The IOC neither for nor against the call from Play the Game 2011

The IOC is neither rejecting nor accepting the call from the 300+ participants at Play the Game 2011 to convene an international conference with a view to preparing a Global Code for Governance in Sport.

In a letter to offices of Play the Game and the rector of the German Sport University Cologne dated 9 November 2011 and sent by email two days later, the IOC’s Director General Christophe de Kepper completely avoids mentioning these key proposals in the 'Cologne Consensus'. 

Instead, the top executive of the IOC in general terms welcomes the initiative, stressing that the subject of good governance in sport “has been of greatest concern to the IOC and has been treated as a priority over the last years, dedicating a lot of efforts to move forward in the right direction”.

Christophe de Kepper also points out the work the IOC has been doing in creating a set of “Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance in Sport” and getting them approved by all international federations and national Olympic committees.

“As we will not be able to call all participants back to Cologne and discuss the answer from the IOC, we can only guess what they think,” says international director of Play the Game, Jens Sejer Andersen. 

“It is a fair shot to say that the participants believe that the matter of corruption and mismanagement in sport is far more urgent than what is expressed by the official IOC answer. Most participants are well aware that IOC has taken some positive steps. Nevertheless the delegates agreed that “existing principles, mechanisms and institutions to enhance good governance and counter corruption have proved inadequate”.

Open for interpretation

On a positive note, Andersen says that the non-answer from the IOC is wide open for interpretation.

“It says yes without saying yes and no without saying no, so we could also take the answer as a silent support for the ideas and aims that Play the Game 2011 proposed. But while it remains a riddle what the IOC really thinks about this, we cannot wait for this riddle to be solved. So we will look for other partners and occasions to strengthen the efforts against corruption in sport,” Andersen says.

One of the next opportunities will be a good governance project that has recently received financial support from the European Commission. Play the Game and seven European partners are set to define a set of guidelines for better governance in sport. 

Within the same stream of EU grants – called “preparatory actions” – the European Olympic Committees and other organisations have also received support for governance-related projects.

“The days are over when Play the Game was almost the only voice crying wolf. It is very encouraging to see that the governance agenda is growing slowly, but steadily. There really is a wolf in the forest, and if sport will not catch it, others will.”

Story on the Cologne Consensus, click here.