United Nations Official joins the International Centre for Sport Security as new Director of International Co-operation and External Relations

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), the not-for-profit sport security organization, continues to expand its senior executive team with the announcement today of the appointment of Massimiliano Montanari as its new Director of International Co-operation and External Relations.

As part of the newly created position at the ICSS, Montanari will liaise with organizations such as the United Nations (UN), national governments, police forces, other national authorities and diplomatic missions for the purposes of developing research projects and gathering and sharing best practice in the field of sport security. The ICSS regularly organizes events to encourage the creation of sport security networks and to drive new thinking, including the forthcoming 2nd International Sport Security Conference on 14-15 March 2012 and Montanari will play a key role in the development of these initiatives.

Montanari joins the ICSS following a distinguished career as a security and counter-terrorism official with the UN and Head of the related programme on major events security. While at the organization he coordinated security and training programmes for a number of major sporting events, including the 2011 Pan American Games, the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup 2007 and the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. On behalf of the organization, he has been responsible for establishing the cooperation with Brazil for the security preparations of the 2014 FIFA World Cup BrazilTM and Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and has set up the first regional cooperation platform for the security of major events in the Americas.

Mohammed Hanzab, President of the ICSS, said: "At the ICSS, we are committed to helping event organizers stage safer major sporting events. We are delighted that Montanari, with his wealth of experience in foreign affairs and international diplomacy, as well as sport security, has joined the ICSS to help us develop global networks, build knowledge and share best practice in this critical area."

For more information, contact: media@theicss.org

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