Play the Game/Danish Institute for Sports Studies
Budget
€3,012,000
EP Access
0
accredited persons
Staff
2
0.35 FTE
EU Grants
None
Mission & Goals
Play the Game is an initiative run by the Danish Institute for Sports Studies (Idan) that promotes democratic values in world sports with an emphasis on freedom of expression, transparency, and open dialogue. Play the Game was founded in 1997 and has become a unique independent platform for raising and developing awareness about critical issues in modern sport. Over the years, Play the Game has addressed a multitude of issues such as doping, corruption, good governance, match-fixing, sustainability of mega-events, the role of sports journalism, geopolitics, and the human rights of athletes and everyone else involved in sport. Through conferences, analyses, journalism, and advocacy, Play the Game works to engage all stakeholders to qualify the public debate on sport and help sport contribute positively to society. Our target groups are journalists, academics, sports leaders, athlete representatives, advocacy groups, politicians, and a wide range of stakeholders in sports.
EU Legislative Interests
Play the Game is actively engaged in raising debate and providing documentation relevant to all EU discussions and decisions affecting sport and physical activity. Play the Game has for almost three decades worked for good governance, transparency, integrity and freedom of expression in sport with a view of promoting democracy in sport, contribute to shaping sustainable sports policies and protect athletes at all levels from abuse. This has been done regularly through our so far13 biennial international conferences, journalistic investigations, media appearances, keynote presentations at international conferences (including high level meetings at UNESCO, EU, Council of Europe),m and research activities. Play the Game has been an observer to EU Expert Groups (when established) on sport integrity matters since 2011. Further, Play the Game has been a regular participant in the EU Sport Forums since around 2004. At the forum in Den Haag in 2016, Play the Game was invited to a plenary panel on sport governance together with the EU Commissioner and other leading figures. Outside the EU framework, Play the Game has chaired the Consultative Committee of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) 2016-20 under the Council of Europe. Play the Game is a member of the Permanent Consultative Committee of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS) under UNESCO. Play the Game/Idan has acted and continues to act as a coordinator of several EU-supported projects on sport governance such as EU Preparatory Action ‘Action for good governance in international sport organisations’ (AGGIS; 2012-2013), ‘The National Sports Governance Observer’ (2017-2018) ‘The National Anti-Doping Governance Observer’ (NADGO; 2019-2021), and ‘Strengthening Athlete Power in Sport’ (SAPIS; 2020-2023). Currently, Play the Game/Idan is responsible for research in the ISCA-led Erasmus+-project "The Real European Sport Model". Since 2022, Play the Game/Idan has been working on the project “The financing of grassroots sport in Europe” with an aim of mapping different financing mechanisms of grassroot sport across Europe, see more at https://www.playthegame.org/projects/the-financing-of-grassroots-sport-in-europe/. Furthermore, Play the Game/Idan has conducted several research projects of Danish mass participation in sports, evaluations of Scandinavian elite sports systems, and assessments of international sports governing structures.
Communication Activities
The main communication platforms of Play the Game are 1) its website www.playthegame.org and related regular newsletter 2) social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin 3) biennial international conference gathering over 400 stakeholders from 40-50 countries discussing pressing sports political challenges More specifically we have had numerous publications, online events and conference sessions on the above mentioned EU-supported projects (AGGIS, National Sports Governance Observer, National Anti-Doping Governance Observer, SAPIS) as well as more generic information pertaining to the European Model of Sport, sports integrity, and other EU-relevant concepts.
Interests Represented
Does not represent commercial interests
Member Of
International Council for Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) EPAS Consultative Committee (Council of Europe) Alliance for Good Governance and Integrity in Sport under PACE (Council of Europe) Permanent Consultative Committee of CIGEPS/UNESCO
Organisation Members
Play the Game is not a membership organisation, but a part of the Danish Institute for Sports Studies, an independent research institution under the Danish Ministry of Culture.
Additional Information
The annual activity and financial reports are available in Danish at https://www.idan.dk/om-os/
Commissioner Meetings
No recorded meetings with EU commissioners.