Premier League Chairman, Sir Dave Richards, to speak at 2nd International Sport Security Conference in March

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has today announced four more speakers at its annual conference on 14thand 15th March 2012. The International Sport Security Conference, which brings together key decision-makers, experts and practitioners in sport from around the globe, is taking place in Doha, Qatar.

Sir Dave Richards, Chairman of the Premier League, will join the Conference panel on New Frontiers: Rewards and Challenges to Growing a Sporting Brand in New Markets. This session will examine how sporting brands and franchises are continually looking to expand into new markets and the factors decision-makers need to consider when developing a sport in emerging markets. Sir Dave brings a wealth of experience to the panel having been appointed Chairman of the Premier League in 1999 and also serves as a Director on the Board of The Football Association, is Chairman of the European Professional Football Leagues and represents English football on UEFA’s Professional Football Strategy Council.

The International Sport Security Conference has also announced that Professor Franco Ascani, a Member of the International Olympic Committee’s Commission for Culture and Olympic Education, and Ms Liepollo Pheko, Director of Policy and Advocacy at South Africa’s Trade Collective, will join the panel session The Good of the Game, which will consider how to maximize the social benefits of hosting major sporting events.

In addition, organizers have confirmed that Shaun McCarthy, the newly appointed Director of Research and Knowledge Gathering at the International Centre of Sport Security, will deliver a keynote address and present the ICSS’s latest research into how security investments for major events can deliver economic and social benefits, and outline how to deliver lasting safety and security benefits to the host country long after the sport event has ended.

Mohammed Hanzab, President of the ICSS, said: "The International Sport Security Conference provides an important platform for sharing information and exploring best practice, as well as addressing the most pressing issues in sport today. We are delighted that Sir Dave Richards, Professor Franco Ascani and Liepollo Pheko will be joining our distinguished line-up of speakers and delegates. Shaun McCarthy’s latest research is also an important development in the Centre’s ongoing work to help international organizers stage safer major sporting events and enhance security and safety in the world of sport. This year’s conference is a must-attend event for organizing committees, bidding candidates, sport federations, sport security practitioners, and private sector organizations associated with major tournaments."

Other speakers at the International Sport Security Conference include: Hassan Al-Thawadi, General Secretary of the Supreme Committee for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™; Khoo Boon Hui, President of Interpol; Lord John Stevens, Former Commissioner, London’s Metropolitan Police; John Yates Former Assistant Commissioner, London’s Metropolitan Police and senior counter-terrorism officer; David Greer, Chief Executive of Skills for Security, a partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; Peter Ryan, Security Advisor to the International Olympic Committee; José Mariano Beltrame, Public Security Secretary, Rio de Janeiro; Helmut Spahn, Executive Director of the ICSS and former Head of Security for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™; Marc Timmer, Head of Stadium and Security, UEFA; and Horst Schmidt, Vice President, Local Organizing Committee for 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™.

Delegates at this unique and exclusive gathering of the world’s leading sport security experts include: Bill Fallon, Former Commander, US Central Command; Guy Drut, International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission Member; and Jeff Rees, Director, Tennis Integrity Unit.

Further speakers and panelists will be announced over the coming weeks.

For more information, contact: media@theicss.org.

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