IPACS activity update
With a busy year for the International Partnership against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) coming to an end, here is an overview of the key activities and achievements from the last few months.
Annual General Conference
On 12 September, more than 100 IPACS key stakeholders from governments, sports organisations and intergovernmental organisations joined the IPACS Annual General Conference, held in a hybrid format at the headquarters of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, Austria. In focus: preventing corruption in sport through good governance and enhancing cooperation between criminal justice authorities and sports organisations. Read more.
Council of Europe Declaration
IPACS welcomed the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers declaration on sports integrity, adopted on 27 September, which explicitly mentions the contribution of IPACS in this important field. In the declaration, the Council welcomes the work of IPACS “and calls upon it to pursue its transversal and multi-stakeholder approach and enhance the implementation of the highest applicable standards aimed at combating corruption and promote a culture of good governance in sport”. Read more.
Task Force activities
The first meeting of the new IPACS Task Force on the promotion of good governance to prevent corruption in sport (background under “Annual General Conference” above) was held virtually on 22 November. Hosted by the IOC, the session brought together over 45 expert representatives of governments, sports organisations and intergovernmental organisations from the previous three Task Forces working on the prevention of corruption in procurement (1), in the selection of major sports events (2), and working on promoting good governance principles (3). Discussions centred around how to implement the terms of reference. In this context, many new ideas and proposals were brought forward by the experts and provided an important basis for the development of a concrete action plan. The newly combined Task Force will actively raise awareness of, disseminate and promote the prevention tools, developed previously, within the IPACS stakeholders’ networks.
On the road
IPACS has been on the road quite a bit to keep advocating its purpose, sharing its latest activities and bringing on board new members to advance further in the fight against corruption in sport.
On 20 September, IPACS was represented at the first EU Network against Corruption meeting in Brussels, Belgium. During a panel session on corruption in sport, the IOC presented the efforts of IPACS in strengthening the cooperation between the sports sector, criminal justice and law enforcement. The knowledge and best practices shared in the EU network will be used to develop the first EU strategy against corruption.
IPACS was also in action at the 11th International Athletes’ Forum (IAF), organised by the IOC on 1 and 2 October in Lausanne (Switzerland), which brought together more than 400 athlete representatives from the IOC, NOCs, IFs and other organisations. Read more.
On 4 December, the IOC made an intervention during the 18th meeting of the EPAS Statutory Committee in Strasbourg, France. The meeting was attended by the Permanent Representations from non-EPAS member states, and focused on integrity and good governance, in particular the vital role of sportspeople and professionals, and specific tools to promote sports integrity. The IOC highlighted the reasons for IPACS’ creation in 2017, the impact of the IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark and the significant role of EPAS in coordinating this project and providing input from European governments.
The IOC participated in the 5th America's Best Practices Symposium held on 9 and 10 December in Miami, Florida, to present good practices of financial governance as part of the IPACS expertise. Organised by the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee in partnership with Panam Sports and Olympic Solidarity, the event brought together 41 NOCs from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean. The aim: advancing excellence in the participating NOCs by providing them with a forum to engage in high-level discussions regarding leadership, management and sports performance principles. During the Symposium, the IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark was highlighted as a practical example of how the IOC is promoting the prevention of corruption in sport.
The following week, the IOC joined in the UNODC Conference of the States Parties (COSP) to UNCAC in Atlanta, USA, from 11 to 15 December, which discussed anti-corruption efforts in sport during a number of sessions. IOC Member Anita DeFrantz highlighted the vital role of IPACS. Also on the agenda: the prevention of competition manipulation with contributions from the OM Unit PMC. Read more.