Today we are going to share the establishment of a civil non for profit society that is likely to become defining for the future of Greek sport. The signatures that many of you will add to the statue, represents a breakthrough in the fight against some of the worst threats related to modern sport. One virtue of the statue is that match-fixing is addressed as much more than an individual problem of
athletes and players that cheat. It is seen as a societal problem, a challenge of industrial scale. The common wish to combat organized crime paves new ways for the cooperation between the Greek government, the sports movement and other Greek affected stakeholders. As a very competitive activity and even a multi-million euro business, sport can be subject to corruption. While the implementation of good governance principles is key, sports organizations, as well as governments which support them financially, need to follow a “zero tolerance” policy. This is a remarkable achievement for Greece, and yet it evokes at least one important question:
If some Greek sports organizations are at risk of corruption, or taken over already by corrupt people and practices, how can they act as credible national partners in the fight against match-fixing? Sport pre-supposes effort, commitment, personal empowerment, respect for opponents and rules, joy, solidarity and team spirit, among other things. Far beyond the visible activity itself, sport provides role modelling and a means of conveying these values to members of society, and to the youth in particular. In addition to its educational role, sport contributes to public health, social inclusion and is an increasingly important economic activity. Sport organizations which enjoy the right to freedom of association, are expected to provide numerous social benefits, in an autonomous way but with the support of states and within the framework of the applicable law. Greek citizens ask integrity, wish transparency, and call for a sports life that is open and safe for all age groups and skills, so we can break the circle of unfair play
If the Greek sports autonomous movement is to act as a trustworthy and efficient partner in overcoming these challenges, one common denominator is required: a much better governance standard than today, especially in national governing sport bodies. However, as in any other sector of society sport is not immune to corruption, on the contrary, as a very competitive activity it is exposed to specific risks, especially as nowadays parts of it have become a multimillion euro business while the structures are sometimes still those of an amateur club, with limited accountability requirements. With checks and balances, transparency and accountability lacking, many sport organizations are struggling with misuse of power and corruption. This is not a singular problem as due to the high media attention for sport any negative incident becoming public is a scandal which tarnishes the image of sport and shatters the trust in sport’s contribution to society. Good governance in sport is needed to hold up the values inherent to sport and to ensure sport organizations are taken seriously. Although the latest Greek football match fixing syndrome and corruption scandal case stories may be colorful for the media, corruption in Greek sport is rather a consequence of bad structures than of bad individuals executives and managers. In short, the last decades amateur association structures of sport, have not been able to carry the weight of the huge commercial success they have gone through. A lot of temptation is offered in professional sport, and there are rarely internal or external control mechanisms to help the sports leaders resist to corruption and bribery
Government intervention in sport is a delicate and sensitive matter. One of the fundamental democratic rights is the right to freely form unions of people with common interests and run associations, and we should all recognize the values that the hundreds of thousands of small, volunteer sports associations bring to our Greek nation. There is, however, a very big difference between the little athletic association in the nearby village and the national or international federations that are driving a European and global, immensely profitable entertainment industry. In the sports business sector with its rapid and growing circulation of big money, association freedom can easily be perverted and turn sport into a greenhouse for tax evasions, money laundering, bribes, abuse of labor and international organized crime. This is the lesson learned from current studies of match fixing, doping, trafficking and other threats to sport and society, and the lesson unmistakably points to the need for better governance in sport. To the question, how can Greek society, the Greek State, and the Greek government, act against the vices of sport without infringing on the freedom and autonomy of Greek sports associations unions and federation there are specific considerable proposals that the civil society suggests:
First of all, it is our right as Greek citizens and Greek Government’s and Greek state’s duty to protect our tax-pay money. Greek sport received and is receiving massive public subsidies at all levels, from support to grass-root activities and local sports facilities, to investment in bidding campaigns for big events, talent development etcetera. In return, Greek public authorities are entitled to demand sufficient standards of transparency integrity and accountability. Secondly, Greek state can and should maintain a permanent public pressure on all Greek sports organizations, insisting that all potential scandals are fully clarified, as well as providing Greek federations with the tools they need to improve their fair and good governance. Thirdly, the Greek sports society could take the lead in establishing a framework for regular dialogue between the national sports bodies the citizens, the State and the government. Within this framework, Greek state can define guidelines for the distribution of roles between civil society public authorities and the independent Greek sport movement, and can set minimum standards for good governance transparency and integrity in Greek sport. Last, but not least, lets address the evil in the Greek Sport spectrum. Everybody says that we need national coordination to fight corruption in sport, but nobody seems to know who is going to carry this coordination out. That coordination will happen by itself
Greece should take the lead in establishing a national clearing house for integrity in sport, an independent institution in the form of national platform, that could ensure the coordination, facilitate exchange of information, and promote best practices in the fight against various kinds of corruption in sport. With the tremendous impact that sport has on our daily lives in terms of education, entertainment, economy, health, community life, urban planning, personal development and other vital areas, we, as Greek citizens, need sports leaders we can trust and sports organizations that can deliver and serve the Greek nation
This will not come about without active engagement and readiness to take the next steps in the fight against corruption in sport. ATHENS 28 OCTOBER 2014
