Play the Game 2019 flies to Colorado Springs

There is a first for everything, and for Play the Game it is the opening of a new era when the 11th edition of its international conference will be held outside Europe next year. Thanks to a strong commitment shown by the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Play the Game 2019 will take place from 13-16 October 2019 in Colorado Springs, USA.

Colorado Springs has a prominent position in US sport as host of the main Olympic Training Center. With its headquarters of over 25 national sports federations plus the United States Olympic Committee and the US Anti-Doping Agency, the city is also the epicentre of US sports politics.

For Play the Game, bringing the conference to the US has a special meaning:

”In the two decades that have passed since we started Play the Game, American public authorities and corporate sponsors have made the difference over and over again when international sport was paralysed by self-inflicted scandal and moral crisis. From the Salt Lake City case in 1998 to the recent FIFA and athletics scandals, US authorities have led the action and pushed for solutions while many others have been passive bystanders,” says Jens Sejer Andersen, international director of Play the Game, who also points to other areas of interest in the US.

“Without the European tradition of forming associations, it is obviously a great challenge for the US to create an environment that makes it possible for the wider population – especially children – to become active in sport. Athletes’ rights and safety from harassment are other issues that are vividly discussed in the American context.”

The Chancellor of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS), Venkat Reddy, says the university is excited to be hosting the 2019 Play the Game conference in Colorado Springs.

“The conference, and the work of Play the Game more generally, challenges sport organizations to improve and develop their governance practices. This work aligns with our mission, values and what we aim to teach through the numerous policy, governance and management programs that we offer across the campus. We look forward to working with Play the Game and sport organizations across Colorado Springs to make sure that we develop a thought provoking conference for 2019.”

Over the next months, Play the Game will publish news about the venue, abstract submission and registration for Play the Game 2019.

The last Play the Game conference gathered 450 media professionals, academics, sports officials, athlete representatives and other stakeholders in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in November 2017. Previous editions were held in Aarhus (2013 and 2015), Cologne (2011), Coventry (2009), Reykjavik (2007), Copenhagen (2000, 2002, 2005) and Vingsted (1997).

The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs is one of the fastest-growing universities in Colorado. It forms part of the University of Colorado system with campuses in Boulder and Denver as well as the Anschutz Medical Campus. The UCCS offers 46 bachelor’s degree, 22 master’s and five doctoral degree programs. The UCCS enrols more than 12,400 students on campus annually and another 3,300 in online programs.