(MENAFNEditorial) Sir Ronald Flanagan, Chairman of the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit, and Cherie Blair CBE, Chair of Omnia Strategy (UK), will be part of an expert panel discussing corruption in sport at Doha GOALS 2013. The debate will take place on the second day of the global Forum, which is the world's leading platform focusing on sport as a driver of social and economic change, held on December 9-11 at the Aspire Academy in Doha.
The panel, which also features Ronald K. Noble, Secretary General of Interpol, Michele Verroken, CEO of Sporting Integrity and board member of the Commonwealth Games Federation (UK) and Jean Francois Vilotte, President, ARJEL (France), will discuss the need for new and better methods for prevention, detection and punishment to combat Illegal betting and match-fixing in sport.
Former police Chief Sir Ronnie Flanagan, who has chaired the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit since 2010, said: "I look forward to sharing my experiences of dealing with corruption in cricket at Doha GOALS. I've seen first-hand how the issue can infiltrate sport across international boundaries and have identified that collaboration between stakeholders is vital in the fight against illegal betting and match-fixing."
"Doha GOALS is an opportunity to share best practice with a community of policymakers and government officials, heads of business, athletes, NGOs and students and help define better methods for prevention, detection and punishment to combat corruption in sport."
With corruption in sport becoming a growing issue in recent years the panel will also look at ways in which organizations can collect better intelligence and how can law enforcement agencies bring more investigations to successful conclusions. And in the spirit of the Doha GOALS Forum, the debate will ask how sporting groups and governments can work together better to deliver a rapid, co-ordinated response when instances of corruption are detected.
Cherie Blair said: "Sport is such a force for good; it brings together families and neighbours, unites regions and countries, and encourages competition between groups and nations that otherwise might not engage with each other. It's also a brilliant tool for motivating young people, keeping us healthy and building unity.
"That's why the rise of corruption in sport through activities like match-fixing is so serious: its enormous negative impact puts all these gains at risk. Corruption in sport is a global problem that pays little respect to national borders and the jurisdiction of domestic courts. The power of the internet and organised international criminal syndicates mean that we cannot, and must not, turn a blind eye to this menace. There must be a united international response from sporting organisations, regulators and governments if we are not to lose some of the magic that sport brings."
The Doha GOALS initiative, from the Aspire Zone Foundation and Richard Attias & Associates, will bring together a community of policymakers and government officials, heads of business, athletes, NGOs and students to build a roadmap for addressing social challenges through sport.
Sporting legends already set to speak at Doha GOALS 2013 include Olympic gold-medallist Michael Johnson, Jonathan Edwards and Pamela Jelimo, gold-medal winning gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner; triple Paralympic high jump champion, Bin Hou, six-time Grand Slam tennis winner Boris Becker and indoor 800 and 1000 metre world record holder Wilson Kipketer.
The inaugural Doha GOALS Forum brought together more than 2,000 participants from 60 countries including 400 international students and 400 Qatari students. Speakers at Doha GOALS 2012 included President of FIFA Sepp Blatter and Lord Coe, chairman of the organising committee of London 2012, as well as sporting champions such as multi-Olympic gold medalists Ian Thorpe and Carl Lewis.
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