Doha, September 07 (QNA) - Chairman of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) Mohammed bin Hanzab, who is also the Vice-President of Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), emphasized the importance of governance in the field of sports and the management of sports institutions and their organizational structures.

He called for the necessity of establishing legal and regulatory mechanisms in line with the principles of integrity, transparency, accountability, disclosure, and other corporate governance principles.

He made these remarks during his speech at the opening of the discussion session organized by the College of Science and Engineering at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in collaboration with SIGA, on governance in sports in the Region and the world.

This session was hosted as part of the activities of the Sports Integrity Week, which continues until September 9th and coincides with Doha, Qatar's hosting of a portion of the event.

Bin Hanzab expressed his gratitude to Hamad Bin Khalifa University for being one of the key academic partners of SIGA and for hosting this constructive dialogue. He also praised the university's ongoing commitment to supporting shared goals.

In his address, He said that he was pleased to witness the substantial participation from various countries, organizations, and stakeholders during the fourth edition of Sport Integrity Week. He noted that this participation reflects the global reach and success of the organization in promoting the message of sports integrity on a worldwide scale.

He went on to highlight that sports integrity is no longer solely the concern of the elite; it has become a shared cause championed by numerous partners. This, he said, is a testament to SIGA's achievement in uniting international efforts under a common goal: preserving sports integrity.

He underscored the importance of comprehensiveness in safeguarding and advancing integrity. He explained that SIGA's work is grounded in collective action and guided by principles of accountability, transparency, and governance.

He detailed the development of a unique system called SIRVS (SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System), designed to assess and rate various aspects of integrity and governance in the operations of institutions, federations, and sports clubs worldwide. SIRVS represents the world's first system for classifying and evaluating integrity and governance within sports organizations.

He concluded by mentioning SIGA's ongoing collaboration with the International Center for Sports Security and other partners in the development of an international sports integrity index, with support from the European Union. This initiative aims to establish common indicators for sports integrity that can be practically applied. 

CEO of ICSS Massimiliano Montanari said that the contributions of civil society and international NGOs such as ICSS helped international community achieve significant results in the past ten years in terms of knowledge sharing and policy development.

He added that ICSS' next challenge represents in ensuring that this knowledge and tools are fully used across countries and sectors, including for example sports federations and law enforcement authorities, calling for activating robust and accessible capacity building programs.

The panel that covered a variety of topics brought together a group of high-level speakers including HE Director of Qatar Olympic Committee's Legal Affairs Department, Sheikh Ahmad Nooh Al-Thani, CEO of Qatar Stars League and Vice Chairman of FIFA's Referees committee, Hani Ballan, and Vice President of the Foundation of Qatar Sports Arbitration (FQSA) Salman Al Ansari, along with CEO of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros.

The panel also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Hamad Bin Khalifa University and SIGA, aiming to enhance joint cooperation in the areas of governance, transparency and integrity in sports.

At the conclusion of the session, SIGA'S Senior Director of Research, Knowledge and Innovation Lain Lindsay, HBKU's Assistant Professor of Sport Management Dr. Christos Anagnostopoulos received awards within SIGA Global Mentorship Program. (QNA)