Statement (original Turkish version and English translation)

Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Ph.D. was born in Istanbul in 1976. After graduating from the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Marmara University, he had his master's degree in Local Administrations and Decentralization Program at the same university.

He worked as a researcher, expert and project coordinator in the field of management organisation at Florida State University in the US. He also took a master's degree in business administration at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

He earned his doctorate degree from Istanbul University with his study on local employment.

He played an active role and assumed leading positions in nongovernmental organizations when he was a student both in Türkiye and abroad. He also worked in international trade in the private sector.

After being appointed as an Advisor to the Prime Minister in 2009, he undertook several positions in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

As the Head of Spor Toto Organization, he made significant contributions for providing many sports facilities to popularise sports and especially focused on the financing of youth, education and sports activities as well as sports employment.

Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Ph.D. is married with two children. He speaks English and Arabic.

  Statement (in English and French)

Marija Pejčinović Burić is the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the pre-eminent Pan-European international organisation in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Prior to being elected to her current position, Ms Pejčinović Burić was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, having served previously, on two occasions, as State Secretary for EU Affairs. She has also served as a Deputy in the Croatian Parliament.

  Statement 

Ms. Linda Hofstad Helleland has been a member of the Norwegian parliament Stortinget since 2001, representing Høyre (The Conservative Party). Since 2021 she is a member of the Norwegian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe with a seat in the Committee for Culture, Science, Education and Media.

During the government of Ms. Erna Solberg Ms. Helleland held ministerial posts from 2015-2021. Serving as Minister of Culture, including responsibility for sports from 2015 to 2018, as Minister of Children and Equality from 2018 to 2019, and as Minister of Districts and Digitalisation from 2020 to 2021.

During the years 2017-2019 Ms. Helleland served as Vice President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Ms. Helleland is married and has two sons.

Clarence Seedorf is one of the most talented and successful footballers in football history. He is the only player in history to have won the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs (four times). Seedorf is one of the six persons in the world to have been chosen by Nelson Mandela to be a Legacy Champion, he is UEFA Global Ambassador for Diversity & Change, Member of the FIFA Diversity Award Jury and Board Member of UEFA Foundation for Children. Clarence Seedorf has an Honoris Causa Degree in Humanities and the highest civil Decorations in Suriname and in the Netherlands. He founded in 2004 the Champions for Children Foundation, supporting and financing projects related to Education and Sport. Seedorf speaks 6 languages, completed his education in business and sport psychology, becoming also assistant Professor in Sport Science at Catholic University of Milano. Clarence Seedorf is a NLP certified coach and has been a blogger for the NY Times and NRC columnist. He travels the world inspiring the next generations. Seedorf is currently a member of the Support Committee of Fondazione Veronesi, a member of the Strategic Committee of the UN Science Panel for the Amazon, Founder & Chairman of the Black Impact Foundation and the main pundit for Amazon Prime Video. 

Kristina Molloy is the Chief Membership and Impact Officer of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Canadian native held various leadership roles promoting accessibility and disability inclusion within the Government of Canada and the Paralympic Movement.

Most recently she served as policy director to The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, a two–time Paralympian herself and Canada’s Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. In this role, Kristina was involved in establishing Canada’s first-ever federal accessibility legislation.

Previously Molloy was the Director of Planning and Integration for the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and led accessibility and Paralympic operational planning for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

In addition, she was a member of the IPC Development Committee from 2005 to 2018 and worked as an IPC advisor for London 2012, Sochi 2014, Rio 2016 and Pyeongchang 2018 on Paralympic integration and transition planning.

Molloy is passionate about the power of sport to effect positive social change worldwide. In a volunteer capacity, she worked with Right to Play, establishing sport and coaching programmes in several refugee camps in Rwanda, with a strong focus on the inclusion of women. Before this she established a Para rowing programme in Canada, later coaching the national team at the World Rowing Championships.

Giovanni Guidetti is believed to be one of the best head coaches of all times in woman volleyball. Born in Modena in 1972, he started his professional coaching career at the age of 23 and coached national teams all around the world, including United States of America, Bulgaria, Germany and Holland. He has lived in Türkiye since 2008, working as the head coach of VakıfBank club. Giovanni Guidetti won 5 CEV Champions League, 4 FIVB World Cup, 7 Turkish League and 5 Turkish Cup trophies during the last 10 years. He has also been appointed as the head coach of Turkish National Team in 2017. Under the leadership of Guidetti, Turkish National Team has been qualified for 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the team reached quarters for first time in Olympics history.

