International Fair Play Committee 2025 End of Year President's Message

As 2025 draws to an end, and I conclude my first half-year as CIFP President, I find myself reflecting on a simple but profound truth: Fairness is not a distant ideal; it is the atmosphere we breathe.

It is present in every transaction, every decision, and every interaction. Whether on the track, in the boardroom, or in our daily lives, we are constantly navigating the tension between what is right. This year, 2025, has shown us that while "unfairness" may be all around us, the human spirit has an incredible capacity to recognize it – and more importantly, to tilt the scales toward justice.

The Victories of Vigilance

We have seen that when we choose to look, we find that fairness can win. At the 15th National Games of China, a technical error during the Mixed 4×400 m relay final hindered two teams, prompting an appeal. To restore fairness, officials ordered a re-run the next day and ultimately awarded two additional bronze medals after the re-run teams outperformed the original bronze time. Fairness was not just a concept; it was a corrective action.

We saw it in the economic sphere as well. When the initial World Cup ticket pricing threatened to exclude the very people who give the game its soul, the community spoke, and FIFA listened. Is that fairness? It is at least a recognition that sport belongs to the many, not just the few.

Even in our most difficult battles – global doping and the shadow of illegal betting and collusion in professional leagues – we see a silver lining. Rising doping numbers in India and elsewhere can be seen not only as a challenge, but perhaps also as a sign of progress, reflecting stronger detection systems and a growing commitment to identifying and deterring cheating.

Detection is the first step toward deterrence, but our mission is being fought on two vital fronts: technology and education. On the technology side, software solutions and medical advances provide a digital shield for the global sports movement, monitoring hundreds of thousands of events for irregularities and ensuring that fair play is no longer just a distant aspiration but a monitored, data-driven reality. This vigilance means that those who attempt to tilt the scales through collusion or corruption have fewer places to hide. When law enforcement enters the NBA or MLB to root out illegal collusion in betting, they are not just policing a game; they are protecting a social contract.

Simultaneously, on the educational front, organizations like Classroom Champions are doing the essential 'groundwork,' bringing these same values into schools to inspire the next generation. Together, these efforts ensure that we are also building a world where fewer choose to cheat.

The New Frontier: AI and Ethical Judgment

As many of you know, my professional background lies in the world of technology investing, and I was thrilled to witness the applications of Artificial Intelligence in the sporting world. Amongst other sports, in gymnastics, figure skating, and diving, AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it is an active aide to the human eye.

The goal is a bias-free, “fair”, judging system to aid human judgement. But I must offer a word of caution: an algorithm is only as fair as the data that feeds it. We are currently in the arduous "cleansing" phase of AI ethics. We must ensure that the "Responsible AI" we implement does not simply digitize human prejudice but actually transcends it.

The Beauty of the Unselfish Act

But for all our talk of rules and algorithms, Fair Play is ultimately an act of the heart. This year, CIFP celebrated acts that remind us why we love sport:

• Jean-Christophe Rolland and the International Rowing Community, who harmoniously re-arranged an entire Olympic finals schedule to ensure an athlete delayed by circumstances beyond his control could compete.

• Track and Field athletes, Sander Skotheim and Tim Van de Velde, whose unselfishness acts of helping a fellow countryman win a Gold or picking up a fallen athlete at the expense of one’s own performance, respectively.

• A Volleyball DJ Tony Rojas bringing a “musical moment of peace” by playing John Lennon’s “Imagine” tune to deflect a tense situation in the Beach Volley Olympic final.

• The German Olympic Team, who lent a boat to a competitor, Yauheni Zalaty, enabling their toughest rival, to win a silver medal, and finally

• Ellie Black, a Canadian gymnast’s infinite goodwill and kindness to fellow competitors.

They all continue to be the gold standard in sporting spirit – and CIFP is proud to have been able to recognize and highlight these exceptional achievements. 

Looking Ahead to May 19 – World Fair Play Day

The United Nations has officially recognized May 19 as World Fair Play Day. This is a clear signal that the world views our mission as vital to the official global calendar.

With the help of organizations such as the IOC and the UN, we are laying the groundwork, but the mission belongs to you as well. You do not need a stadium to practice fair play; you only need to look at your surroundings—your office, your school, your local club—and ask, “How can I tilt this environment toward fairness today?” 

Fairness does not prevail by accident; it prevails because people like you decide that it must. Thank you for an incredible 2025. Let us make 2026 the year when fairness is not just something we talk about, but something we live.