Play the game Reaching for democracy in sports Stories from the second world conference for media professionals in a globalised sports society Copenhagen, November 12th-16th 2000 Aidan White Anders Bülow Anders Levinsen Andrew Jennings Bengt Saltin Benny Peiser Carole Garoes David Conn Dick Pound Elias Ma- kori Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen Fékrou Kidané Gerhard Heiberg Gilles E. Néron Henning Eichberg Jens Weinreich John Hoberman John Mendoza Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen Jørn Møller Karsten Froberg Keld Strudahl Lars Bo Andersen Malcolm Clarke Mike Boit Niels Christian Jung Niels- Christian Holmstrøm Olav Skaaning Andersen Patrick Schamasch Pete Clifton Sandro Donati Stefan Kürten Terry Monnington Thomas Kistner Torben Ulrich Usman Yakubu Verner Møller Wladimir Andreff invited the media and sports world to "Play the game". Refreshing an old love affair We wanted to break the silence, we wanted to create a new forum for inter- national exchange and dialogue, in brief: we wanted to promote democracy By Jens Sejer Andersen, Editor-in-Chief in sports and media. Many people deserve our thanks for giving a decisive helping hand: The donors. The dynamic and open-minded hen media professionals and achieve a better understanding of his or group of participants. and sports researchers from her role in society, to help express inner And not least: The many world-class W52 countries gathered in beliefs - and to bring forward different speakers who were ready to share their Copenhagen in November 2000, they viewpoints. knowledge and opinions with a very came to refresh the emotions of a very The sports world needs this freedom modest financial reward, if any. old couple. so that each citizen can find or create the A special respect must be payed to The delegates at "Play the game" kind of movement culture that suits his those speakers who ran a risk by brought new life to an ancient love or her personal values in life, and so that choosing dialogue instead of silence - affair, the one between the body and the the individual athlete can influence the those who came to criticize the sports spirit, the athlete and the story-teller - development of the movement culture. establishment thus risking their jobs, as or to be more accurate, between the well as those who came to defend it meaning and the movement. thus risking their prestige. Since ancient times, men and women Thanks to the efforts of both Thanks to the efforts of both critics have used dance, games, sports and critics and criticized, "Play the game" and criticized, "Play the game" became other movement cultures to express the was a breakthrough for open a breakthrough for open debate and ideals and values that exist in their dialogue in sports. debate and dialogue in sports. hearts and minds. It did not turn the world completely And many social thinkers and politi- It proved that there is around - but it did for some time stir the cal leaders have for centuries known much more meaning to blood of an old couple. It proved that that if you want to implant certain the movement than money there is much more meaning to the thoughts in the minds of people, you movement than money. would have to start with the body. We hope that you, too, will feel So the love between the meaning and But freedom of expression has come refreshed when reading the following the movement is rooted in a common under serious pressure in the past three stories from "Play the game". dream: decades. If so, we invite you to search The dream that the two of them Those who lead the explosive for much more information at together could create a good society commercialisation of sports and sports www.play-the-game.org. and that they would be cornerstones of media do not measure its success in There, you will find almost all papers democracy. terms of dialogue, understanding and given at the conference - and you can This is why the meaning and the community building. register for news about the next con- movement - the media and the sports Their basic interest is business - and ference, scheduled for November 2002. world - should share a common interest democracy with all its outspoken and We would like to invite you to in freedom of expression. unpredictable conflicts, is often con- Copenhagen once again, to celebrate The media need this freedom in sidered as bad for business. the love for sport and journalism, to tell order to help each individual citizen That is why the IFJ, ISCA and SIU the story… and Play the game! The Play the game ❒REPORTERS All photos courtesy of Articles can be Play the game was supported by magazine is an edited, Steen Ankerdal Niels Nyholm (freelance) quoted in parts extended and translated Steen Bille Unless otherwise credited when crediting The Danish Ministry of Culture version of the Danish Kasper Lindberg ❒ the author and The Year 2000 Foundation weekly "Ungdom & Karen Balling Radmer LAYOUT the Play the game Danida Idræt" no. 34/ 2000 Marie Venø Thesbjerg Maja Bursøe conference Danish Gymnastics and Sports Association Jonna Toft The Association of Danish Sports Journalists Printed at Scanprint ❒EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Per Vinther (freelance) For all other kinds DK-8260 Viby J Jens Sejer Andersen of reproduction Denmark [email protected] ❒TRANSLATIONS written permission May 2001 © 2001 Sports Marcus Dylan Hoy must be requested at Intelligence Unit (freelance) [email protected] ❒PHOTOS www.play-the-game.org Play the game 2 Drama over Donati's ongoing problems with the Italian Olympic Committee raised expectations ahead of his address for banning Donati from a conference he had signed up for months ago? Last-minute licence On Monday Morning the organisers of Play the Game sent a fax to CONI's General Secretary Dr Raffaele Pagnozzi asking these very questions. And while to speak the conference's scheduled programme continued as usual, Donati's case was the major talking point in the corridors. Would he dare travel without permis- The fight to bring Sandro Donati to Denmark sion? Had CONI answered the fax? But Dr Pagnozzi did not react to the left a lasting impression on "Play the Game" questions until the fax was followed up by a telephone call. By then it was im- possible for Donati to make his schedu- By Kasper Lindberg led address on Tuesday morning. How- ever, on that same evening some good clearly audible murmur passed were proved correct. For many years, news arrived. Donati was to be allowed through the main auditorium the 53-year-old Donati has been a voci- to travel to Copenhagen - not as a CONI Awhen the "Play the Game" con- ferous critic of what he sees as CONI's representative, but as a private indivi- ference was told that Sandro Donati wo- failure to address doping problems, and dual. CONI defended its original posi- uld not be attending. During the pre- this was reflected in his address. tion by alleging that Donati had not ceding three weeks, Donati had in vain And as it turned out, the little Italian sought official permission to attend the sought permission to travel from his came to epitomise the conference's pri- conference - a claim that correspon- employers, the Italian Olympic Com- mary message of democracy and open- dence between CONI and Donati later mittee (CONI). ness in sport. confirmed to be false. Although CONI gave no official rea- In the early hours of Wednesday son for their stance, those aware of Do- Pressure on CONI morning, CONI's Head of Research fi- nati's background were in little doubt Immediately after news of the ban was re- nally boarded the plane to Copenhagen, that the committee's intention was to ceived, those with any influence agreed ready to step forward in front of the con- gag their own Head of Research. Could to exert pressure on CONI in an attempt ference the next morning as a private in- CONI's reluctance to allow Donati to to get the committee to reverse its deci- dividual - but an individual but with a travel be due to fears he would expose sion. What would it look like if the Italian compelling story about doping and cor- the committee's own unhappy role in Olympic Committee were seen to be gag- ruption. Play the Game had won an im- Italian doping over the past 20 years? ging its own Head of Research, they ar- portant victory central to its message of Many believed so, and in the end they gued. Could CONI offer a sensible reason openness and democracy in sport. N 3 Play the game The little man versus the establishment After 19 years fighting against doping and corruption, Sandro Donati is now set to retire from the limelight By Kasper Lindberg with public attention focused on events at the other end of the stadium, the Ita- 1981, Sandro Donati was offered lian is awarded a distance of 8.38 - eno- In the job of coaching Italy's middle- ugh to take the bronze medal. Even the distance running team. It was in this ca- athlete cannot believe his 'luck'. pacity that he first met Professor Con- Donati's attempts to expose the chea- coni of the University of Ferrara, and ting did not make him popular with began to first learn about the illegal use CONI. Shortly afterwards, he was fired of drugs in Italian athletics. Seeing him from his job as coach. Donati then deci- as part of the established order, the pro- ded to lay low and concentrate on wri- fessor told Donati about his experi- ting a book.