The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) will convene its flagship conference Securing Sport on a virtual platform under the theme ‘Building Resilience in an Ever-Changing World’ from December 1-4.
As ICSS CEO Massimiliano Montanari put it in his remarks during a pre-event press conference yesterday, “In the ’80s or the ’90s, when we spoke about securing sport, our main concern was sport and violence, hooliganism. After 2001, after 9/11, it was about protecting sport from terrorism. But we were always talking about man-made actions, about behaviours and violence by individuals. But now-a-days, the concern is not just behaviour of individuals, but systemic too. Now we talk about securing sport from a pandemic, climate change, systemic challenges.”
The past editions of the conference were held in Doha, New York and London, while the latest edition will be going online with eminent international experts and leaders from organisations across sectors united on a virtual platform.
Given the times we live in, Montanari said that besides the pandemic, “recession” is a concern to the sports industry too.
“The type of conversation we have will not be limited to whether we will play or not play. Conversation will be broader. We believe it’s vital to see how the sports industry will change in the long term. The society is changing, world economy is changing, the way people are living is changing. So we cannot think about future of sport in the short term,” he said.
The four-day event features a multi-sectoral line up of international and national decision-makers who will take part in a series of Policy Dialogues and Expert Debates to inspire collective action and identify solutions to enhance the safety, security and integrity of sport, while protecting its societal values. The conference will conclude with the organization of a Youth Forum hosted by ICSS’s initiative Save the Dream to gather the contributions from youth leaders in shaping the future agenda.
“Securing Sport has been conceived to bring together all our allies and to stimulate the future work of the ICSS. The 2020 edition aims at opening the conversation about the new realms of this rapidly changing world and how we need to be more resilient in our fight for protecting the integrity of sport. This event gives inspiration to the ICSS regarding the general work objectives and future endeavours in safeguarding sport as a common good for humankind. I look forward for thought leaders coming together next few days to analyse some of the most pressing current challenges facing the world of sport.”
Saleh Salem al-Eida, Special Advisory, Strategy and Partnership Development, ICSS added: “The Securing Sport 2020 is on course to be an exceptional edition of the ICSS-hosted conference. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the new challenges the pandemic has instigated with respect to the safety, security and integrity of sport will be addressed under the conference theme ‘Building Resilience in an Ever-Changing World’, given that the current circumstances have added yet another layer of complexity to the threats the world of sport faces.
“At the ICSS we are proud to bring back our flagship conference again this year in a new virtual format after it was initiated nine years ago. Over the years, Securing Sport has become a globally recognised and respected event by the international leaders and experts in the field.”
The confirmed speaker lineup includes, Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC); Staffan De Mistura, former Under-Secretary-General and United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon; Constantinos Filis, Director-General, International Olympic Truce Centre; Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office (UNOCT); Dr Cl?udia Pereira, Secretary of State for Integration and Migration, Portugal; Raffaele Chiulli, President of Sport Accord and the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF); ambassador Thomas Stelzer, Dean, International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), ICSS Honorary Board Member; Azat Kadyrov, First Deputy Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation; Franco Frattini, President of the High Court of Sport Justice of Italy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA); and Filomena Fortes, President of the Cape Verdean Olympic Committee.
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