Sport Integrity Global Alliance

The sport sector is facing an unprecedented crisis of governance and integrity.

High profile prosecutions, investigations, arrests, and bans have brought the sport sector from the back pages to the front, and, with it, heightened scrutiny and questioning from the public and fans it serves. These high-profile cases underscore the urgent need to apply democratic and corporate best practices in the field of sport. With many examples of sport integrity being undermined by some of the very institutions and individuals appointed as guardians of the system, the sport industry’s overall reputation is at stake.

The fundamental importance and attractiveness of sport in society and the consequent globalised commercial phenomenon with its significant economic footprint and growth trajectory have brought new challenges to the sport sector. Poor governance, obsolete regulations and lack of oversight have also facilitated the proliferation of corruption, transnational money laundering, tax evasion and bribery scandals, sports betting fraud and match-fixing, often with links to organised crime.

Sport has neither the capacity nor the jurisdiction to tackle these problems alone. To restore its reputation and public trust, sport needs to embrace a new culture and place good governance, financial integrity, transparency, accountability and independent oversight at the top of the agenda. Enhanced cooperation and concerted action are the foundation upon which this new culture must be built.

A New Organisation Called SIGA

On 02 November 2015, 20 organisations came together to create an informal coalition to lead an international private-public partnership to tackle the numerous and urgent challenges facing sport. The group included sports bodies, governments, anti-corruption NGOs, inter-governmental organisations, and commercial partners.

The group took a major step on 31 January 2017 by becoming a legal entity, as a non-for-profit association under Swiss Law. With offices in Geneva, London and Brussels, SIGA is fast expanding its global footprint with the creation of SIGA AMERICA, in the USA and plans to launch SIGA LATIN AMERICA and SIGA ASIA.

By promoting best practices, universal standards and credible global solutions, SIGA is ushering in a new era in the governance and integrity of sport. The establishment of the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS), operated by the British Standards Institution – a neutral body – to oversee the implementation of key reforms is the game changer that will give investors certainty that the sports properties they invest in are governed to the highest integrity standards.

Today SIGA is the largest independent and neutral multi-stakeholder coalition in the field of sports governance and integrity. With over 100 members, committed supporters and champions from the world of sport, government, international organisations, business and civil society, SIGA pursues a critical mission: to advance the adoption, implementation, monitoring and independent assessment of Core Principles and Universal Standards on Good Governance, Financial Integrity and Sports Betting Integrity and Youth Development and Child Protection across the whole of sport.

Good governance of sport, Sport Integrity (member of the EU Expert group), Safeguarding of minors, Digital piracy, EU Work Plan for Sport, Education in and through sport, European Week of Sport (official Partner) and structured dialogue on sport, EU Sport Forum, Erasmus + Sport

4

1

No lobbyists with EP accreditations

None declared

Data not provided by Register Secretariat due to GDPR

Data not provided by Register Secretariat due to GDPR

III - Non-governmental organisations

Non-governmental organisations, platforms and networks and similar