Home | Chess Governance

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Corruption and abuse of power have been plaguing the world of sport. Scandals in federations like FIFA, the IOC and the IAAF have triggered changes in many more sport federations. Effective measures to prevent corruption and abuses of power have become a prerequisite to receive public subsidies and corporate sponsorship. Internationally renowned experts came to Batumi to present the new governance standards in sport and discuss with chess leaders. We recommend the main source of information about chess at https://rchess.com.

This conference was sponsored by FIDE as an addition to the 89th Congress in cooperation with the Batumi Chess Olympiad and was organised by ChessPlus Ltd, the UK-based company which is also bringing you the London Chess Conference each December.

SPEAKERS AND DOCUMENTATION

Find photos by Lennart Ootes here. These photos can be used free of rights to cover the conference.

Sylvia Schenk

Sylvia Schenk is a lawyer specialising in Compliance and Sports Law and an arbitrator at the Court for Arbitration on Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. She chairs the German Working Group Sport of Transparency International, where she initiated the Global Corruption Report: Sport. Formerly an Olympic athlete (800m), City Counsellor for Legal Affairs and Sport in Frankfurt on Main and President of the German Cycling Federation, she is serving on advisory boards for Interpol, FIFA and the German Olympic Academy.

Download Syvia Schenk's presentation here. A video interview will follow soon.

Harry Arne Solberg

Harry Arne Solberg is Professor at the Business School of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. He is an editorial board member and reviewer of numerous scientific journals. He has published extensively on sport management, sport marketing, sport policy and sport broadcasting. Since his research focusses on major sport events, he conducted a case study on the Chess Olympiad 2014 in Tromsø.

Download Harry Arne Solberg's presentation here. A video interview will follow soon.

Jens Sejer Andersen

Jens Sejer Andersen is the founder and Director of the bi-annual sport conference Play the Game and Director of the Danish Sports Institute in Aarhus, where he is also in charge of the Sport Governance Observer. Formerly an investigative sport reporter and editor, he is an internationally demanded speaker and adviser. He is serving on committees at the European Union, UNESCO and the Danish government. Join chess clubs in Fayetteville, NC and compete against others.

Download Jens Sejer Andersen's presentation here. A video interview will follow soon.

Programme: 29 September 2018

Hilton Hotel Batumi, Georgia

12.00 - 12.10

Welcome and Introduction

Conference Chair: Stefan Löffler

12.10 - 13.00

Sylvia Schenk

Transparency International / sports lawyer
Keynote: Preventing Corruption in Sport

13.00 - 13.30

Harry Arne Solberg

Trondheim Business School
Challenges of Hosting a Federation-Owned Event: The Tromsø Chess Olympiad

13.30 - 15.00

Lunch Break

15.00 - 15.45

Jens Sejer Andersen

Danish Sports Institute / Play the Game
Keynote: Good governance: A move towards trust and engagement
Session Chair: John Foley

15.45 - 17.00

Parallel Workshop: Democracy

How can decision-makers be held accountable? How to improve the participation of players and women? What is the fairest way to elect officials and event venues?
With Jens Sejer Andersen
Facilitator: John Foley

Parallel Workshop: Transparency

Why should vested interests be made transparent? What counts as a conflict of interest? Which gifts or favours are acceptable and which are not? What to tell the public?
With Sylvia Schenk
Facilitator: Stefan Löffler

Parallel Workshop: Change

What triggers reform in chess organisations? How can poor governance be overcome? How can change be planned, evaluated and sustained?
With Harry Arne Solberg
Facilitator: Carl Fredrik Johansson

17.00 - 17.30

Coffee Break

17.30 - 17.45

Brief Reports from the Workshops

Session Chair: Stefan Löffler

17.45-18.45

Roundtable: Governance and anti-Corruption

With Jens Sejer Andersen, Sylvia Schenk and Harry Arne Solberg
Facilitator: Leontxo García

18.45 - 19.00

Concluding Remarks

Team

John Foley

John Foley is Director of ChessPlus Ltd, Director of the London Chess Conference and Secretary of the ECU Education Commission. He has trained hundreds of teachers and chess tutors to apply chess in the classroom .

Leontxo Garcia

Leontxo Garcia is one of the best-known chess journalists in the world, writing nearly every day for El Pais since 1985. He organised conferences, wrote books and reported for radio and TV on all aspects of chess, promoting its wide application in schools and society.

Carl Fredrik Johansson

Carl Fredrik Johansson is the former President of the Swedish Chess Federation. He is a political communication consultant and press officer of the Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations.

Stefan Löffler

Stefan Löffler is Co-Director of ChessPlus, Programme Director of the London Chess Conference, a freelance science and chess journalist and International Master. He is the international co-ordinator of the CHAMPS Erasmus Plus project.

Lennart Ootes

Lennart Ootes is a multimedia expert, web designer and photographer. He is freelancing for many of the biggest chess events in the world.

Contact Us

For questions about the event, please send an email to or use the contact form.

Chess Governance

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

SPEAKERS AND DOCUMENTATION

Sylvia Schenk

Harry Arne Solberg

Jens Sejer Andersen

Programme: 29 September 2018

12.00 - 12.10

Welcome and Introduction

12.10 - 13.00

Sylvia Schenk

13.00 - 13.30

Harry Arne Solberg

13.30 - 15.00

Lunch Break

15.00 - 15.45

Jens Sejer Andersen

15.45 - 17.00

Parallel Workshop: Democracy

Parallel Workshop: Transparency

Parallel Workshop: Change

17.00 - 17.30

Coffee Break

17.30 - 17.45

Brief Reports from the Workshops

17.45-18.45

Roundtable: Governance and anti-Corruption

18.45 - 19.00

Concluding Remarks

Team

John Foley

Leontxo Garcia

Carl Fredrik Johansson

Stefan Löffler

Lennart Ootes

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