Besides his successful coaching career, Mr Guidetti is a famous activist. He is pioneering various projects to fight against gender discrimination, using volleyball as a strong tool to empower girls all around the country and tear down the barriers for girls for equal access to sports. He is the founder of a social movement platform called “Yarının Sultanları” (Sultan of Tomorrow). The mission of the platform is to provide equal opportunity to the girls in the socio-economically disadvantaged regions of Türkiye through volleyball. He visits the villages of disadvantaged regions with his assistant coaches and train the girls who have never played volleyball. In 2019, he has been officially appointed by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the advocate for gender equality. This is the first time sports person has been chosen to become United Nations advocates in Türkiye.

Annamarie Phelps: CBE OLY Co-chair, IWG Women and Sport, the largest global network for the advancement of gender equality in sport, hosted by the UK 2022-2026. European Rowing: President; British Olympic Association: Vice-chair, European Olympic Committees: ExCo and Chair of Gender Equality Commission, Safe Sport International: Associate Consultant. She represented Great Britain in rowing at Atlanta Olympic Games 1996.

Annamarie is passionate about promoting safe and accessible sport for all. Previous roles include Vice Chair, British Paralympic Association and independent chair of UK’s Safeguarding Adults in Sport Strategic Partnership. She chaired the British Horseracing Authority, British Rowing and the Independent Review into the culture of British Cycling’s high-performance programme. Annamarie currently serves on the IPC Legal and Ethics Committee, the IOC Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commission, IOC Faculty for Safeguarding and World Rowing Governance Committee.

Ms Emine Bozkurt is the Chair of the European Commission’s High Level Group on Gender Equality in Sport. This High Level Group made proposals for future actions to the Commission, the EU Member States and the sport movement in the field of Gender Equality in sport. Topics related to girls and women’s participation in sport, female coaches, women’s representation in decision-making processes, media coverage as well as gender-based violence are addressed. She fulfils several other leadership roles in Boards of renowned international organizations like International Alert.

As Chair of the Board of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance in Sweden, she was part of the highest level of leadership of an intergovernmental organization on global democracy working worldwide. As a former Member of European Parliament (2004-2014) representing the Netherlands, Ms Emine Bozkurt worked on civil rights, including women’s rights and gender equality.

A passionate advocate of human rights, she was appointed Chairwoman of the cross-party Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup of the European Parliament. As a leading MEP on gender equality in sport, she cooperated closely with the European Commission, national governments, Council of Europe, sport and civil society organisations during her 10 years in European Parliament. In 2014 she was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau by His Majesty the King of the Netherlands.

Gizem Girişmen was born on November 25, 1981, in Ankara, Turkey. She had a T5-level spinal cord injury due to a car accident the summer after she finished primary school. She completed high school at Lyceé Tevfik Fikret d'Ankara, following a BSC degree in Business Administration at Bilkent Univesity. She started practicing archery in September 2004 after her graduation from university and was bound to archery starting from the first day.

Within one year she had made the national squad by participating in the 2005 IPC Archery World Championships in Massa Carrara, Italy.

After several national awards, Gizem had 3rd place at 2006 Para-Archery European Championships in Czech Republic. She became Paralympic Champion at 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games by winning a gold medal at the Recurve ARW2 event.

Gizem is the first Turkish female athlete to have won a gold medal at the Paralympic Games. Within the year 2008, she was nominated as “The Sportsperson of the Year” by several organizations and foundations. Following her success in the Paralympic Games, she won the “World Champion” title at 2009 Para-Archery World Championships in Czech Republic. At the same World Championships, Gizem was one of the members of the Turkish Recurve Team who won the bronze medal. She was nominated as the “Athlete of the Month” by IPC in August 2009. She became the first ever Turkish athlete to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2010.

Gizem had 1st place at the IPC World Archery Ranking List between 2007 and 2010. In addition to her sportive career, she has also been working at the Ministry of Youth and Sports as a Sports Advisor. She graduated from Middle East Technical University Msc. in Social Policy and is currently a PhD student at METU Physical Education and Sports.

