Christodoulides hails opening of Sports Ethics Committee’s new offices

President Nikos Christodoulides hailed the opening of the Sports ethics committee’s new offices on Monday, saying he believes the committee can make a “decisive contribution” to the fight against corruption in sport.

He said that this belief was “the reason why I urged and encouraged the committee’s members to proceed with the renting of these new offices, so that the committee can acquire a home to be able to carry out its duties.”

“Sports, from the earliest appearance of civilisation, has been one of the most important elements in the formation of societies and the education of the young.”

“Healthy sport, especially in classical culture, was a prerequisite for the moral and spiritual development of man, because through fair competition, man develops a competitive spirit, forges determination, and learns respect for the rules, fellow athletes, and, by extension, fellow human beings,” he said.’

He said that it is for this reason that his government wishes to protect and promote the work of the Sports ethnics committee.

Additionally, he spoke positively of proposals to amend legislation concerning the committee, saying he plans to “make it even more efficient and beneficial in terms of the work it is called upon to produce”.

To this end, he called for “special attention” to be given to the implementation of preventative measures to prevent match fixing, an issue which he described as a “real scourge which exposes Cypriot sports and tarnishes the country’s international reputation.”

He called on the commission to “take a knife to the bone” of suspicious betting activity, saying this is what society demands.

He added that with this in mind, he is confident that Cyprus will become a place where sport is “clean” and said the work to end sports corruption is “your responsibility, but also mine, and we cannot afford to fail.”