Ministers adopt new recommendation to improve good governance in sport
In a new recommendation from European ministers to the Council of Europe member states, ten paragraphs outline a number of steps and actions that the national governments and sports umbrella federations can take on in order to improve governance in sport.
Among the actions recommended in the text are ensuring that the proper legislation is in place for investigation and prosecution of cases related to the field of sports, and that appropriate anti-money laundering and anti-corruption mechanisms can be utilised.
The text also recommends that governments make compliance with defined good governance criteria mandatory for the awarding of public funds.
Governments are further recommended to encourage its sports federations to strengthen their transparency and accountability, and to promote co-operation in the fight against corruption in sport. The recommendations point to cooperation with independent experts when reviewing the level of governance, and federations are encouraged to publish any appropriate results from self-assessment and external evaluations. An effective whistleblower protection is also encouraged.
The recommendation was adopted by the Committee of Ministers at the 1332nd meeting of the Ministers' Deputies on 12 December 2018 in Strasbourg, France.
The Committee of Ministers is composed of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the 47 member States of the Council of Europe or their Permanent Representatives in Strasbourg.
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