She was a governing board member of the European Paralympic Committee from 2012 to 2017 and a member of the International Paralympic Committee Athlete's Council from 2012 to 2021.

Spyros Capralos was born in Athens in 1955. He studied Economics at the University of Athens, and holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from INSEAD University in France. He speaks fluent English, French and Italian.

He is President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee since 2009. In 2021 he was elected President of the European Olympic Committees and in 2019 member of the International Olympic Committee.

As an athlete he participated with the National Water Polo Team in the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles in 1984, while he was Greek and Balkan champion in swimming from 1969 to 1975.

He was Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the European Games in Baku (2015) and Minsk (2019), member of the General Assembly of the Hellenic Olympic Committee (1992-1996) and Head of the Greek Delegation to the Atlanta Olympic Games. In addition, he was Member of the Board and Executive Director of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games "Athens 2004". In March 2004, he was appointed by the Prime Minister as General Secretary of State and City Manager of the Olympic Games Athens 2004.

In addition, he is President of the Shipping Company Star Bulk Carriers, Chairman of the Board of Euroclinic and member of the Board of Directors of GEK TERNA.

He has been President of the Athens Stock Exchange and Managing Director of the subsidiaries of Hellenic Exchanges Group, President of the Federation of European Stock Exchanges, Deputy Governor of the National Bank, Vice President of the Bankers Trust Company, President of ETEVA and Astir Insurance Company, CEO of OceanBulk Containers, EPIRUS SA, and of the Bank of Athens.

Marcelien Bos-de Koning broke through together with Lobke Berkhout in 2005 as a sailor in the 470 class. The duo had their own way of working and believed in building a community of experts. Together with coach Jacco Koops, this method has resulted in 3 world titles and they were awarded as sportsteam of the year in 2015. She won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics. In 2012, the sailor qualified again for the Games in a titanic battle as a crew with Annemiek Bes and Renee Groeneveld. The eighth place in London was the result. Bos- de Koning denounced its increasingly polluted environment and now advocates clean seas and oceans and is working on solutions for the current climate change.

She has a communication company which brings innovative students, start-ups, large companies and ministries together in the water sector. She is also active as Mayor of Your North Sea, Sustainability manager at DutchSail, Chef de Emission of the sustainable sport sector, Chief Solar Officer of Solar Sport One and Sports & Relation manager at Wavemakers United.

Mr Bjørn Berge serves as the Council of Europe’s Deputy Secretary General since 1 March 2021.

As the Deputy Secretary General he is involved in a number of key areas of the work of the Organisation, including advising and overseeing the implementation of the Secretary General’s reform agenda, in line with the decisions and priorities of the Committee of Ministers.

His priorities include shaping the Programme and Budget, while ensuring that the Organisation’s activities have maximum impact in advancing democracy, human rights and the rule of law. He also oversees the Council of Europe’s staff policy, as well as other key areas of the work of the Organisation.

Before taking up his post, Mr Berge was for a period of four years Director General and Secretary to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Between 2009-2017, he served as Director of the Private Office of the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General, helping to prepare, co-ordinate and implement a number of comprehensive reforms of the Organisation.

Mr Berge has over thirty years of international professional experience.

As a former Norwegian diplomat, he served as International Adviser to the Prime Minister and as Deputy Director of the Foreign Minister’s Cabinet responsible for all matters related to Parliament. He also served as speechwriter to three Norwegian Foreign Ministers.

Mr Berge has published several books on a range of issues relating to speech writing and speeches, as well as articles on the Council of Europe’s mandate and work.

He was a Fulbright Scholar and holds a M.A. in International Relations from the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C., USA.

The speaker has not yet provided their biography.

Alexandre Husting: Chair of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), Attaché for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport at the Permanent Representation of Luxembourg to the European Union and International and European Affairs Advisor at the Ministry of Sport of Luxembourg.

Kolë Gjeloshaj (Belgium): International School Sport Federation (ISF) – Director Institutional and Educational Affairs

Since 1996, he developed his career in international multisport federations covering positions dealing with education, member relations, institutional affairs, and protocol within the International University Sports Federation (FISU) from 1996 – 2018 and since 2018 in ISF.

He set up the educational and development departments and the related committees of FISU (Gender Equality Committee, Students Committee). He was the team leader for FISU for the Proclamation by UNESCO (2015) of the International Day of University Sport (20th September) and the co-rapporteur of the High Level Group of the Gender Equality in Sport of the European Commission (2021-2022).

