Press Release – International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) – 9 Sep 2024
The International Fair Play Committee is deeply proud to commemorate and honored to celebrate its 60th anniversary during the Paris 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games, in the company of exemplary athletes gathered from all over the world.
The undisputed mission of our entity, in- and outside of the Olympic Movement, is to foster, promote and protect the core value of sport that is equal, clean, and safe sport in general, and fair play in particular in line with the Olympic Primary Principle of participating in sport as a human right for both men and women. Sport faces numerous challenges globally that are fraught with disagreement. It is our duty to protect the foundation of sport: fair play, fair competition and fair playing field across all sports and for the benefit of all participants of global sport and the Olympic Movement.
In parallel to the protection of fair play, the women's category, including its entourage, continues to require solid support from all of us. Fair play means upholding fair, safe, and clean competition.
"In celebrating 60 years of honoring those who practice Fair Play, our committee, urgently calls on all stakeholders to continue to uphold the founding principles of sport. In women’s sport, which finally reached equality of opportunity in the Paris Olympic arena, eligibility criteria must be clarified. If left ambiguous the very integrity and spirit of women’s sport is at risk.” commented Donna de Varona, two-times Olympic champion, and a Member of the CIFP Board.
The essence of sport is fairness, equity, equal rules and equal conditions for each and every participant. Fairness for all is achieved through substantive clarity and procedural consistency. Substantive fairness is best determined by subject-matter experts. Just as the Olympic movement has done numerous times before, we should turn to a committee of experts to overcome current and future challenges by establishing substantive clarity and the accompanying procedures required to uphold fairness based on those expert findings. This is the best way to ensure fairness and inclusion for all.
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of International Fair Play Committee, and as the glorious Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics come to their conclusion, we remain determined by our mission and our ethical duty to support all sport entities, all participants, and decision makers of the global sport in protecting the foundation of sport and fair play for the benefit of everyone.
CIFP is an IOC-recognized organization established in 1963 to promote the ideals of fair play in sport and beyond. Celebrate the first ever #UNFairPlayDay on 19 May 2025 with us! www.fairplayinternational.org
