President Thomas Bach reiterated the importance of strengthening the credibility and integrity of sport in order to safeguard the Olympic values and the power of sport as a vehicle for peace. Speaking at the General Conference of the International Partnership Against Corruption In Sport (IPACS) in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), he urged governments to join the global fight against corruption in sport. “We are a values-based organisation. We stand for the values of excellence, respect and fair play. In this sense, we have the double duty to uphold good governance and integrity in everything we do,” said the IOC President.  He continued: “We know we cannot win this fight on our own. We need the support of governments when it comes to anti-corruption legislation and law enforcement. This is why IPACS is so important. It brings together all actors that have a stake in fighting corruption in sport.”

The President addressed more than 250 representatives from governments, intergovernmental organisations, international sports organisations and dedicated expert organisations. He presented the initiatives the IOC has taken as part of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reform programme to strengthen the credibility and integrity of sport. To the representatives of more than 50 governments attending the meeting, he said: “With IPACS, we now have a platform where we can benefit from your law enforcement capacity. And likewise, through IPACS, we can support you, the government and law enforcement authorities, with regard to investigating criminal activity in the very specific environment of sport. In this way we can mutually benefit from each other’s expertise and we can complement our respective areas of responsibilities.”