On 16 September, IMMAF CEO Densign White spoke at the first Inter-Regional Summit in the Middle East focused on the issue of preserving integrity in sport.
“The Middle East is a hotbed for investment in sports development. This summit provides a ripe opportunity to strengthen international collaboration with the region and to focus on the issue of integrity in sport in a local context, ” said White.
Organised by the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), of which IMMAF is a member and its CEO a Council delegate, ‘Sport Integrity – The Power of Collective Action in the Middle East, Asia and Africa’, took place in Doha, Qatar, under the patronage of HE Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sport of Qatar.
The event was co-hosted by the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and Qatar Airways, with whom the IMMAF CEO met to discuss sponsorship opportunities with IMMAF.
The SIGA Inter-Regional Summit is an independent platform to address key matters of regional significance, bringing together thought leaders and international experts from the world of sport, international organisations, governments, global business and civil society.
During the Summit, a series of high-level panels sessions and speeches explored critical issues, such as:
Collective Action and The Global Push for Sport Integrity
Qatar: Host Nation of The First Mega Sporting Events in The Region
Major Sports: What is Being Done to Ensure the Highest Integrity?
The Power of Clean Sport and Its Role in Our Regions
Championing Sport Integrity on The Field of Play
Sport Integrity: A Catalyst for Development, Legacy and Peace
Sport Integrity and Global Business
Global Challenges, Regional Approaches and International Cooperation
On the sidelines of the event the Qatar Stars League (QSL) became the first professional league in Asia to sign an agreement with an international organisation committed to sport integrity, as it signed with SIGA. The agreement aims at exchanging experience, joint tasks, presenting the best practices, exchanging information, methods, ideas and activities by establishing the concepts of integrity and transparency in football.
HE Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports for the State of Qatar stated that hosting the SIGA Inter-Regional Summit reflected Qatar’s proactive role and the country’s efforts to safeguard ethics and promote sports for good for the world’s communities.
He said: “It is significant to consider both regional and global factors in realizing these goals and work on strengthening the cooperation with stakeholders and federations as well as UN organisations and NGOs.”
