A global organisation to fight illegal activities in sports will go a long way in elevating the standards and integrity within the industry, says former Brazilian Olympics Ethics Commission president, Alberto Murray.
The 56-year-old lawyer said he often expressed his concerns regarding corruption in sports. The most recent example being the bidding process of the 2016 Olympics.
Last month, former head of Brazil’s Olympic committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in a bribery scheme to secure votes for Brazil to host the Summer Games.
“The biggest vulnerability in sports is the lack of transparency. Many sports entities do not have consistent anti-corruption measures in place,” Murray told SIGA-Sport.com recently.
He called for a united front to tackle corruption and infiltration by criminal elements.
He said along with the independent action of Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) members, this would mark the beginning of a modern, and transparent management of sports.
“All sports organisations must pursue this modern structure.
“The fight against corruption in major international sports organisations has improved, but what has been achieved is not enough.
“I compare the fight against corruption to the battle against doping. To tackle doping, the International Olympic Committee and (other sports) federations created the World Anti-Doping Agency, which I support.”
Murray added he also supported the creation of a global agency to fight corruption in sports, adding that a world body would present a united, cohesive and concerted front in the fight against illegal activities within the industry.
“In Denmark, there is an independent entity called Play the Game, which assesses the degree of transparency and corporate governance in the country.
“Brazil has an organisation called Sou do Esporte, which also does this work. There are ‘isolated’ actions in some countries, but all entities must talk to each other. We need some cohesion between nations”, he added.
Headquartered in Geneva, SIGA is the world’s largest coalition in the field of sports governance and integrity. Its partners include UEFA, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute.
Twentytwo13 is SIGA’s permanent media partner.
