SIGA Global CEO Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros stresses importance of anti-corruption measures

The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) conference in New Delhi, India last week saw leaders from around the world coming together to tackle some of the biggest issues of the day.

SIGA is committed to ensuring fairness and integrity amongst the world’s various governing bodies and faces a number of challenges. One of those issues, brought up during a Q&A session on Tuesday, relates to the issue of corruption within major sporting institutions.

Nicola Allocca, chair of the OECD Anti-Corruption Committee, stressed that corruption represents a major obstacle for SIGA and to achieving its goals of Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG).

He asked SIGA chair Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros if he believed that more could be done to root out corruption.

“It is an unavoidable topic. If we really want to advance on ESGs we need to be consistent, action-oriented and we need continuity,” Macedo de Medeiros replied.

“The B20 has achieved remarkable by progress, for the first time putting anti-corruption in sport at the top of the agenda as one of its top three priorities.

“Corruption is a global deep-rooted problem, we need global solutions and we need global leadership… Anti-corruption is democracy, is rule of law, is equal opportunities, and is fair trade.”

“We position integrity as an umbrella that encapsulates all all these key key values. And integrity means democracy, anti corruption, gender, diversity, inclusion. I only expect and hope that, as in the under the Indian Presidency, the Brazilian Presidency, which will follow shines a light, fosters greater multilateral approaches because mutualism is decisive to win the cause, and instigates long overdue solutions.”

“I’m happy that my sector of sport continues to see huge influx of money. But where is it coming from? Where is it going to? Who are the ultimately benefitting owners?”

“Enough is enough, we want action and we want it now.”