Sports play a vital role in Mauritius, contributing to national pride, community engagement, and personal development. Effective governance of sports federations is essential to maintaining the integrity and sustainability of sporting activities. Transparency, accountability, and integrity are fundamental principles of good governance, but their implementation within sports federations in Mauritius needs improvement.
Following the enactment of the Financial Crimes Commission Act 2023 on 29 March 2023, a significant workshop was held to engage representatives of sports federations and stakeholders in the sports sector. The FCC Act introduces new offences, with several sections dedicated to the good administration of associations, including sports organizations.
The Financial Crimes Commission (FCC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, and the Mauritius Sports Council (MSC), organized a half-day workshop titled “Promoting Accountability, Transparency, and Integrity in Sports Federations.” The event took place on Wednesday, 29 May 2024, at the FCC Headquarters.
The workshop aimed to empower participants to adopt high standards of conduct, enabling them to recognize, resist, reject, and report financial crimes. Additionally, it emphasized the need for sports federation management to establish robust and functional control systems across all functions of their organizations.
The workshop saw the participation of 60 individuals, including representatives from various sports federations and officers from the Sports Section of the Ministry. Among the attendees were coaches, members of the Mauritius Olympic Committee, the Mauritius Paralympic Committee, and officials from organizations under the Ministry, such as the Mauritius Sports Council, the Mauritius Multi-Sports Infrastructure Limited, Club Maurice, and the Trust Fund for Excellence in Sports.
The interaction between resource persons and participants provided clarity on certain provisions of the Financial Crimes Commission Act (2023) relevant to sports. It highlighted the importance of enhancing accountability, transparency, and integrity in the management of sports federations.
The workshop concluded with an agreement that more meetings with various stakeholders in the sports sector are necessary to further disseminate methods for consolidating governance structures in sports federations.