Iceland will host Play the Game 2007

This 5th edition of Play the Game takes place from Sunday 28 October to Thursday 2 November 2007 at Grand Hotel Reykjavik.

The host is the Icelandic Youth Association UMFI – Ungmennafélag Islands – that celebrates its 100 years’ anniversary by inviting experts, journalists and sports leaders from the whole world to discuss how sport can serve social development and deal with some of its hardest challenges.

Click here to read about the conference themes, call for papers, on-line registration etc.

Sharing values
The local organisers UMFI regards hosting Play the Game as a special gift for the celebrations of their centenary, though it is one that includes important financial responsibilities.

“Icelandic society and Icelandic sport build on values which we would like to share with the world. Our goals fit well the goals of Play the Game to promote democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in world sport,” says the chairman of UMFI, Björn B. Jónsson.

”Celebrating 100 years is not only an occasion to look back, but to look ahead and think in new ways. We believe that a conference held in Iceland will give sport some new impulses to solve the challenges that threaten the future of sport.”

For Play the Game, the Icelandic hospitality is a step towards fulfilling the dream of sending the conference on tour to different countries.

“We could not imagine any better place than Iceland to set off such a voyage. Like sport, Iceland unites modernity and globalisation with a deep sense of tradition and a fascinating display of natural forces. Also, Iceland is a world leader in building a corruption-free society,” says Jens Sejer Andersen, director of Play the Game.

2007 is also an anniversary for Play the Game. As “home for the homeless questions in sport” since 1997, Play the Game is the only independent forum for international sports debate. For instance, in 2005 almost 300 participants witnessed how the Argentine volleyball leader Mario Goijman substantiated serious allegations of corruption in world volleyball, and the Italian anti-doping fighter Sandro Donati gave evidence of organised crime taking over the market for sports drugs.

Other speakers were the banned world sprint champion Kelli White, WADA’s general manager David Howman, former secretary general Michel Zen-Ruffinen of FIFA, and the United Nations’ special advisor on sport and development, Adolf Ogi.

If you want to be updated about Play the Game 2007, please register for Play the Game’s free newsletter here.