News in brief for 10 August 2007

New Conference Coordinator employedPlay the Game has employed Maria Suurballe in a temporary position as conference coordinator. Maria is 46, has a university degree in Spanish and anthropology plus extensive experience in administration and communication. Her main task will be to take part in the intensified conference preparations, but Play the Game will also draw on her communication skills for our newsletter and website. We look much forward to cooperating with Maria. 

Maria can be contacted at maria@playthegame.org

UCI President Pat McQuaid to speak at Play the Game 2007Cycling chief Pat McQuaid has agreed to attend Play the Game 2007. After a traumatic summer for the cycling world, solutions need to be found to tackle the current malaise the sport is in. In his capacity as the President of the International Cycling Union (UCI), Pat McQuaid will address some of these issues as well as his hopes for the future. Play the Game 2007 will also be attended by some of the leading scientific experts in the anti-doping world, including Michael Ashenden and Sandro Donati. 

To learn more about Play the Game 2007, click here.

13^th European Fair Play Congress in FrankfurtThe 13th European Fair Play Congress, “The Olympic Values and the Future of Sport" will be held in Frankfurt from between 17-20 October 2007.  Acknowledged European experts will discuss and report on “The Olympic Values and the Future of Sport”, while national Fair Play projects and initiatives will be presented in a special exhibition area.

The congress focuses on the “Olympic values” in the challenging context of vision versus reality and will attempt a modern definition of and a discussion on the limits and opportunities for implementing these values in the light of their political, social, economic, environmental and media relationships. Thus, in the run-up to the Olympic Games in Beijing and under consideration of the current doping discussion, the congress aims to provide a prelude to a new ethics offensive in and by sport.

For more information, please click here to visit the conference homepage.