(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Irfan Bukhari | The Peninsula
Praising Qatar's efforts in promoting sports and sport integrity in the region, Chairman of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), Franco Frattini, said that the Alliance will present in Rome a White Paper on sport integrity in January next year.
'The next goal of the SIGA is to present proposals which can become one day binding rules at international level, applicable to all States in the international community. It is quite an ambitious goal, said Frattini in an interview with The Peninsula.
Frattini was in Doha to participate in the Inter-regional Sport Integrity Summit on the topic ‘Sport Integrity The Power of Collective Action in the Middle East, Asia and Africa'.
He said that the SIGA is an international alliance which has got together sports institutions, States, public institutions and private sector. 'Our idea is to bring together all those aimed at improving integrity in the field of sport, preventing illegality and fighting all kinds of criminal activities related to sport.
Frattini served twice as Italian Foreign Minister (2002-2004 and 2008-2011), and as Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security (2004-2008).
Frattini said that the first regional summit in Doha was an important step towards achieving SIGA's goal of adopting universal standards.
'The first Summit was the American SIGA Summit, which was held in March this year. Doha's Summit is the first inter-regional summit in the Middle East.
He added that the SIGA would prepare a formal proposal in order to have universal standards to be accepted and applicable in States for sports governance. 'Our aim is to finalize within few months a White Paper on sports integrity. He said that suggestions for the White Paper would be collected from all the stakeholders such as States, sports federations, private and public institutions, to shape them into a final proposal.
Frattini said that the SIGA White Paper would most likely be formally presented in Rome next year sometimes in January. He said that a ‘Common Verification System' was already in place and very well operational. 'Some entities decided to subscribe or accepted these standards to be applicable.
Frattini — who also served as President of the De Gasperi Foundation from 2011 to 2013—said that another extremely important idea of the SIGA was to propose to States that money confiscated from criminal organizations be reverted to good initiatives benefiting young generations, such as the construction of stadiums, courts, camps. 'Every dollar confiscated should be re-used to implement these initiatives in the same country where it was confiscated, he noted.
He said that sports has become a ‘sector at risk' because of huge flows of money. 'Match fixing, briberies, money laundering through sports activities and criminal organisations are putting sport at risk.
Another horrible crime is the exploitation of young athletes by unscrupulous clubs. 'Many young athletes from Asia, Africa and Latin America are bought by unscrupulous clubs which bring them to Europe and later they treat them as trash, he said, adding that a strong fight against this phenomenon is needed.
On SIGA's achievement since it was founded in 2015, he expressed his complete satisfaction. 'A number of new entities are asking to become full member of the SIGA. We have at present 115 members including States, sports federations, private and public institutions.
He said that the SIGA had signed memorandums of cooperation with many UN agencies and recently signed an agreement with US Sports Council. 'The Summit in Doha is paving the way for expanding SIGA in the Middle East.
Talking about other SIGA projects in the pipeline, Frattini said that the SIGA was set to launch the initiative ‘Sports Integrity and Diplomacy' to attract ambassadors for the adoption of common binding rules worldwide. He said that this initiative would be launched by the beginning of next year.
To a question, he said that the role of all entities is important for sport integrity. 'NGOs work on ground and report illegalities. Sports bodies can prevent the spread of corruption within the organizations. States make laws.
He said that the SIGA would give soon a presentation at the European Parliament. 'I am also meeting soon the Commissioner for Sport in the European Commission with the aim to develop common rules in the European Union.
Frattini said that he had high expectations with the summit in Qatar because it was being held for the first time in the Middle East. 'It is a confirmation of the commitment to organize clean sports events in this part of the world.
He said that Qatar had the capacity to organize clean sports events with no concerns and suspects. 'Athletics Championship is set to start and then Qatar will host FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Regarding the preparation of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, he said: 'They are simply amazing. I was the Foreign Minister of Italy when Qatar won the vote for hosting the 2022 World Cup. All preparations are very well-advanced. It will be a very successful sport event.
He also praised Qatar for its efforts to become a sports hub in the region. 'We need countries which can become sports hubs in the region, which is currently critical for security and stability. Therefore the focus of the countries should be on sports instead of wars. It is better for everybody.
He said that Qatar had undertaken many important initiatives for the wellbeing of its people. 'Likewise, the Italian Government and the Embassy of Italy in Doha are extremely committed to promote wellbeing by raising awareness especially among young generations on the importance of sport and sport values to conduct a healthy lifestyle. This shared approach could lead Italy and Qatar to work together to devote territories to sport and well-being by creating districts renowned for wellness expertise and high quality of life. This project could make of Doha the first example of ‘Wellness City', contributing to channelize and guide people through a wellness path. Sport is a life habit not only a competition.
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