Lisbon, September 20 (QNA) - President of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and Vice Chairman of Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) Mohammed Hanzab has called on the international community to further cooperate for the protection of integrity in sports.
This came during the five-day activities of the Sport Integrity Week 2022 held by SIGA at Portuguese Riviera with a wide global participation that included a wide spectrum of international experts and senior officials in sports industry, alongside international governments and organizations, including mega global companies and many organizations.
In his inaugural speech, Mohammed Hanzab stressed on the importance of proceeding with the cooperation in order to safeguard the global football, specially that the recent years have witnessed a framing cooperative development at the senior multi-lateral and transnational levels for the benefit of the global sports, pointing out that SIGA had signed multiple agreements with international institutions during the event, affirming that cooperation with UEFA deserves standing ovation.
In a panel discussion, Hanzab emphasized that the biggest challenge in hosting For the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 by the State of Qatar next November, entails the audience crowd management, pointing out that he predicts a major success in organizing the tournament, specially amid the preparation and assiduous work that had been accomplished in the past years, whether in terms of fundamental structure or through the plans and programs relevant to the stadiums and audience, in addition to the reality of hospitality tenets enjoyed by the Qatari people, which he said, are factors that raise optimism and reassurance.
He hailed the level of the existing cooperation between Europe and Australia in the area of combatting match-fixing, noting the growing cooperation between SIGA and UEFA, which he deemed as a model that would never have been imagined by anyone in a decade.
In addition, the new edition of Sport Integrity Week 2022, which is annually organized by SIGA, came with vital conclusions after five days of assiduous work punctuated by sessions, panel discussions and striking partnership agreements with UN and international organizations that would candidly bolster the optimal goal pursued by SIGA represented in dedicating the values and standards of integrity to ensure sustainability in global sports.
Participants in the Sport Integrity Week 2022 agreed to submit a memorandum to the European Union with its various organizations and mechanisms containing the outcome reached during the event regarding the challenges of piracy, mainly in the field of digital rights, especially as studies have shown that the value of content piracy reached $28 billion, which constitutes 50% of the market value of the content in question, thus there are huge losses in terms of revenues of major leagues and famous sports tournaments. Therefore, an urgent and effective mechanism is required, and it is important to work from SIGA and the European Union as a political organization with an influential role and all decision-makers to find crucial solutions to these challenges damaging the economics of sport.
The topics discussed at the 2022 edition of Sports Week touched on digital rights piracy, harnessing modern technology to serve integrity, fighting illegal betting, discrimination and racism amid wide global participation and great media attention.
UEFA had a remarkable participation in the event, represented by a speech by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, in which he praised the partnership between UEFA and SIGA.
Ceferin noted that it is no longer a matter of global commonalities, rather a joint success in enshrining aspects of integrity in world sport, combating discrimination and racism and ensuring the dignity of all football elements in cooperation with SIGA, adding that commonalities are no longer enough, but it is necessary to work together to overcome all barriers to an honest sport.
Ceferin highlighted the partnership agreement with SIGA in 2019, which was the real beginning of the reformulation of various aspects related to integrity in sports, stressing that UEFA and its member federations will remain supportive of this process, and that they will continue to work with SIGA to protect integrity in world sports, especially since the partnership with SIGA has made UEFA an example to follow in facing the challenges of integrity, governance, combating discrimination and racism in football stadiums.
The Sport Integrity Week 2022 witnessed the signing of several important agreements between SIGA and a number of international institutions specialized in the field of digital piracy of live broadcast content.
SIGA signed a memorandum of understanding with Eurovision Sport through which the two organizations will cooperate in the field of intellectual property rights and combating piracy; in addition to various agreements in the field of integrity in sports with the Liga Portugal, the Referees' Association and the Association for Coaching in Portugal.
During the event, SIGA also signed a letter of intent with UN Women. (QNA)