NEWSLETTER 7 NOVEMBER 2005

(Second day of Play the Game 2005)

1) FIFA asked to explain its actions on Zaw Thet Htwe

2) Football’s trafficking in third world athletes

3) Volleygate – a story of power, greed and corruption

4) Ways to address corruption in sport

5) Safety of sports journalists should be taken more seriously

6) Politicians exploit sport instead of nurturing it

1) FIFA asked to explain its actions on Zaw Thet Htwe

Delegates at Play the Game today decided to ask FIFA what action the organisation had taken when Burmese journalist Zaw Thet Htwe was sentenced to death because he published articles questioning how the Burmese Football Federation had spent money from FIFA’s Financial Assistance Programme.

2) Football’s trafficking in third world athletes

The first day of the Play the Game conference concluded with an in-depth examination of one of the biggest problems facing world football - the exploitation of players which include trafficking, virtual imprisonment for some, and football plantations.

3) Volleygate – a story of power, greed and corruption

It had been a long and arduous road, but in the end Mario Goijman of the Argentinean Volleyball Federation was able to stand before the Play the Game conference in Copenhagen and relate compelling evidence of corruption, greed and blatant misuse of power in the ruling body of his sport that occasionally had the audience gasping in disbelief.

4) Ways to address corruption in sport

Monday morning's plenary session at Play the Game did not limit itself to a review of crime and corruption in sport but also came up with a number of suggestions on how to combat it - directly from the people who are fighting corruption on the ground.

5) Safety of sports journalists should be taken more seriously

The Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists wants media organisations and journalist’s associations to recognise that safety is an issue for sports journalists too. “It is long overdue,” said Aidan White and praised Play the Game for highlighting the issue through the compilation of a list of attacks on sports journalists.

6) Politicians exploit sport instead of nurturing it

Sport has been "used and abused" by politicians everywhere and down the ages with personal and political agendas according to Terry Monnington, director of Warwick University’s Department of Physical Education and Sport.

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