Play the Game 2011 - Second call for papers

Play the Game 2011, the seventh world communication conference on sport and society, will run from 3 - 6 October 2011 in the German city Cologne.

The conference will be co-hosted by the the German Sport University Cologne, the biggest university of its kind in Europe. 

Conference themes
The 2011 conference will operate under the sub-title 'bringing change to the heart of sport' and abstracts for conference presentations can be submitted under the following themes:

• Outside Threats, Inside Traps: Countering Corruption in Sport
• Chasing the White Elephants: Mega-events for the Public Good
• Fair Play, Fair Pay? Creating Growth in Grass-root Sport
• Crime and Credibility: Advancing Anti-Doping Strategies
• Little Difference, Huge Impact: The Gender Challenge to Sport
• The Power of the Chip: How Technology Changes the Landscape of Sport
• The Middle East on the Move: Sport in Arab countries

For accepted abstracts that do not fall under the main themes there will be an open forum.

Why attend?
We call upon leading stakeholders in sport to contribute with your expertise and experience to this unique and independent forum for sports debate. As an academic, journalist or sports practitioner your contribution is vital because:

Academics can play a key role by bringing comprehensive data, scientific methods and analytical skills into the process.

Journalists have a special responsibility, partly because the media are an integral part of the environment of sport, and partly because the media strongly influence which issues that are raised in public and which that are not.

Sports practitioners must balance a series of demands, some of which are crucial for the credibility of sport. Not only are they expected to provide economic growth, increased membership and bigger audiences, they must also guarantee ethical governance, strict anti-doping measures and social responsibility.

International launch of research projects
If you are preparing a major research project or a campaign, why not use Play the Game 2011 to launch the project internationally?

Play the Game expects the participation of more than 100 journalists representing media across the globe and is an ideal platform for reaching a worldwide audience and building lasting working relations.

Please contact Play the Game's International Director Jerns Sejer Andersen at jens@playthegame.org to discuss how coordinated action can be taken.

Selection process
Abstracts and storylines will be evaluated by the Play the Game 2011 Programme Committee and submittors can expect infomation on the committees' decision mid-June.

Submissions recieved before the 11 April deadline are now in the process of being evaluated, and submittors can expect to be informed of the decision of the Programme Committee in the first half of May.

Register now
More information about Play the Game 2011 can be found on our conference homepage. To submit an abstract, click on the tab in the left column marked 'Abstract submissions'.

To register as a delegate, visit the conference homepage and click on 'Register'.