Thread by @CashNSport

The working week ends on an important assignment.

An invitation from the South African Institute For Drug-Free Sport to a consultation meeting on the concept of updated National Sports Integrity Legislation.

A vitally important discussion to be part of. Follow ⬇️ for updates 🤙🏾

So why are we here?

The current anti-doping legislation is no longer for for purpose.

The old legislation was promulgated in 1997 and needs to be updated.

@drugfreesportZA #FairPlay

Lessons we have learnt over the years.

- Our legislation was replicated from other agencies
- Very little public consultation. Athletes weren't consulted either.
- Legislation should take on jurisdiction, authority and accountability

@drugfreesportZA #FairPlay

Where @drugfreesportZA wants to go..

The sports integrity bill aims to establish an independent agency called Sports Integrity SA

- Focus on organizational independence
- Improve public confidence
- Align with global best practice

#FairPlay

.@BarryUgenius

"SASCOC is different from every other sports body in the world. We are the only international structure that truly represents all sport."

SASCOC wants to separate sport and legal/ integrity issues where SAIDS will manage legal and integrity matters independently.

Previously SASCOC would be bogged down by integrity and legal issues but now that will be.managed by SAIDS through Sports Integrity SA

@drugfreesportZA

.@Wafeekahb19

We hope to operate as an independent agency that goes beyond just anti-doping work. Other focus areas will be

- Corruption and match fixing
- Intelligence and investigations
- Independent sports arbitration
- Athlete education

@drugfreesportZA

Sport is an opportunistic ground for abuse. We allow anybody in to work with young athletes and vulnerable children.

How do we police who works with kids?

Some sports coaches spend more time with kids than parents do. This is a perfect ground for grooming.

It's also easy to blurr that line between pushing for high performance and emotional abuse.

Most federations have safeguarding policy to prevent abuse but most federations don't make that information available so the policy is useless.

#DrugFreeSport

Centralising some of the work to investigate issues of safeguarding would remove the burden from federations. Often times, federations don't have the resources or funding to investigate so nothing happens - and then court cases happen.

So SAIDS is looking to address this

This isn't just behind done. It's to protect the integrity of sport and this also fits into the SASCOC goal of being a people building organisation.

.@ClintonV moderates a panel on why this matters. Why does Sports Integrity matter

The panel includes Khotso Mokoena, Advocate Jannie Lubbe, Advocate Rob Stelzner, @ACharlesB and @marissalangeni

@drugfreesportZA

A very worrying disclosure from @ACharlesB

20 illegal bookmakers were evicted from the local T20 competition recently and a number of players were approached to match-fix

Many federations already have their own internal tribunals.

The thinking would be to have this work as a parallel process if athletes are unhappy with their own sporting code tribunals.

.@marissalangeni

A lot of federations are run by volunteers who neither have the expertise or qualifications to speak to integrity.

Marissa speaks about how she was studying sociology but chaired an anti-doping panel.

#DrugFreeSport

An example is made of Hansie Cronje on integrity

Advocate Lubbe speaks of his experience at the time and says: "If Hansie hadn't confessed to corruption, nothing could have been proven and he would have walked out of there with his career intact"

@drugfreesportZA

Advocate Lubbe:

"Where money is involved, there's corruption. Those who protect the honey are always tempted to lick their fingers"

.@ACharlesB

We need to be realistic about our expectations with a high level of amateur sport in this country. Other countries have high levels of professionalism and have different challenges.