Fair Play Dialogue: meeting between the National Platform and the Boxing Federation
On July 30, members of the interdepartmental working group “National Platform of Sports Integrity” and the heads of the Ukrainian Boxing Federation gathered at the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine to discuss issues related to preventing manipulation of sports competitions and deepening cooperation in this area.
Oleksii Perevezentsev, Vice-Chairman of the National Platform and First Vice-President of the NOC of Ukraine, addressed the participants with an introductory speech:
"The NOC of Ukraine is convinced that integrity is not just about following the rules. It is the foundation of trust that we build with our athletes, coaches, and federations. This is especially true now, when Ukrainian sport is at the forefront not only in the ring but also in international truth. We clearly state our position on not allowing representatives of the aggressor country to participate in international competitions. This is also an element of integrity. After all, the principles we uphold cannot be put on hold or changed depending on the political situation.
The president of the Ukrainian Boxing Federation, Oleg Ilchenko, in turn, emphasized that the Federation understands all the risks faced by representatives of the sports movement and boxers in particular when starting their sports careers. He emphasized that at the very beginning of his career in the Federation, he was involved in the work of the ethics and disciplinary commission, whose task was to identify violations related to honesty in sports and refereeing in particular.
The speakers at the event were Nataliia Radchuk, secretary of the interdepartmental working group “National Platform of Sports Integrity” Andriy Nekrutov, expert of the National Platform, and Svyatoslav Syrota, head of the NGO “Play Fair.”
Special attention was paid to the issue of sports federations' activities in terms of disciplinary violations. The speakers also discussed the process of identifying and preventing manipulation, in particular the formation of ethics and fair play committees in sports federations, ways for such committees to exchange information with the National Platform, and legal mechanisms to protect the sports environment from manipulative actions.
The event took place in the format of an open, active, and productive dialogue. Representatives of the Ukrainian Boxing Federation expressed great interest in cooperation and expressed their readiness to join the initiatives of the National Platform.
The participants reached a common understanding of the importance of systematic interaction in combating threats to the integrity and reputation of sport in Ukraine.