Azores and SIGA sign cooperation agreement to fight corruption in sport

SIGA, the Sport Integrity Global Alliance, and the Government of the Azores, the Portuguese autonomous region, signed a far-reaching agreement this afternoon, Tuesday 18 January, to collaborate on a number of areas including the implementation of SIGA’s Universal Standards on Sport Integrity.

Azores and SIGA to promote sport's values

Under the agreement the Azores and SIGA will work together to promote Sport's positive values, such as solidarity, respect, tolerance, fair-play, trust, ethics, honesty, while also raising awareness of the social, educational, cultural and economic role of Sport.

The agreement, which places the Azores at the centre of Sport Integrity in the Western World, will also aim to contribute to achieving integrity and fairness in Sport, enhancing integrity, transparency and accountability in Sport and promoting youth empowerment and participation in Sport, as workers, athletes, volunteers, officials, and in many other roles.

Of vital importance in achieving the goal of integrity in sport is the implementation of SIGA's Universal Standards on Sport Integrity through the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS). Under the memorandum of understanding signed today in Ponta Delgada, the Azores government undertakes to support these initiatives in the Azorean sports movement and as well as in the wider sports ecosystem.

SIGA’s standards cover four key areas:

- Good governance

- Sports Betting Integrity

- Financial Integrity

- Youth training and child protection

Diario AS is a proud media partner of SIGA.

Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, SIGA Global CEO and Azorean-born said: "This memorandum of understanding opens the door for a fruitful institutional relationship between the Azores and SIGA. There is full commitment, by the entire Government of the Azores, in pursuing this memorandum and delivering its fundamental objectives. It is our profound belief, and collective motivation, that ushering Sport into a new era of enhanced integrity can only bring benefits to all those involved, from athletes to managers and executives, and the Azores as a whole. Sport helps to consolidate human character, and that's our aim too."

Emphasizing the relevance of the agreement for the Azorean sports movement and wider ecosystem, José Manuel Bolieiro, President of the Government, stated:

"This memorandum of understanding opens the door for a fruitful institutional relationship between the Azores and SIGA. There is full commitment, by the entire Government of the Azores, in pursuing this memorandum and delivering its fundamental objectives. It is our profound belief, and collective motivation, that ushering Sport into a new era of enhanced integrity can only bring benefits to all those involved, from athletes to managers and executives, and the Azores as a whole. Sport helps to consolidate human character, and that's our aim too."