Japan Sports Agency, Olympic Committee set up governance guidelines

187
2
Japan Sports Agency, Olympic Committee set up governance guidelines

The Japan Sports Agency and the Japan Olympic Committee were among the organizations that decided to set up governance guidelines for major sports events in response to a series of corruption and bid-rigging allegations related to the Tokyo Games.

The guidelines set out 11 rules regarding the composition of executive boards and the selection of sponsors, in an effort to eliminate corruption in future events organized by the national and local governments with public funds. On Thursday, guidelines were decided on at the third meeting of a project team chaired by lawyer Kei Ikuta in Tokyo.

The guidelines include the establishment of a committee to select executive board directors, and regulations outlining policy for the selection of sponsors.

Staff from private companies are often sent to governing bodies of major events. Therefore, the guidelines request that criteria be devised to indicate what transactions constitute a conflict of interest, that conflicts be properly managed by a committee independent of the executive board, and that seconded staff not be assigned to sections closely related to their companies.

Since governing bodies have a significant impact on society, they are encouraged not only to release information as required by law, but also to provide information proactively and voluntarily.

The guidelines also call for a compilation of bidding rules and the creation of a manual and education for high-ranking officials and staff to avoid encouraging bid rigging, as well as a compilation of bidding rules and the creation of a manual and education for high-ranking officials and staff.

Tokyo is scheduled to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships, and the Asian Games - including those for sports, will be held in Aichi Prefecture in 2026.

The governing bodies that are asked to report their compliance status will not be required by the new guidelines.

The project team consists of five lawyers and certified public accountants. Since November, it has been working to identify problems in a series of corruption and bid-rigging cases, through interviews with 13 former employees of the Tokyo Games organizing committee. In February, the team released a draft of the guidelines to listen to the opinions of sports and economic organizations.

The term of the project team has been extended until March so that the guidelines can be revised if new facts come to light during the trial.

Sports Agency Commissioner Koji Murofushi said at the meeting: "We share an unwavering commitment to restore fairness in the world of sports, and we unite and make our utmost efforts to that end."