Alongside his professional career, he has developed an academic activity as Scientific Collaborator at the Institute of Sociology of ULB (2000 – currently associate member of Cevipol). He co-authored two books contributed to two dictionaries and wrote more than forty articles translated in five languages. He is an alumni of Univeristé Libre de Bruxelles - ULB (M.A. Political sciences) and the University of Pisa (M.A. Anti mafia and corruption (APC).

  Statement (original Turkish version and English translation)

Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Ph.D. was born in Istanbul in 1976. After graduating from the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Marmara University, he had his master's degree in Local Administrations and Decentralization Program at the same university.

He worked as a researcher, expert and project coordinator in the field of management organisation at Florida State University in the US. He also took a master's degree in business administration at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

He earned his doctorate degree from Istanbul University with his study on local employment.

He played an active role and assumed leading positions in nongovernmental organizations when he was a student both in Türkiye and abroad. He also worked in international trade in the private sector.

After being appointed as an Advisor to the Prime Minister in 2009, he undertook several positions in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

As the Head of Spor Toto Organization, he made significant contributions for providing many sports facilities to popularise sports and especially focused on the financing of youth, education and sports activities as well as sports employment.

Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Ph.D. is married with two children. He speaks English and Arabic.

On 1 January 2022, Ms Leyla Kayacik took up her functions as the Special Representative on Migration and Refugees of Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić. A long-time member of the Council of Europe Secretariat, Ms Kayacik brings over 30 years of international experience in the field of human rights and the rule of law. During that time, she has served in a number of roles, including in the then European Commission of Human Rights (European Court of Human Rights), the Secretariat of the European Social Charter, in the field and as Director of the Private Office of the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General. Ms Kayacik holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Strasbourg and a master’s degree in English language and literature from the University of Nice. She is fluent in Turkish, French and English.

Clarence Seedorf is one of the most talented and successful footballers in football history. He is the only player in history to have won the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs (four times). Seedorf is one of the six persons in the world to have been chosen by Nelson Mandela to be a Legacy Champion, he is UEFA Global Ambassador for Diversity & Change, Member of the FIFA Diversity Award Jury and Board Member of UEFA Foundation for Children. Clarence Seedorf has an Honoris Causa Degree in Humanities and the highest civil Decorations in Suriname and in the Netherlands. He founded in 2004 the Champions for Children Foundation, supporting and financing projects related to Education and Sport. Seedorf speaks 6 languages, completed his education in business and sport psychology, becoming also assistant Professor in Sport Science at Catholic University of Milano. Clarence Seedorf is a NLP certified coach and has been a blogger for the NY Times and NRC columnist. He travels the world inspiring the next generations. Seedorf is currently a member of the Support Committee of Fondazione Veronesi, a member of the Strategic Committee of the UN Science Panel for the Amazon, Founder & Chairman of the Black Impact Foundation and the main pundit for Amazon Prime Video.

Kolë Gjeloshaj (Belgium): International School Sport Federation (ISF) – Director Institutional and Educational Affairs

Since 1996, he developed his career in international multisport federations covering positions dealing with education, member relations, institutional affairs, and protocol within the International University Sports Federation (FISU) from 1996 – 2018 and since 2018 in ISF.

He set up the educational and development departments and the related committees of FISU (Gender Equality Committee, Students Committee). He was the team leader for FISU for the Proclamation by UNESCO (2015) of the International Day of University Sport (20th September) and the co-rapporteur of the High Level Group of the Gender Equality in Sport of the European Commission (2021-2022).

Alongside his professional career, he has developed an academic activity as Scientific Collaborator at the Institute of Sociology of ULB (2000 – currently associate member of Cevipol). He co-authored two books contributed to two dictionaries and wrote more than forty articles translated in five languages. He is an alumni of Univeristé Libre de Bruxelles - ULB (M.A. Political sciences) and the University of Pisa (M.A. Anti mafia and corruption (APC).

As a member of the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Milli Majlis, Nigar Arpadarai is both an active community advocate and representative of Azerbaijan internationally. She was elected member of Parliament in February, 2020 after 15 years of work experience in international organizations as well as sports and telecom sectors.

