Call for Papers to:

Play the Game 2013

- Stepping up for democracy in sport

Helnan Marselis Hotel, Aarhus, Denmark , 28-31 October 2013

Today, more than ever before, the world looks with great concern at sport and its organisations. Cases of corruption, match-fixing, doping and other unethical practices are accumulating, putting sport’s credibility under pressure.

Time is up for all stakeholders in sport to engage in open and unrestricted debates, so we can continuously develop the debate about sport and help identify solutions to the challenges that threaten it.

As an academic, journalist or sports practitioner, your participation is vital:
Academics can play a key role by bringing comprehensive data, scientific methods and analytical skills into the process.

Journalists have a special responsibility, partly because the media are an integral part of the sporting environment, and partly because the media have a strong influence on which issues are raised in public and which that are not.

Sports practitioners must balance a series of demands: Not only are they expected to provide economic growth, and increase membership and audiences, they must also guarantee ethical governance, strict anti-doping measures and social responsibility.

Conference themes
We invite you to share your expertise and experience with leading stakeholders by submitting an abstract/storyline with relevance to one of these main themes:

Match-fixing: Fair game for gangsters?
Sports reforms: Fact or phantom?
The anti-doping dilemma: Saving sport, sacrificing athletes?
Recreational sport: A lost cause for sports organisations?
Sports facilities: Who are we building for?
From Russia to Rio: Power games or people’s games?
Open Forum/Other themes

Play the Game aspires to continue to be cutting edge in the international sports debate. The scope of issues raised at Play the Game is traditionally very broad, but we do try to focus conference content on some major themes.

Please note that the list is neither exclusive nor exhaustive. From now and to the conference open, many more issues will be added to the list. In case you do not see your special topic on the list, it does not necessarily mean that it without interest to Play the Game.

Selected speakers will be given a minimum 15 minute timeslot to present their papers orally in parallel sessions and some may be chosen to present in plenary sessions.

Open Forum
An Open Forum is also available to speakers:

who address issues not covered by the main themes
whose abstracts are not accepted in the peer review process
who offer interventions/investigations of a more personal character
who submit last-minute registrations

In the Open Forum, speakers are given a seven minute timeslot to present their main points.

Deadline for abstract/storyline submission is Wednesday 15 May 2013.

Abstracts/storylines will be peer reviewed by leading academics, journalists and managers from the 2013 conference Programme Committee.

Notifications on approval of abstracts will be sent by e-mail no later than 1 July 2013.

Please note that the registration price for abstract submitters will be calculated as of the day of the abstract submission.

International launch of research projects
If you are preparing a major research project or a campaign, why not use Play the Game 2013 to launch your project internationally?

Play the Game expects the participation of more than 100 journalists representing media across the globe and is an ideal platform for reaching a worldwide audience and building lasting working relations.

We thank you in advance for any help in distributing this message to friends, colleagues and others who share the goals of Play the Game: To promote democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in world sport.