Call for action against all forms of corruption in sport

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Open letter to the IOC Presidentand the International Olympic Committee,gathered in Copenhagen, Denmarkon the occasion ofthe 121st IOC Sessionand the XIII IOC Congress

October, 2009

Dear President Rogge and IOC members,

Call for action against all forms of corruption in sport

We believe the time has come to act against all forms of corruption in sports.

We are alarmed that the sporting community is now in a situation where worldwide illegal gamblers and match-fixers are operating at all levels of sport. Their activities are a small slice of an illegal gambling market that is worth hundreds of billions of dollars and poses an imminent threat to the core values and credibility of sport.

Also, we believe that within a number of sports and national associations non-transparent and corrupt practices continue. For instance, the ISL affair in which a small group of leaders in international sport has cashed in more than 100 million dollars as secret personal commissions in return for TV and marketing rights should be met with a strong response.

We believe that there is a number of other forms of corruption in sport: human trafficking, money laundering and tax evasion. These activities are thriving thanks to the non-intervention of the sports community, local and national governments, sports sponsors, the media and other stakeholders.

We believe that the global sports community has an obligation to act as a role model of transparency, accountability and democracy if it is to promote positive social, cultural and personal values to society and youth.

The International Olympic Committee is the worldwide leader in sports. It has the moral aspirations as well as financial and political clout to show effective political leadership in this matter.

Therefore, we urge the IOC to take immediate, concrete and convincing steps to counter all forms of corruption in sport in order to safeguard the social, cultural and educational values of sport.  

We ask you to urgently consider all relevant measures, including

• a definition of common standards of good governance and accountability
• a strengthening of the role of the Ethical Committees in sport so they can be allowed to act truly independently and have capacity to sanction those who violate the rules
• a modernisation of the way international federations manage democracy and transparency
• mechanisms for exchange of information and intelligence related to corruption
• and, if necessary, the establishment of an international anti-corruption institution for all countries and all sports

In a defining moment for world sport, we call on the IOC to take decisive steps.

Yours sincerely,

Adam Jefferson KreekRower, Trainer, Author, EntrepreneurOlympic Gold Medallist , two-times OlympianCanada

Aidan WhiteGeneral SecretaryInternational Federation of JournalistsBelgium

Alessandro DonatiMember of the governmental Anti-Doping CommissionRome Ministry of HealthItaly

Andrew JenningsInvestigative reporterAuthorUnited Kingdom

Anne-Marie DohmRectorDanish School of Media and JournalismDenmark

Bert SchaapSportswriterDe TelegraafHolland

Bob MunroChairmanMathare UnitedKenya

Christel SchaldemoseMember of the European ParliamentDenmark

Christopher A. ShawProfessor, AuthorUniversity of British ColumbiaCanada

Dave BoyleChief ExecutiveSupporters DirectUnited Kingdom

David RoweProfessor of Cultural ResearchUniversity of Western SydneyAustralia

Declan HillInvestigative Journalist, PhDCanada

Eduardo GaleanoAuthorUruguay

Ezequiel Fernández MooresSports EditorANSA LatinamericaArgentina

Florian PetricaEditor-in-Chief of SportThe Money Channel, Realitatea MediaRomania

Gary WicksPhD, Associate Professor EmeritusSt. Olaf CollegeUSA

Gerhard TreutleinProfessorCentre for Doping Prevention, HeidelbergGermany

Henning EichbergLecturer, Dr. Phil.University of Southern DenmarkDenmark

Henrik BrandtDirectorDanish Institute for Sports StudiesDenmark

Ivan WaddingtonVisiting ProfessorNorwegian School of Sport Sciences and University of ChesterUnited Kingdom

Jan MühletalerM.A., Head of sectionNeue Zürcher ZeitungSwitzerland

Jens BrinchChairman of the Board of Play the GameFormer Secretary General of the Sports Confederation of GreenlandDenmark

Jens Sejer AndersenDirectorPlay the GameDenmark

Jens WeinreichInvestigative journalistAuthorwww.jensweinreich.deGermany

John BeechHead of Sport & Tourism Applied ResearchCoventry UniversityUnited Kingdom

John ThraneEditor-in-ChiefDanish Association of Company Sport (DFIF)Denmark

John VolkersSports reporterde VolkskrantHolland

Joseph MaguireProfessor, School of Sport & Exercise SciencesLoughborough UniversityUnited Kingdom

Jørgen PovlsenHead of the Institute of Sport Science and Clinical BiomechanicsUniversity of Southern DenmarkDenmark

Jørn HansenLecturer, Institute of Sport Science and Clinical BiomechanicsUniversity of Southern DenmarkDenmark

Kaj KunnasSports JournalistOY Yleisradio AB/Finnish Broadcasting CompanyFinland

Kim SchimmelAssociate Professor of the Sociology of SportKent State UniversityUSA

Lasse SvenssonChairman, County Sports Federation of VästmanlandFormer national and international volleyball leaderSweden

Laura RobinsonInvestigative journalistAuthorCanada

Malcolm ClarkeChairmanFootball Supporters FederationEngland and Wales

Mario RodriguesEditorAll Sports Magazine, MumbaiIndia

Mike McNameeProfessor of Applied EthicsSwansea UniversityUnited Kingdom

Nikki DrydenHuman Rights Attorney   Two-time Olympic swimmerCanada /USA

Olukayode ThomasSports EditorTimbuktu MediaNigeria

Paul Einar BorgenMarketing DirectorSportsmasterNorway

Sigmund LolandProfessorThe Norwegian School of Sport SciencesNorway

Søren RiiskjærDirector of the Secretariat of Sports PoliticsDanish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI)Denmark  Tegla LoroupeUnited Nations Ambassador of SportLong-distance runner, Olympic bronze medallist and tree-times OlympianKenya

Terri ByersPrincipal Lecturer Sport ManagementCoventry UniversityUnited Kingdom

Terry MonningtonDirector of Physical Education and SportUniversity of WarwickUnited Kingdom

Tine Rindum TeilmannBoard member, Danish Paralympic Committeemember of the IOC’s Women in Sport CommissionDenmark

Tjeerd VeenstraDirector De LottoChair Legal, Statutes & Members Committee, European LotteriesHolland

Veerle De BosscherLecturer in Sports ManagementVrije Universiteit BrusselBelgium

Wladimir AndreffProfessor Emeritus at the University Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne  Honorary President of the International Association of Sport Economists FranceFrance

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For further reference please contact Jens Sejer Andersen

Director, Play the Game

+45 20 71 07 01

jens@playthegame.org

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