Conflicting views on Brazil’s staging of the 2014 World Cup were presented by panellists from both ends of the critical spectrum in a plenary session entitled Mega-events and democracy: The Brazilian challenge on the closing day of Play the Game.

After four days of vivid debates and in-depth discussions, Play the Game 2013 concludes its eighth world communication conference on sport and society in Aarhus, Denmark bringing new perspectives to the international sports debate.

The third day of the Play the Game 2013 conference opened with a session about the FIFA reform process and key experts presented their evaluation of the reforming work. You can now watch or re-watch the presentations from the session.

With just 100 days to go to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Play the Game asked whether security concerns and the desire for positive coverage could stifle press freedom.

While the financial cost of hosting a sporting mega-event runs into billions of dollars, a legal price must also be paid. This, Play the Game was told, includes the creation of special tax loopholes, the curtailment of consumer rights and the relaxation of immigration rules.

Has football’s world governing body implemented any meaningful reforms since the much-criticised bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups? A top FIFA official and some of the organisation’s most prominent critics shared a platform at the Play the Game conference to address this question.

The approach to illegal betting at the London 2012 Olympics including embracing reports from the media should be an exemplar for future Olympiads, argued British sports lawyer Kevin Carpenter at Play the Game 2013 today.

Australia’s bid for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups did not fail due to a lack of suitability or a lack of infrastructure, the former head of Corporate and Strategic Affairs at the Australian Football Association (FFA) Bonita Mersiades told delegates at Play the Game 2013.