SC holds Workshop on Integrity in Sport
Doha, January 22, 2019 - A two-day Workshop on Integrity in Sport, organized by the Security Committee of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Criminal Police Organization's (Interpol) Project Stadia, kicked off Monday, with the participation of many local and international sports organizations and bodies.
The opening ceremony was attended by HE Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Jassim Rashid Al Buenain , head of the Advisory Unit of the Security Committee Brigadier Ibrahim Khalil al Mohannadi, SC's Executive Director of Security, member and secretary of the Security Committee of World Cup 2022 Col. Mohammed Majid Al Sulaiti, Interpol's assistant director for emerging crimes Jose De Romero, Director General of the Stadia Project Falah Abdullah Al Dosari, and a number of heads and directors of local and international sports bodies and organizations.
In his remarks at the opening of the workshop, QOC's Secretary General affirmed Qatar's longstanding relationship with sport that stretches over more than five decades as it hosted many sporting events at the continental and international levels, which have promoted the growth and development of sport in the country, adding that the workshop reflects Qatar's interest in the importance of integrity in sport, stressing the keenness of the Olympic Committee to work and cooperate for the sport's integrity.
Al Buenain stressed the importance of the workshop and keenness on achieving its objectives through the regulations and laws stipulated to combat the factors that threaten the basic values of sport such as doping and corruption and other related factors to address and eliminate them, highlighting the importance of organizing such meetings.
He reiterated Qatar's interest in the importance of integrity in sport. Out of this principle, it set up in 2012 Anti-Doping Lab Qatar, the first of its kind in the region, in order to support these values that we commit to, he added.
Al Buenain pointed out that the QOC works with sports federations and its committees with the concerned bodies, especially the IOC and the Interpol to promote the management of sports movement and the dissemination of Olympic values based on excellence and respect, friendship, non-discrimination, tolerance, fair play and solidarity in order to provide a healthy environment suitable for sport competitions in various fields, as stipulated in the Olympic Charter, as well as its keenness to apply integrity in competitions and sports institutions, where the exposure to any imbalance reflected negatively on the values sport institutions, as it integrity represents one of the most important pillars of the Olympic agenda for the year 2020.
He stressed that the QOC is keen to work and cooperate with all concerned in this regard in order to understand and identify effective ways to spread sports integrity and achieve credibility at all levels, through the implementation of the agreement of the International Olympic Committee with Interpol.
On his part, Al Mohannadi said the workshop is held in cooperation with the IOC and Interpol in the context of the efforts made through the partnership program between the State of Qatar represented by the SC and Interpol under the umbrella of the Project Stadia, which aims to build capacity and training for Qatar for other countries, adding performance standards for tasks that achieve the main objective are to provide a safe environment in the management of security and safety operations in general and sporting events in particular.
He pointed out that addressing the manipulation of the results of sports competitions and putting an end to corruption aspects that threaten the integrity of sport are the target of this workshop, which comes in light of what the world is witnessing in the penetration of competitive values in the field of sports.
He added the workshop is part of a global capacity-building and training program to help countries meet new challenges posed by competition manipulation, corruption and other threats to the safety of sport and thus working to strengthen cooperation between law enforcement agencies and partners represented by the Qatar Olympic Committee, sport associations and public authorities including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and other participants from relevant institutions in the State, all of which have an active role in creating an environment to prevent crime in sport.
or his part, Interpol's assistant director for emerging crimes Jose De Romero highlighted the importance of the workshop which discusses a vital topic to global sport, threats to its integrity, manipulation of competitions and tournaments and how organized crime may sneak into the sport to achieve profits. He also highlighted the importance of having a regulatory framework that provides guarantees for sport and ensures match fixing does not occur.
He said that the State of Qatar has a great global position in fighting such criminal activities and has a whole unit to fight corruption in sports and promote integrity. He added that match fixing in sports is not easy, where the Interpol has held many initiatives to fight these crimes through focusing on preventing them and developing worldwide capacities. He said this workshop organized by Qatar is part of Interpol's program to fight crimes related to sport.
He added that fighting this crime has to be done collectively in a group, through exchanging information between countries, establishing partnerships, setting an information network linked to all countries and coordinating with the Interpol on the matter.
He said Qatar's hosting to this workshop comes part of its preparedness to host 2022 FIFA World Cup, where it has greatly cooperating with Interpol resulting in the establishment of Project Stadia.
Senior Manager at Project Stadia Falah Abdulla Al Dosari said Project Stadia is funded by the State of Qatar under the provision of a ten year agreement to establish a center for excellence in the safety and security of major events. He added that Project Stadia directly supports the State of Qatar and all member states of the Interpol in providing security services in major events, and will be a sustainable project to implement law around the world, even after 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Al Dosari said the workshop agenda has been prepared by a selected number of experts which confirms that the discussion will set solid foundations for further developments in sports integrity initiative in the State of Qatar. He said the meetings will be attended by experts from law enforcement agencies, private sector, event organizers, academia and stadiums to exchange experiences, knowledges and expertise and provide recommendations for main hosts in the future.
Al Dosari said hosting this workshop is a great step in building and developing strategic partnerships to promote and improve information exchange and cooperation. This means that the workshops and future discussions will substantially deal with the previous meeting of the legislative expert group in Project Stadia.
He said Project Stadia hopes to publish the discussions and resolutions of the meeting in a knowledge management system that forms the core of the project. He said this system is the first of its kind and its a secure online repository for security and safety of key events which eases the exchange of information between global law enforcement agencies through a virtual support network.
Executive Director of the Security Administration for SC Muhammad Majid Al Sulaiti, who is also the Secretary of the security committee of 2022 FIFA World Cup welcomed the participants to the workshop which is the first of its kind in the sports field and is being organized in cooperation with Interpol's Project Stadia and the International Olympic Committee, which is an extension to the efforts sought to set mechanisms and legislations for the hosting of 2022 FIFA World Cup, in compliance with international standards to identify mechanisms that ensures safeguards for integrity during the World Cup.
Al Sulaiti highlighted the importance of the workshop which reflects the efforts of the State of Qatar in this field. He also expressed his content with hosting this workshop in cooperation with the strategic partner of SC, Project Stadia, which carried out programs, workshops and conferences which has helped refine the implementation of security plans and related legislation.
Al Sulaiti praised the role played by the International Olympic Committee in supporting the directives of the State of Qatar in achieving the highest standards that comply with hosting 2022 World Cup.
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