In the run up to Play the Game 2011 taking place in Cologne early October, playthegame.org launches a series of comments on corruption and good governance in sport with exclusive contributions from high profile sport leaders and other people with insight or interest in sport governance.

In India, a group of former athletes have formed a new movement with the express goal of wrestling control of India's sports clubs and federations from the grip of politicians and train former sports people to take over themselves. The group called Clean Sports India (CSI) believes it is the only way to rid Indian sports of endemic corruption and mismanagement.

The Commonwealth Games 2010 finally took off in New Delhi, yesterday, on October 3 after rebounding from the brink of disaster a couple of weeks ago when several (Western) teams threatened to pull out – and several individual athletes actually did so – due to concerns about unhygienic conditions in the Games Village, the dengue fever epidemic raging in the Indian capital due to incessant rains and consequent floods, the ever-present terrorism threat that hovers permanently over the Indian sub-continent and other assorted issues.

Former Olympic medallist Wilson Kipketer calls for changes to voting procedures for election to the IOC Athletes' Commission. An election he feels has been subject to inappropriate and unfair procedures.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke appears to have given his backing to Dominica Football Association president Dexter Francis in his battle to remain head of the DFA. Francis was allegedly the subject of a failed coup d’état at the DFA by former association president Patrick John, backed by FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.

The rewards have never been greater and the price of relegation never higher. But is English football’s financial model sustainable? Play the Game invited a number of experts to examine the state of professional game today.

The independent review of European football being carried out by former Portuguese sports minister José Luis Arnaut on behalf of EU looks set to increase tensions between governing body UEFA and the continent's major clubs because it will look into how fans can take over more clubs.