Play the Game 2025

5-8 October in Tampere, Finland

For the 14th time, Play the Game will open the doors for a conference that connects academics, journalists, and other stakeholders in sport to share research insights and debate key issues in international sport.

Sign up for the conference now

Registration for Play the Game is now open, and you can sign up for the conference now at a special early bird rate. 

Read more about registration and prices

Read more about accomodation

Call for papers

This year, Play the Game will again send out a call for papers and invite all academics, journalists, athlete representatives, sports officials, and other stakeholders to contribute knowledge, experience and debate at the upcoming conference.

Call for papers for Play the Game 2025 will be sent out by the end of February 2025, where we will open for submissions of abstracts.

Sign up for Play the Game's newletter to receive information about the conference and the call for papers

Conference information

Play the Game 2025 will take place on 5-8 October 2025 and will be 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 will 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 is the Tampere Hall, a versatile culture and congress centre located in central Tampere. 

Questions and contact

For questions regarding the programme contact Stanis Elsborg, head of Play the Game, at stanis@playthegame.org or phone +45 6177 4915.

For practical questions contact Maria Suurballe, conference manager, at maria@playthegame.org or phone +45 2020 6838.

Play the Game 2025

Play the Game 2025

Read more about Play the Game 2025

Tampere
PtG Article 20.12.2024
Finnish sports hub Tampere will host Play the Game 2025
Conference participants
PtG Article 29.11.2024
Play the Game 2025 conference announced for 5-8 October 2025
Conference participants
PtG Article 24.04.2024
Join our webinar for partners interested in hosting Play the Game 2025 or 2027 
2024 conference
PtG Article 04.04.2024
Who wants to host Play the Game 2025 and 2027? Calling interested partners

Read news about the previous conference

Alex Krumer at Play the Game 2024
PtG Article 19.03.2024
Women's football teams should not play in white shorts if they want to win
Karim Zidan at Play the Game 2024
PtG Comment 27.02.2024
From Qatar to Saudi: Soul-searching in sports reporting
Whitney Bragnolo at Play the Game conference
PtG Article 23.02.2024
Sports federations urged to do more to safeguard athletes
Gerke Berenschot at Play the Game conference
PtG Article 22.02.2024
Male athletes could have twice the risk of dying from cardiac issues  compared to men of similar age
Faraz Shahlaei
PtG Article 20.02.2024
The Russian doping scandal has exposed the weaknesses in the international anti-doping structure
Joanna Maranhão and Andrea Florence
PtG Article 19.02.2024
Sports organisations are bad at handling sexual abuse, and athletes risk retaliation for speaking out
Panel on anti-doping
PtG Article 16.02.2024
CEO of USADA: "There is a lot we could do to ease the burden on the athletes"
Kristin Kloster
PtG Article 16.02.2024
IOC member: No Taliban flag at the Olympics in Paris
Zoe Flood
PtG Article 15.02.2024
Betting is a growing problem among the young populations in Africa
Travis Tygart
PtG Article 07.02.2024
US anti-doping director: There is an incredible need for an anti-crime agency in sport
Speaker
PtG Article 07.02.2024
Sporting bodies called out for lack of action on Palestine and Afghan women
PtG Article 07.02.2024
Making mega-events more sustainable could just end in greenwashing
Panel and Steve Menary
PtG Article 07.02.2024
In-play bets and live data collection make new sports vulnerable to match-fixing
Play the Game award winners 2024
PtG Article 07.02.2024
Investigative journalists Grit Hartmann and Nick Harris receive the Play the Game Award 2024
Martin Dubbey
PtG Article 06.02.2024
Could voice analytics be anti-doping’s new weapon?
Panellists
PtG Article 06.02.2024
The German Bundesliga cut its sustainability requirements by half from 2022 to 2023
James M Dorsey
PtG Article 06.02.2024
Lessons from Qatar 2022: How activists should approach the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia
Brian Wesaala
PtG Article 06.02.2024
The Global South could be the key to changing poor sports governance nationally and internationally
Panel on sports journalism
PtG Article 06.02.2024
Investigative sports journalism is struggling on many fronts at the same time
Frédéric Van Leeuw
PtG Comment 05.02.2024
The catastrophic impact of normalising corruption in sport
Jens Sejer Andersen and Lars Jørgensen
PtG Article 05.02.2024
Doping, corruption and athletes' rights: Play the Game anniversary book revisits key sports political debates
Conference presentation
PtG Article 05.02.2024
Mali is a textbook example of how to fail victims of sexual abuse in sport
Khalida Popal
PtG Article 05.02.2024
Pay gaps, representation, or even being allowed to play - the struggle for women in football is far from over
Lars Haue-Pedersen
PtG Article 05.02.2024
Session on Qatar 2022 raised tense debate about bias and bigotry in media reporting