Representing central district of capital city, Baku, Nigar also actively engages in the protection of women’s and children’s rights. Her experience and knowledge have provided her with a deep understanding of issues around wellbeing of communities and contributed to Nigar’s active role as a member of 2 Committees of the Parliament (Milli Majlis) – Committee on Foreign and Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Committee on Family, Women and Children.

Nigar is also a member of Azerbaijani Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), where she contributes to the work of Committees on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons and Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development. She is a PACE rapporteur on Integration of Refugees and Migrants through sport.

Nigar is also a chairman of the Working Group on Azerbaijan-Portugal inter-parliamentary relations.

Prior to becoming a member of parliament of Azerbaijan, Nigar was the Head of marketing and communications department and official spokesperson for Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix from its inception in 2016.

Nigar participated in the establishment of the Delegation of the European Commission in Azerbaijan in 2008.

Later on, Nigar worked at one of the biggest telecom companies in Azerbaijan. Her pursuit of community support inspired her to envision and implement leading CSR and PR projects in the country.

Nigar holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Law & International Relations from Baku State University.

Nigar is married and has two sons.

Aya Medany was born in November 20, 1988. She works as a teacher assistant at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport, College of Logistics and International transport since (2010-). Her father Mahmoud Medany was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 alongside Al Gore so she can take her father Steps. She finished her B.S in Logistics and Transportation with Excellent degree with Honour 2010, and Finished her Master in International Trade and transportation with Excellent Degree 2012, And currently studying PhD in Latvia in Air Transport Management.

She is also an Egyptian Olympic Modern Pentathlete. Participated in three summer Olympic games, Athens 04’ Beijing 08’ & London 12’, She is an Athlete commission member for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since (2016-), Commission member of Public affairs and sport development in the IOC (2016-), Champion of peace (2016-), Chair of the Athlete commission in the Egyptian Olympic Committee (2019-), Board Member of El-shams Sporting Club in Cairo (one of the biggest sport clubs in Egypt and the middle east), Executive board member in the international federation for modern pentathlon (UIPM) as the Chair of the Athletes commission (2016-2021) and currently member of the first ever Women Commission in the international federation for modern pentathlon (UIPM) since (2021-).

During her Sport carrier she was awarded in 2008 the Medal of first-class honour in sport from President of Egypt. And being awarded from the president of the International Olympic committee for her achievement and got the Title of the “African women and sport for the year of 2016”. After this award she made a project called “Changing Sport Culture” she went to Schools and Villages in Egypt to spread the meaning of the Olympic spirit and the important of doing sport, also she went to the Syrian refugee camp (Al-zataari) in Jordan and she teach them how to fence by recycled material, so she was awarded from the president of Egypt, Abdelfattah Al-Sisi in the Egyptian women day as one of the “10 Egyptian Female role model” in all majors. In January 2021 she got appointed by President of Egypt, Abdelfattah Al-Sisi as a member of the Egyptian parliament. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award in December 2021 announced that she won the category of the best Arab administration in the field of sport. And in June 2022 she got appointed as a chair of the Athlete’s commission in the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) by the president Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-FAISAL AL SAUD.

Nagin Ravand is a Danish-Afghan football coach and director who fled to Denmark from Afghanistan at the age of three. Nagin has played football her entire life on elite- and amateur level. She has created and directed several girls- and women’s football departments in the rural areas of Denmark to secure equal access to the playing field and is using her voice and resources to empower the female minorities of her community. Today she fights discrimination inside the world and structure of sports through her own organization. She is a member of the Committee of Diversity & Equality in her municipality and also an ambassador of the Danish FA. Nagin is studying a masters degree in criminology and holds a bachelor's degree in Education Science. She is also a UEFA licensed football coach. Her work on and off the football pitch has been recognized with multiple awards nationally and internationally and she aspires to become the first female Muslim leader in the international football structure.

Philippe Leclerc is the Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Türkiye since January 2021. He has been working for UNHCR since 1990 in various positions throughout the world. He has been responsible for protection of refugees in Cameroon (1990-1992), in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Serbia (1993), in Slovenia (1994-1995), in Brussels (1996). He has served as the Head of the Liaison Office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein (1996-2000) in Geneva UNHCR Headquarters, then he was in charge of the organization of the first Ministerial Meeting of State Parties to the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees (2001). He has served as Assistant Chief of Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan (2002-2003), Head of the Statelessness Unit within the Division of International Protection at UNHCR HQs in Geneva (2004-2008), and Deputy-Representative in Damascus, Syria (2008-2010). He also participated in many emergency missions to the field. He was the Representative of UNHCR in France and Monaco from November 2010 to November 2015, and in Greece from December 2015 to December 2020.

