Qatar’s exemplary governance is known across the world for its integrity and transparency and the country is relentlessly promoting its values and culture of a corruption-free administration at different regional and international forums.
The latest example of this continuous effort is the hosting of inter-regional Sports Integrity Summit in Doha. The two-day Summit, organised by the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and Qatar Airways in cooperation with the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), considered and discussed several pressing issues affecting the sport field such as, corruption, bribery, manipulation of results, money laundering and several related issues.
Mohammed Henzab, the Chairman and CEO of ICSS and Vice-Chairman of SIGA said that hosting such a summit for the first time in the Middle East, Asia and Africa region was a good decision for sports security and Qatar, adding that the state of Qatar is a pioneer in promoting integrity, transparency and fighting corruption in sports in the region and around the world.
Calling sports the identity of people, the SIGA Chairman, Franco Frattini, said that integrity is one of the core values of sports right from the first Olympics held in Greece in 1891, and it must be preserved in order to preserve the identity of future generations. Pointing to one of the major scourges that is vexing the modern-day sports scenario, Frattini said that organised crime must be combated in all its forms that seek rapid profit in various sport sectors.
Frattini hailed Qatar’s glorious efforts and great strides in achieving integrity in sports and the country’s preparations to host the 2019 World Athletics Championship in a few days. The CEO of SIGA, Emmanuel Medeiros, also praised Qatar’s sporting integrity, governance and the country’s revolution in infrastructure in preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Qatar has fast become a world sporting hub hosting a myriad of tournaments or championships throughout the year. The country’s world-class sports facilities, modern stadiums, state-of-the-art training centres and the infrastructure, counted among the best in the world, are attracting the cream of the sports world in a variety disciplines, whether it is football, tennis, golf, volleyball, horse race, camel race or athletics, to the country.
Realising its great burden of responsibility, the State of Qatar has adopted every mechanism, legal or structural, to make the sports sector free of corruption, bribery and manipulation. The country’s stringent rules and standards coupled with sincere leadership and officials ensure that transparency and integrity in sports are held high and it is an assurance that the rest of the world can rely on its fairest sports culture.
