IPACS activity update
With this year coming to an end soon, discover what has been happening in the last few weeks. Read the latest news from the IPACS Task Forces, about recent advocacy activities at external events, educational initiatives and more, and get a glimpse of what's next!
The 7th IPACS Annual General Conference took place on 11 October in a hybrid format in Rome, Italy, with a packed agenda: from the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the fight against corruption in sport and the setting up of a dedicated Working Group, to progress made in good governance in sports organisations, and the enhanced cooperation between law enforcement, criminal justice authorities and sports organisations, showcased at its best during the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. The IPACS partners also appointed the Swiss government as their new Chair for 2025 to 2026, succeeding the IOC. Catch up on all key discussions and decisions here.
On behalf of IPACS, the IOC took part in a session entitled “Public Procurement and Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Procuring and using AI responsibly”, organised by the OECD Working Party of the Leading Practitioners on Public Procurement on 24 and 25 October in Paris, France. The OECD, a co-founder of IPACS, had invited the IOC to present the tools developed by IPACS on the procurement of infrastructure and services during major sports events, as well as details on the newly created Working Group on AI and corruption in sport. The IOC explained the 13 Golden Rules and Effective Delivery Checklist (jointly developed by the IOC and OECD), which serve to identify potential corruption-related risks during the procurement cycle with the aim of mitigating them.
A number of internal IPACS meetings took place in early December:
The IPACS Steering Committee (STC) held its last meeting of the year and determined the composition of the new Working Group on AI and corruption in sport, which will begin its activities in early 2025. The members were selected after an official call for interest.
The Good Governance Task Force met to review the work plan to produce the IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark Simplified Handbook and other future initiatives.
Meanwhile, the Task Force on enhancing cooperation between law enforcement and criminal justice authorities and sports organisations also got together and discussed UNODC’s latest “Game Over” report exposing the linkages between corruption and serious and organised crime in sport. The group also worked on the Terms of Reference for a new guide for prosecutors.
Finally, the fourth and final edition of the IOC’s good governance webinar series for IOC-recognised sports organisations took place virtually on 11 December, focusing on the implementation of Dimension D (Development and Solidarity) of the IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark and the updated Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance within the Olympic Movement (BUPGG). Read the full news story here .