Francine Hetherington Raveney is an expert in the fields of: sport policy, gender equality, diversity, project management, script analysis, audiovisual co-productions, and communication, amongst others. She obtained a Masters Degree in English and French Literature at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1992-1996), a Masters Degree in Women’s Studies at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1996-1997) and then carried out doctoral studies in France in politics and literature at Strasbourg University (1997-1998).

Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently a Board Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.

Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and ensures that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating hate speech in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively. In her spare time she works as a qualified fitness and Pilates instructor and is training in exercise referral.

Mogens Kirkeby is President of the International Sport & Culture Association (ISCA). Holds a Master of Science in Sport, organizational development, sport policies, social sciences and international politics from Copenhagen University, Denmark.

Vice Chair of the Bureau of the Council of Europe’s Consultative Committee EPAS.

Board member of the Danish sport for all organisation DGI.

Originally from Belgium, Géraldine Heinen has always had an interest in sport and working with children. She first aspired to be a physical education teacher, and got the qualifications for it, but life had a slightly different path for her. Previously at FIFA, Geraldine guided the partnerships which formed the basis for many of the organisation’s development-based projects.

Now working at the Royal Belgian Football Association, Géraldine works as advisor in the Football and Social Responsibility department.

Prof. Dr. Sebahattin Devecioglu was born on May 19, 1968 in Elazig

Graduated Gazi University, Faculty of Education, Physical Education and Sports Department in 1990 (Ankara)

Master Degree at Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Education and Sports Program at Firat University, and Research Assistant at The Department of Physical Education and Sports ( Elazig / Türkiye). In 1996-1998

Doctoral Program at Gazi University, Institute of Health Sciences Department of Physical Education and Sports and started to work as a Research Assistant (Ankara / Türkiye). 1998-2002

Member of UNESCO Physical Education and Sport Committee in 2005

Head of the Department of Sport Management and Assistant Professor in 2002-2010

Visiting Scholar of Dowling College, US. in 2011

Post-Doc at The University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Department of Economics in 2014-2015 Sept. (Visiting Research Scholar for TUBITAK Project)

NGO Representative at the United Nations Department of Public Information of The Light Millennium in 2015

Owner Peace Ball Project 2015

Associate Professor at Firat University, Faculty of Sport Science, Department of Sport Management 2013-2018

General Secretaria (ICPESPT2016)

Coordinator (ISPESCONGRESS2018-2021)

Turkish Youth and Sports Ministry Education and Science Board Member 2018

Chairman Elazigspor Club 2018 December/2019 March

Board Member of Turkish Sports Sciences Association 2019-2021

Representative ICF of Türkiye Catchball Association 2019

Ambassador of European Platform for Sport Innovation (EPSI) 2020

Professor of Sports Economics in University of Firat, Elazig, Türkiye, 2019

Michelle Mills is a researcher with UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti. Her research investigates the powerful impacts that Sport for Development (S4D) programs can have on the wellbeing of children and youth around the world. Prior to her time with UNICEF, Michelle worked on child-centered policy interventions within the United Nations, including at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). Michelle holds a master’s degree from Stanford University in International Education Administration and Policy Analysis.

Jeroen Carrin joined the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) in September 2019, shortly after its creation by the International Olympic Committee, and manages its programmes across the globe. He orchestrated the expansion of ORF’s programmes in support of displaced young people worldwide, co-creating initiatives and developing innovative partnership models that optimise impact.

Jeroen has dedicated his professional life to supporting people affected by armed conflict, violence and natural disasters. Prior to joining the Olympic Refuge Foundation, Jeroen worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross, where for over a decade he directed the humanitarian response to conflict-affected populations in Uganda, DR Congo, Sudan, Syria, Colombia and Lebanon. Then, as the Humanitarian Director of the Belgian Red Cross, he worked with Red Cross / Red Crescent National Societies to design and deliver solutions to crisis-hit communities in Mozambique, Malawi, Nepal, South Sudan and the Great Lakes area.

