Morocco’s National Integrity, Prevention and Fight Against Corruption Authority (INPPLC) was appointed this Friday Oct.2 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a member of the Steering Committee of the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS), further strengthening the Kingdom’s position as an active partner in the development of international action for greater integrity in sport.
This appointment, the first of its kind, which took place during the Partnership’s 9th Annual General Conference, also reflects the INPPLC’s determination to support sporting ambitions through institutional commitment to protecting the integrity of sport and confidence in its results, the Authority said in a statement.
During the meeting, the INPPLC was represented by its President, Mohamed Benalilou, who reaffirmed his commitment to making this participation an effective institutional contribution to strengthening sports integrity at the national and international levels.
This new position “offers the Kingdom of Morocco the opportunity to contribute to shaping IPACS orientations and initiatives, as well as to strengthening cooperation between public authorities, sports organizations and international partners,” the statement added.
It also opens up new prospects for the INPPLC to share its expertise, propose practical tools for preventing corruption in the sports sector and translate good governance standards into concrete practices capable of strengthening transparency in sports management.
According to the Authority, this membership is of strategic importance as Morocco prepares to host major sporting events, making integrity a key issue in their preparation and organization, as well as in preserving their positive impact on development.
In this regard, the INPPLC stressed that “the success of a sporting event depends as much on the regularity of contracts and sound management of resources as on the transparency of decisions and the ability to intervene upstream to address corruption risks.”
Thus, the Authority’s contribution stems from its conviction that “protecting sport against corruption means preserving the trust of athletes and the public, the integrity of the rules of the game, equal opportunities and the credibility of sporting competition.” Beyond the misappropriation of resources, corruption in this field erodes trust, undermines the value of sporting performances and limits sport’s ability to fully contribute to development.
The Authority intends to give concrete expression to this appointment through two complementary areas: first, contributing to the development of international initiatives and standards in the field of sports integrity and, second, drawing on IPACS expertise and tools to strengthen corruption prevention and make sport a lever for sustainable development, the same source noted.
Based in Lausanne, IPACS is a multilateral initiative launched in 2017 at the initiative of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Council of Europe and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as several founding governments.
The Partnership currently has more than 89 members and partners from governments, intergovernmental organizations, international sports federations and national Olympic committees. It aims to coordinate the efforts of sports bodies and public authorities to prevent and combat corruption in sport, as well as to establish common good governance standards within sports organizations.
