Play the Game 2019

Athlete power on the rise

Never before has the power of athletes drawn so much attention in the international sports debate as now. The international anti-doping crisis has unleashed a battle over who has the right to represent athletes. Big federations struggle to gain credibility among their millions of members. Athletes have started speaking up against abuse in many countries, and their wish to compete in alternative settings is shattering the structure of elite sport as we know it.

Athletes at all levels are the first to suffer the consequences of the challenges to modern sport: the threat from organised crime on and off the playing field, the need for more democracy in organisations, the lack of access to physical activity, the growing skepticism against mega-events, the political manipulation of anti-doping policies…

And yet, it does not only take athletes’ engagement, but an effort from all other stakeholders in sport to meet those challenges and find solutions.

Play the Game 2019 invited athletes, sports officials, governments, academics, journalists, industry official and all other stakeholders in sport to share their knowledge, experience and opinions in Colorado Springs, from 13-16 October – at the 11th edition of a conference that has a history of more than 20 years as a cutting edge forum for independent and fact-based sports debate.

Thanks to generous support from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) and a number of local partners, Play the Game could for the first time hold its conference outside Europe.