After focusing on crisis recovery and emergency assistance for so long, he believes sport is a positive way to bring people together with dignity, to expand horizons, and promote healthy bodies and minds.

Jeroen holds an Engineering degree from the University of London and a Masters in Economics from the University of Lausanne HEC Business School.

Filippo Veglio is Senior Expert in UEFA’s Football and Social Responsibility (FSR) Division since September 2021.

His responsibilities are centred around the development and implementation of the organisation’s Football Sustainability Strategy 2030, which aims to initiate, inspire and accelerate collective action to respect human rights and the environment within European football. Filippo leads cross-divisional projects designed and rolled out in partnership with stakeholders across the football ecosystem.

Previous to joining UEFA, Filippo spent 16 years at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led community of 200 of the world’s leading businesses, where he was a member of the Senior Management Team.

A Swiss national and fluent in six languages, Filippo was formerly a professional tennis player.

Guido Battaglia has more than ten years’ experience in engaging multiple stakeholders in international programmes promoting responsible business practices and addressing human rights and sustainability challenges within different industries.

As Head of Policy and Outreach, Guido leads the Centre’s outreach and engagement strategy with governments, international organisations and sport bodies. In 2021 he was part of the project team that advised the World Athletics Human Rights Working Group on relevant human rights standards and their implications for World Athletics’ operations.

Guido also serves as Research Fellow for the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), where he was formerly Head of Responsible Trade and co-authored the first human rights due diligence guidance for the commodities trading sector.

Before joining IHRB, Guido was Director at the World Gold Council, where he managed the programme on responsible mining and socio-economic development. Prior to that he held manager positions at the World Economic Forum (WEF) - where he designed and facilitated high level sessions at the Davos meeting and led initiatives addressing responsible mineral resources management and infrastructure development. Guido also worked for the Law Firm DLA Piper and for the Italian Mission to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva. An Italian and Swiss citizen, Guido was a visiting student at the University of Tuebingen and holds a Bachelor and Master in International Law from the University of Milan.

A senior executive in a management consulting firm and a board member in the asset management industry, in her "free" time Eryn Zander is also the President of Sportunity, a not-for-profit organization she co-founded about 10 years ago. This independent charity based in Luxembourg has been pioneering the integration of refugees through sport by organising various sports programs and leisure activities for refugees and locals. Sportunity provides refugees and migrants with free access to regular sports practice, as well as with opportunities to build new lives in the host countries by creating strong bonds with the local community.

Francine Hetherington Raveney is an expert in the fields of: sport policy, gender equality, diversity, project management, script analysis, audiovisual co-productions, and communication, amongst others. She obtained a Masters Degree in English and French Literature at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1992-1996), a Masters Degree in Women’s Studies at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1996-1997) and then carried out doctoral studies in France in politics and literature at Strasbourg University (1997-1998).

Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently a Board Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.

Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and ensures that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating hate speech in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively. In her spare time she works as a qualified fitness and Pilates instructor and is training in exercise referral.

Sophie Kwasny is the Head of the Sport Division of the Council of Europe (international organisation based in France). She is responsible for the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) and for the promotion and implementation of ground-breaking legal instruments upholding the integrity and values of sport. Combating doping and the manipulation of sport competitions, and promoting an integrated safety, security and service approach at sports events are the key aims of the three Council of Europe Sport Conventions. She is a graduate of the Strasbourg Law University and has been working for the Council of Europe for 25 years on a variety of topics ranging from data protection to prisons’ reforms, or from the independence of the judiciary to nationality law. Her sole objective: Championing human rights in and through sport!

Mr. İnanç ÖZÇAKMAK was born in Denizli on 20 June 1978. He graduated from the Department of Business Administration at İstanbul University. He started his career at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as an Assistant Inspector in 2001. He soon became an Inspector at the same Ministry. Then he appointed as the Cultural&Tourism Attaché of Turkish Republic to Israel. During that period, he carried out, managed and designed numerous advertising campaigns to increase Turkey’s share in Israel tourism market as well as the Public Relations Activities of Turkish Republic in Israel. After turning back to his country he became the Deputy Director of the Central Directorate of Revolving Funds of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and after that he served as the Deputy Director General for Promotion at the same Ministry. He is currently serving as the Deputy Director General for International Organisations and Foreign Relations at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. 
Mr. Özçakmak is married with two children. He is fluent in English.