The International Centre for Sports Security (ICSS) launched an international global integrity platform for sport and announced its stakeholders at the final day of Securing Sport in New York today. The body was established following a meeting on 2 November entitled ‘Addressing the Crisis of Sports Integrity – Building Solutions in a Collaborative Environment’, and aims at tackling the numerous challenges facing the sports industry, with the aim of restoring the public’s trust in sport, and sport’s reputation. The Sports Integrity Initiative reported the launch of the platform yesterday.

Participants at that meeting included former UK Minister for Sport and Senior Advisor to Quest Richard Caborn; former IMG Chairman Eric Drossart; Michael Hershman of the International Anti-Corruption Academy; Jaimie Fuller of NewFIFANow; David Grevemberg, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF); Matthew King of the Department of Homeland Security; Alfredo Lorenzo, Director of Integrity at Spain’s La Liga; Rick McDonell of the Financial Action Task Force; Sir David Richards, Senior Vice President of England’s Football Association; Markus Studer, Chief Operating Officer of the international basketball federation (FIBA); and more.

Its launch followed a closing presentation by Hershman at Securing Sport, where he warned that the credibility of the ICSS “remains a challenge”, and acknowledged criticism that the ICSS is a “tool of special interests”. Hershman said that this had been “completely disavowed, and showed not to be the case”. He warned that “money and power” had eroded sport’s key ingredients of fairness, integrity, responsibility, respect and character development. “Money and power in the wrong hands will corrupt and form of business, including sport”, he said. “I don’t think that we can ever hope to reclaim some of the honesty we expect from sports. I think that the barn door has been left open. However, we can try to stop the erosion of credibility by coming together and insisting on reform.”