ICSS and the Org of American States launch

Doha – Qatar, Mar 18, 2013: The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and the Organization of American States (OAS) have signed a Letter of Understanding on the opening day of Securing Sport 2013 to launch cooperation on sport security and socio-economic development.

The Letter of Understanding (LOU) sets out how the ICSS and Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) of the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security (SMS) of the Organization of American States will co-operate to contribute to the development of national crime prevention and security strategies to protect sport while promoting socio-economic development.

Cooperation will focus both on the security of major sporting events and the protection of sport at large in the Americas in terms of safety, security and integrity.

The LOU was signed by ICSS President Mohammed Hanzab and H.E. Amb. Adam Blackwell, Secretary of Multidimensional Security at the Organization of American States (OAS).

Mohammed Hanzab, President of the ICSS, said: “The signing of a Letter of Understanding with the Organization of American States is a significant step forward in our efforts to contribute to the protection of sport in different regions of the world. It is highly symbolic for us that this signature comes the day after the launch of our regional programme for the Middle-East and North-Africa jointly with UNICRI. The cooperation with the OAS in the Americas is a crucial development in the work of the ICSS to enhance security and integrity at major events globally.”

H.E. Amb. Adam Blackwell, Secretary of Multidimensional Security at the Organization of American States (OAS), said: “The promotion of legacy factors of major event security in the field of crime prevention and sport security and integrity is necessary to ensure long-lasting benefits in the hosting countries and the whole region. The protection of sport nowadays requires a multisectoral approach. We count on the established cooperation between the Organization of American States and the ICSS to strengthen synergies among different stakeholders such as the security community, the development sector and the sport movement.” —- By Will Shand, Doha, Qatar