After years of trying to engage FIFA in open debate about issues of governance in world football, organisers of the Play the Game conference were surprised to learn that FIFA's new Director of Communications and Public Affairs had decided to attend the conference and listen to a number of presentations. The surprise grew as Walter De Gregorio later told a group of journalists that he was prepared to speak at the next Play the Game conference.

The governing body of aquatic sports is getting richer and becoming less unaccountable, a former Olympic swimmer told Play the Game.

That FIFA has governance problems is now generally recognized, but what are the prospects for reforms, asks Roger Pielke in this analysis based on the paper 'How Can FIFA be Held Accountable?', which will be presented at Play the Game 2011 in Cologne in October.

With less than two weeks to go, it is time to register for a unique occasion to network directly with sports political heavyweights, leading experts and top media professionals in international sport.

Corruption in various forms is right now on top of the international sports agenda. Some of world football’s most experienced officials will address the challenge at Play the Game 2011.

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.

Comment: In this first entry in a comment series Sylvia Schenk, Senior Advisor on sport in Transparency International, opens the sport governance debate arguing that corruption, the lack of transparency and other governance problems is an urgent challenge.

The German parliament's sports committee highlights corruption in sport with a hearing in late September.