Interview with whistleblowers Yuliya and Vitaly Stepanov on the importance of the Play the Game conference and their thoughts about the future.

Yuliya Stepanova became famous for exposing the Russian state doping scandal. Today, she attended the opening of Play the Games’ conference in Colorado Springs with her husband Vitaly Stepanov.

Sport would be nothing without its participants. But are the rights of athletes still taking a back seat to commercial and political interests?

Over 300 participants will be gathered in the coming days during Play the Game 2019 which for the first time is being held outside of Europe. More than 170 speakers will share their views and thoughts on sport and society in Colorado Springs - Olympic City USA.

Opening address at the 11th international Play the Game conference, 13 October 2019 in Colorado Springs, USA, by Jens Sejer Andersen, international director of Play the Game.

New Olympic and amateur sport legislation in U.S. Congress, while less anti-athlete, must do more to protect child athletes, and so should the IOC. Gigi Alford from the World Players Association and Sport & Rights Alliance comments on a congressional bill.

"Democratically elected governments, who would usually call for civic engagement, seem to prefer athletes that move only those muscles that do not affect the tongue.", says Jens Sejer Andersen, International director at Play the Game, ahead of the Play the Game 2019 conference.

What's grassroots sport all about? At Play the Game 2019 top speakers within the area will shed light on both micro- and macro-level challenges in grassroots sport.