Doha: The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) celebrated its third anniversary by hosting a special reception at its headquarters in Doha.
Since its creation in March 2011, the ICSS has made a significant impression in the business of sport, offering specialist advice to a range of organisations in the area of sport safety, security and integrity.
While there have been many highlights to choose from over the last three years, the ICSS and its team of security and integrity specialists have signed several key agreements with leading major event organisers, federations and associations, as well as working on a number of international major events and projects. Just some of the organisations the ICSS has partnered with include: Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), Deutsche Fußball Liga, Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, Lega Pro, Qatar Football Association, Qatar Stars League (QSL), World Bank, European Lotteries, UNICEF Brazil and Foot Solidaire.
Over the last twelve months, the ICSS has also been directly involved in a number of high-profile major events and integrity cases, including the appointment of ICSS Executive Director, Helmut Spahn, as Security Officer for the UEFA Champions League Finals, as well as the ICSS Sport Integrity team playing a significant role in Victoria Police’s investigations into match-fixing in Australia.
The ICSS annual conference– known as Securing Sport- has grown considerably since its the first event in 2011. The 2013 conference, hosted at Katara Village in Qatar, brought together over 400 international experts from sport, safety, security and integrity and generated significant coverage in over 25 countries.
As well as the growth of Securing Sport, the ICSS has also hosted several high-level events and forums over the last twelve months as the company looks to build its influence and reputation within the international community. In particular, the ICSS has hosted high-level forums at the United Nations in Geneva and the European Parliament in Brussels, placing the issue of sport integrity into the minds of influential politicians and policy-makers.
Looking forward, the ICSS will aim to build on the success of 2013 when it hosts the forthcoming Sorbonne – ICSS Sport Integrity Forum in Paris on 15 May.
Organised alongside the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, the forum will bring together over 400 international experts and decision-makers from the world of sport, government, integrity and beyond. This high-level event will also see the unveiling of the results of the ICSS-Sorbonne Research Programme, which will include the first ever in-depth assessment of the scale and scope of sport corruption, sport betting and betting fraud. Speaking on the growth of the ICSS over the last three years, Mohammed Hanzab, President of the ICSS, said:
“Today marks a very special day as we celebrate three years of the ICSS. This moment would never have arrived without the constant support of our clients, partners and stakeholders, as well as our friends in the media. I would like express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been involved with the ICSS over the last three years and look forward to working together for what I hope will be a period of continued growth and success for the ICSS.”
The Peninsula
