Caitlin Dillon
The two-day SIGA Regional Summit, held at the Marsa Malaz Kempinski, came to a close this afternoon. With leading industry experts from around the globe, the summit aimed to initiate discussion surrounding the difficult topics ‘Sport Integrity’ encompasses.
Across the event’s two days, panel discussions were held on various subjects, including ‘Global Challenges, Regional Approaches and International Co-Operation’, surrounding the issue of different global nations and entities working together to achieve one key goal: integrity in sports.
The conference also included a keynote speech, ‘Qatar: Host Nation of the First Mega Sporting Events In the Region’ just 11 days prior to the IAAF World Championships set to be held in Doha - the biggest sporting event ever to come to the Middle East - and subsequent interview with Dahlan Al Hamad, President of the Asian Athletics Association, and Vice President of the IAAF. His message was clear, “Qatar has proved to the world that whatever they organise, has exceptional organisation.”
With a call to arms from SIGA’s CEO, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, entitled ‘SIGA- Collective Action and the Global Push for Sport Integrity,’ viewers were left inspired and in no doubt that now is the time to “fight for sports integrity.”
‘Female Leadership in Sport - A Call For Action’ hosted high-profile women from across the sporting body to discuss their paths to success, and how change can be achieved for women of the future.
“In the coaching world, it’s very much a man’s world - I had to force myself into that world,” told Liz McColgan, Olympic Silver and World Champion, as Nicola Crosby, beIN Sport Presenter offered words of encouragement to the women in the audience.
“It’s about having the conviction and confidence in yourself to prove that you belong,” she stated.
In light of the recent BeoutQ piracy scandal, ‘Media Rights and Digital Piracy - A Hot Issue at The Heart of Sport Integrity’ highlighted the damage done to the sporting industry when such events take place, and what law enforcement and government entities can do to prevent it in the future.
“We want to take decisive action, based on collective efforts,” stated de Medeiros.
The final discussion, ‘Major Sports: What is being done to ensure the highest integrity?’ cemented the message from across the two days. “Let’s face it - manipulation of sports competitions, including match fixing, is organised crime,” asserted Oliver Jaberg, FIFA’s Director of Integrity & Institutional Legal. The Qatar Football Association’s Legal Director, Ettore Mazzilli, agreed, “Integrity of the game is everything, and success without integrity is nothing.”