
, Play the Game is happy to announce that we will be livestreaming 18 key sessions on our website. See you there from Monday 27 June at 14.00 (CEST).
At
#PTG2019
, participants heard about the Canadian struggle for safe sport and how attempts to establish an independent body to oversee safe sport have stalled due to political hesitation and push back from national sports organisations.
@AthletesCAN
Massive backing from participants to the first Play the Game conference outside Europe. 2/3 participants at
#PTG2019
rated the conference experience in Colorado Springs as ‘very good’. The internal evaluation is now available.👇
According to a new survey conducted by
@Grit_Hartmann
for Play the Game, athletes have largely lost confidence in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Her research also shows that the legal aid system of CAS is deeply problematic for athletes.
The relationship between sport and climate change is an emerging field of sports politics. In a new guide,
@Davidsgoldblatt
maps out the relationship🔍 Also, a new Play the Game Academy presents an inaugural course on African sport and the climate crisis👇
Match-fixing can be many different things. Learn how many in this article by
@MenarySteve
about the Council of Europe's new typology of sporting manipulations that is also adopted by Interpol
The final preparations!✅
The Play the Game team is getting ready to welcome more than 400 participants for
#ptg2024
in just a few hours!🥳
But if you're not here, you can still follow some of the main sessions👀👉
Are you interested in
#governance
of sport and do you want to be a part of our institute? Then there is still time to send your application for our new job as governance researcher.
For more info 👇
The
@EUErasmusPlus
supported project, the National Sports Governance Observer (NSGO), scores 87 out of 100 possible points in an evaluation carried out by the EU’s funding agency.
At
#ptg2022
,
@khalida_popal
,
@NikkiDryden
,
@FribaRezayee
and Laura Robinson took part in a debate on how the sports world failed woman athletes in Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban regime. We caught Khalida for an interview👇 Watch the session👉
Today, Play the Game's 25th anniversary book arrived!🥳📚
The book offers a journalistic account on major sports political developments in the more than 2⃣5⃣ years of Play the Game.
The book will be launched at
#ptg2024
where all participants will take home a copy🎁
We acknowledge the varying views within this debate. While we welcome diverse opinions and public debate, we emphasise respectful dialogue. Some comments on Andy Harvey's piece have crossed the line and don’t align with the healthy debate environment we aim for at Play the Game.
📢 Calling athlete representatives: If you have a seat on an athlete committee, union or another type of athlete advocacy, the
#SAPIS
project run by athletes, academics and
@playthegame_org
needs your help to map athlete influence in sport in this survey
"Democratically elected governments, who would usually call for civic engagement, seem to prefer athletes that move only those muscles that do not affect the tongue.", says
@JensSejerA
, International director at
@playthegame_org
, ahead of
#PTG2019
Play the Game's UEFA Champions League Diversity Index now covers 30 years but the story repeats: Diversity continues to decrease and UEFA money flows to the same clubs year after year. See the latest edition by
@MenarySteve
"The
@iocmedia
, led with an iron hand by🇩🇪Thomas Bach, has been preparing the readmission of athletes from 🇷🇺and 🇧🇾 behind the scenes for months. To this day, they are just too tactical to tell the truth." Comment by investigative reporter
@JensWeinreich
👉
"Implementing and practice good governance in your organization means that people got to change. And I don`t believe everyone understand the need for change. Or simpley want a change.",
@wada_ama
VP
@Lindacath
said at
#PTG2019
Yesteday we had our first meeting with the programme committee for
#PTG2024
. If you have any suggestions for speakers, session formats, main themes or other general ideas for next year's conference, please send them to
@StanisElsborg
at stanis
@playthegame
.org🙏
For its 25th anniversary conference, Play the Game invites you to engage in open, fact-based and constructive debates on themes that are essential to the future of sport. More info on abstract submission👉
#PTG2022
Deadline tomorrow at noon CET:
We’re looking for an academic researcher who will contribute to developing the professional profile of the institute and strengthening our international leadership role within the governance of sport.
National sports federations in Europe have better
#governance
than their international counterparts, but they still need more involvement with
#athletes
, a new survey launched at
#ptg2017
shows
Research on online abuse shows that some female athletes who experienced abuse 10 years ago had still not recovered.
Lauren Burch and Andrea Geurin present their research at
#ptg2024
and encourage sports organisation to offer athletes more support 👇
Recently, the IOC presented its list of Individual Neutral Athletes from 🇧🇾 and 🇷🇺, who have been invited to compete at
#Paris2024
At
#ptg2024
, 🇺🇦 Olympian
@heraskevych
gave a presentation and discussed the participation by INA’s at the Olympics
👉
Get ready for a deep dive into Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy 🇸🇦 November 1, Play the Game releases exclusive research. Don’t miss out - sign up for our newsletter👉
For media inquiries:
@StanisElsborg
at stanis
@playthegame
.org
📢 Join us at
#ptg2024
as we delve into the debate over 🇷🇺 participation in sport, and the growing influence of autocratic states like 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia. Are sports' values at stake? Let's discuss human rights, democracy, and the future of global sports👉 1/4