Photo: Thomas Søndergaard
Play the Game 2025
Driving dialogue for democracy in sport
5-8 October in Tampere, Finland
While democratic dialogue faces growing pressure – in society as well as in international sport – Play the Game remains committed to being a space where voices meet, power is held to account, and difficult conversations are staged in an honest, open, and respectful environment.
In a time of growing polarisation, we aim to keep the democratic conversation in sport alive. That was the ambition behind the conference title – to reaffirm dialogue as a force for accountability, understanding, and change.
Play the Game 2025 was the 14th time Play the Game brought together journalists, researchers, athletes, whistleblowers, and decision-makers in sport from across the world to confront the issues that matter – with openness, respect, and critical thinking.
Find video and photos from the conference
A number of sessions were live-streamed during the conference. These sessions are now available as video on demand.
You can also find photos from Play the Game 2025 on Flickr.
Photos are taken by conference photographer Thomas Søndergaard, and are free to download and use for press or other non-commercial purposes provided Play the Game as well as Thomas Søndergaard are credited (Photo: Thomas Søndergaard/Play the Game).
Photo: Thomas Søndergaard/Play the Game
Conference information
Play the Game 2025 took place on 5-8 October 2025 and was held in partnership with the City of Tampere. Tampere is one of the most active cities in hosting sports events in Northern Europe and works internationally to strengthen the legacy of the big public investments in events.
The conference was be co-hosted by the Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (FINCIS), one of a growing number of national bodies with multiple tasks in sports integrity. Among other things, FINCIS is responsible for investigating serious ethical violations and presenting disciplinary provisions in centralised disciplinary procedures.
The conference venue was the Tampere Hall, a versatile culture and congress centre located in central Tampere.
Read more about Play the Game 2025
From the gin craze to the gambling craze: lessons from the past for today’s fight against illegal betting
Governance expert questions FIFA’s democratic decline and the silence over Saudi 2034
'A daily act of resistance': Afghan women train in secret to challenge gender-based violence through sport
From illusion to integrity: "WADA must confront China's TMZ failures and stop silencing critics"
Political pressure on WADA from the US and Europe over stalemate in Chinese swimming case
Whistleblowing from the Afghanistan evacuation: UCI’s repeated history of siding with abusers
