SIGA CEO says there is no room for neutrality

“I would like to appeal to all of you not to be neutral, not to be a bystander, not to think that this is just a women’s issue or it is just an issue for some. Equity and Female Leadership is our issue and this is our moment. This is a moment where we have to pick sides, make options, and be accounted for”.

The words of Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, Global CEO of SIGA, at the closing of the #SIGAWomen Summit on Female Leadership 2023 could not be clearer: there is no room for neutrality when it comes to supporting female leadership in sport.

SIGA, the Sport Integrity Global Alliance, fights for transparency, democracy and integrity in sport, bringing together all key stakeholder groups Sport, Government, International Organisations, Global Business and Civil Society in the battle for the sport fans love. This newspaper is a proud media partner of SIGA.

“Gender equity in sport is not a women’s issue”

After 8 hours of intense discussions at the Mastercard Tech Hub in Manhattan, New York, the leader of the world’s largest coalition for integrity in sport took himself out as a troublemaker.

“I am a troublemaker because I dare to believe that if we really want it, if we are really committed, we can make it happen. If we had the opportunity; if we could go back, would we be better? We would think more of others, less of us who will be kind to people who will give a fair opportunity. We would play by the rules. It is our indeclinable responsibility to seize this momentum, to seize this opportunity to make a difference.

I will not accept more promises. I will not accept more run speeches. I will be what I have always been, a disruptor”.

The SIGA CEO quoted writer Jack Kerouac to explain the urgency of his words:

" In the wise words of Kerouac, only those who dare to believe can make things happen. And if you don’t, do it for yourselves. Do it for the person next to you. Do it for your daughters. Do it for your granddaughters. Let’s do it because it’s the right thing to do. Why should we be embarrassed? Because we’re doing the right thing? What kind of legacy do we want to leave behind? Do for others what others have done for you. Create a pathway so we can have excellence in marriage at all levels of sport, so that sport can be this beacon of light even in the darkest moments”.

News coverage of the Summit on Female Leadership in Sport was ensured by SIGA Comms team, with the support of Elaine Smith, and Marin Klein, journalism students at the Michigan State University. SIGA thanks Professor Joanne Gerstner for the enthusiastic collaboration.