PLAY THE GAME is an initiative that aims to raise awareness about critical issues in modern sport. Based in Aarhus, Denmark, its mission is to promote democratic values in world sport, with a focus on freedom of expression, transparency, and open dialogue.

PLAY THE GAME‘s target groups are journalists, academics, athletes’ representatives, sports leaders and politicians. Since its first conference in 1997, PLAY THE GAME has developed into a unique independent forum for debate about pressing issues in world sport supporting its work with investigative journalism and academic research projects in the broad field of sports governance.

The organisation’s biennial conferences attract worldwide participation and have become showcases for new academic research and journalistic investigations into important topics such as such as doping, match-fixing, corruption, sports governance, athletes’ rights, geopolitics, and abuse of athletes.

Outside the conferences, PLAY THE GAME’s key activities include the production of news and research, lobbying of governments and sports bodies and the provision of support to independent researchers and journalists. The organisation holds advisory functions in several international bodies and is regularly used as a go-to source of reliable information by international journalists and researchers.

In 2011, PLAY THE GAME became part of the Danish Institute for Sports Studies, an independent institution set up by the Danish Ministry of Culture and financed in part by the Danish state lottery. PLAY THE GAME must report its activities to the government but chooses its activities and operations without governmental interference.

More information about PLAY THE GAME is available here