The International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) held its Steering Committee meeting via virtual means on 16 November 2020. More than 200 participants from 50 governments (including most EPAS member states), 14 intergovernmental organisations and 25 sports organisations attended, clearly confirming their commitment towards international co-operation for values-based sport, the eradication of corruption in sport and their readiness to work together in IPACS. The opening up of the Steering Committee to any state interested in participating, and the creation of its Bureau is a welcome step and response to comments made previously by European governmental experts.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Steering Committee listened to reports on the recent activities of IPACS, including those carried out under the four Task Forces, reviewed the progress made towards the objectives set forth in their respective Terms of Reference and discussed the next steps, agreeing upon a 2020-2022 roadmap.
As co-ordinator of Task Force 3, the Council of Europe is particularly delighted with the endorsement of the work done so far on creating a sports governance benchmark, a particular step towards a better governance in sport which will inspire the building of trust-based partnerships between public authorities and the sports organisations.
The Steering Committee also endorsed the Governance Guidelines of IPACS which set out the principles and procedures of the partnership and clarify the way it functions. This milestone achievement subsequently allowed the Committee to elect its first Chair, Vice-Chair and members of its Bureau, for a term of two-years, as follows:
- Chair: Canada
- Vice-Chair: International Olympic Committee (IOC)
In addition, the following were confirmed as Bureau members:
- the other four founding partners of the partnership, namely,
- Council of Europe (CoE)
- Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Australia;
- Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF);
- the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).
The Council of Europe welcomes this innovative move to create a strengthened Bureau, with active members known for their respected approach to sport integrity and noteworthy commitment to good governance. This stronger, more diverse, foundation will enable IPACS to develop ambitious tools and promote their implementation to a wider, more global, audience.
@CoE_Sports, 