Sports governance issues again in the spotlight

Over the past few weeks, discussion of governance in sport has continued to be a hot topic in the media, and for a change football wasn’t the only sport in the spotlight. Rob Tate, Governance Officer at the Alliance casts his eye over events.

Starting with football, questions were raised over how international federations can use improved governance to halt the spread of illicit betting practices, after an Isle of Man based bookmaker paid out thousands of pounds on a fabricated “ghost match” between two Belarussian sides.

Closer to home Dave Whelan, owner of Wigan Athletic, announced he would be stepping down as chairman after 20 years and appointing his grandson as his replacement, leading to allegations of nepotism and poor governance practice. These incidents both fall close on the heels of calls for increased regulation of football governance following news of ongoing issues at Rangers FC, and queries about the fallout from the recently announced Premier League TV rights windfall.

Outside football, this week’s release of the eagerly awaited, 227 page, UCI appointed, Cycling Independent Reform Commission report on doping in Cycling raised a number of talking points. Not least among these were the allegations that former UCI presidents Hein Verbruggen and Pat McQuaid were complicit in cycling’s doping problems through their unwillingness to properly investigate doping in the sport, particularly allegations of doping against Lance Armstrong, for fear of reputational damage to the organisation and the sport as a whole. As well as challenging the integrity of the sport’s leaders, this highlights the need for effective whistleblowing, disciplinary and ethics procedures.

And finally, on the world stage, major sporting events continue to court controversy by awarding hosting rights to countries with poor records in equality and human rights. After all other bidders dropped out of the race the IOC are faced with a choice between China and Kazakhstan for the hosting of the 2022 winter Olympics, and in Europe, the Azerbaijani hosts of the inaugural European Games have resorted to paying huge subsidies to encourage attendance at a games expected by many to record unsustainable spending figures.

The future of such events is in jeopardy as the number of potential hosts dwindle, and organisers face increasing calls to ensure the human rights records of those who do bid are acceptable to an international audience.

So what does this mean for the wider sporting community?

On the positive side, the response to these issues demonstrates an appetite for change. The fact that poor governance has become a talking point raises the issue into the spotlight and encourages action to improve the state of play from those in charge. It’s also very positive that we’re casting light on issues which were previously ignored. Our awareness of past instances of doping and corrupt betting practices leave us better placed to detect similar improprieties in the future.

Less positively, each new instance highlights how far we have to go in the effort to establish sport and recreation as a sector that exemplifies the benefits of good governance. Our aim should be to create a system that doesn’t continue to create governance scandal on a regular basis, and instead allows the media to stay focused on what happens on the field of play. This will require incremental steps forward by individual national and international governing bodies, as well as national Olympic committees and the IOC.

Thankfully, the above mentioned willingness to take action is well demonstrated within these ranks, giving us hope for the future.

Within the UK, the Voluntary Code of Good Governance has been established as the primary framework for good governance in the Sport and Recreation sector. Development of the Code was led by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, and supported by experts from across the sector.

The Code sets out seven principles for good governance in sport and recreation; adapted from equivalent corporate codes of governance such as the UK Corporate Governance Code; and supports these principles with guidance on the practical considerations which must be made to accommodate change. Importantly, the Voluntary Code is a flexible and entirely voluntary exercise (as the name suggests). This means there is no pressure to reach concrete targets or KPI’s; doing away with a “box-ticking mentality” and leaving organisations to focus on areas they need to develop most and to stage their development in a way that is tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of their organisation. This approach is hugely beneficial in a sector where every organisation is different.

In testament to the sector’s willingness to develop its governance standards and avoid legislative regulation; almost 100 organisations have already signed up to good governance, with more to come.

A revised edition of the Voluntary Code was published in November 2014, and the Code is now accompanied by case studies, detailing the benefits of signing up from a signatory’s point of view. These focus on individual principles, and show the ease with which an organisation can apply the Code; choosing either to apply all seven principles at the same time or to focus on introducing specific principles to tackle problem areas where the organisation is falling short.

For those interested in more information about the Voluntary Code of Good Governance, or who think that the Code might benefit their organisation, our website provides a more detailed overview.

If your organisation is already signed up to the code, or you’re considering sign up, and you’d like to learn more about specific aspects of the code, the Sport and Recreation Alliance is running a Voluntary Code Workshop on 23 March. This workshop will focus on principle one, Integrity, and principle three, Vision, Mission and Purpose, and will be of great interest to anyone seeking to encourage a change of culture within a Sport and Recreation organisation. For more information, or to sign up for the workshop, view the event description here.
 

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