Cascais, Portugal to host Annual ICSS Sports Policy Summit

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has announced a high-level collaboration with the Municipality of Cascais, which will see the Portuguese coastal town host the ICSS’s annual Sports Policy Summit from 2016.

The agreement will boost the ICSS’s efforts to safeguard the integrity of sport and allow it to work closely with Cascais to promote the highest ethical standards in sport and enhance sport’s role as an instrument of human, social and economic development.

The signing followed an Ambassadors’ briefing at which the ICSS presented its goals and strategic plan to an audience of high-level dignitaries including the Mayor of Cascais, Carlos Carreiras and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rui Chancerelle de Machete. It took place as part of the Estoril Conferences, a bi-annual international event in Portugal that confronts the challenges of globalisation.

The aim of the Sports Policy Summit is to bring together the leaders of Governments, influential sporting organisations and major linguistic communities along with international experts in sport governance and other key figures from sport and the Olympic Movement to collaborate and seek solutions to the pressing issues facing sport public policy makers such as match-fixing, financial integrity, good governance and the protection of youth.

Mohammed Hanzab, President of the ICSS, said:

"Portugal has shown through its ongoing fight for integrity in sport that it is deeply committed to securing sport for the next generation and we have chosen to recognise its dedication by returning the Sports Policy Summit to its shores on an annual basis.

"The Municipality of Cascais has been an example of upholding the values of sport and its role in the social inclusion and economic development of its community and we are therefore proud to be here.

"Through this shared commitment we hope that the Summit will become established as a focal point on the international sports policy calendar."

Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, CEO of ICSS EUROPE, said:

"As an organisation that works at the forefront of international efforts to safeguard sport, we are thrilled that the Sports Policy Summit will be held in Cascais. The municipality of Cascais has a reputation for having sport at its heart and I am confident our new collaboration will help showcase the town’s passion and sporting heritage to an international audience while also ensuring the pressing issues of integrity, sport development and good governance are given a sound platform from which we can engage the world’s leaders in this field.

"It is envisioned the Summit will act as policy driver with global dimension and impact. A high-level think tank that is designed to build a common agenda and global leadership through enhanced collaboration and concerted action."

In order to further support preparation for the annual summit and maximise its impact the ICSS will set up a base in the town with a view to establishing a permanent office in the municipality in the future. The Portuguese base will enable the ICSS to share knowledge and best practice with the Cascais authorities on the tenets of the safety, security and integrity of sport.

The agreement with the municipality of Cascais further embeds the coastal town as a hub for major international sporting events and is part of the region’s long-term strategic aim to develop its international sporting presence. Cascais previously made a name for itself as a sporting destination as the former location of the Portuguese Grand Prix and the ISAF World Sailing Championships and is a regular host of elite international surfing events, such as ATP Estoril Open.

Dr. Carlos Carreiras, Presidente, Câmara Municipal de Cascais, said:

"We are very pleased to welcome the International Centre for Sport Security to Cascais and with its decision to hold Sports Policy Summit here on an annual basis and foster its work in the field of sport integrity with Africa and Latin America through a permanent office here. We join the Government of Portugal in welcoming the ICSS’s decision to establish such an important delegation in our country and, in particular, the choice of Cascais to host it.

"This is recognition of the work that the Municipality of Cascais has been doing in the promotion of sustainable development in physical and sporting activity – with a focus on the benefits for health – at the level of sports infrastructures and in promoting partnerships with voluntary organisations and sporting bodies.

"Sport is deeply and historically rooted in our community and in our daily lives, and we are proud that Cascais will host this high-level international sport event, as it constitutes recognition of Cascais’ organisational skills and privileged position to host major international events."

The announcement comes two months after the inaugural Inter Regional Sports Policy Summit in Lisbon. Held on 16-17 March 2015, the Summit was the first of its kind to blend sports public policy and inter-regional cooperation in order to enhance global leadership and develop solutions to the issues confronting the integrity, good governance and sound development of sport.

Participants at the inaugural summit agreed on the need for action, enhanced dialogue and effective collaboration at a global level in areas from sporting and financial integrity and good governance, to the impact of sport on socio-economic development, youth development and child protection and were supportive of the expansion of the summit into an annual event.

For more information, contact:

Will Shand

ICSS

will.shand@theicss.org

+974 333 416 55 / +44 77 52 73 1548

Clair Ashley

VERO Communications

CAshley@verocom.co.uk

+44 788 986 6697

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