Mario Goijman receives Play the Game Award 2005

Mario Goijman, former president of the former Argentine Volleyball Federation, was today awarded the Play the Game Award for his courage and commitment in bringing to light the theft and corruption that has taken place in the International Volleyball Federation during the reign of FIVB-president Ruben Acosta.

The Play the Game Award is awarded by the organisation Play the Game which aims to strengthen the basic ethical values of sport and encourage democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in world sport. The award pays tribute to an individual or a group of persons who in their professional careers or as volunteers in sport have made an outstanding effort to strengthen the basic ethical values of sport.

For the last five days around delegates from 50 countries have been assembled for the Play the Game conference in Copenhagen with governance in sport as the main theme.

The award was presented at the closing ceremony of the Play the Game conference which took place in Copenhagen from 6-10 November with delegates from 50 countries. The previous winner of the Play the Game award, Canadian freelance journalist, Laura Robinson said in her motivation speech:

“Mario Goijman has a vision of sport we all care deeply about. He is a man of principle, ethics, and lives the values of democracy he speaks about. With great courage, he has consistently and precisely chronicled the mountains of theft and corruption in FIVB under Acosta’s reign.”

Mario Goijman is very honoured to receive the award.

“To me this is a significant recognition of what I am trying to do. Many times I have felt alone but here I have met people who share my visions of honesty and transparency in sport. Play the Game is an organisation I am very happy to receive recognition from,” he said.

Mario Goijman wows to continue his fight to get Ruben Acosta removed from office in FIVB.  In addition to continuing the court cases which he funds out of his own pocket, Mario Goijman will also appeal to the national volleyball federations that are currently being silent.

Students from the Danish School of Journalism have carried out a survey amongst 10 national volleyball federations on three continents and asked them how they feel about Ruben Acosta. All people interviewed only wanted to speak off the record, and eight out of 10 federations said that they wanted to get rid of Acosta but found it impossible to do anything about it.

“We cannot do anything one by one but if stand up together we will have a chance”, said Mario Goijman.