杏吧原版

When Declan Hill, D. Phil, presented tennis legend Martina Navratilova as a finalist for the 2023 for Sports Integrity Award, at a globally watched Zoom event last month, he pointed out a tie he was wearing. It was a treasure of his father杏吧原版檚.

Dr. Hill, associate professor of investigations and the director of the University杏吧原版檚 Sport Integrity Center, said the tie was given to survivors of the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. His father sailed 杏吧原版渇or three and a half years across the Atlantic, risking submarines and torpedoes. His friends were killed every day and week.杏吧原版�

When a young Hill asked his father why he fought, his father told him, 杏吧原版淚 did it so we could continue to have debate and discussion and the free-flowing of ideas.杏吧原版�

His father was also on the streets of Prague in 1968, at a time when 杏吧原版渢he teachers, the professors, the politicians, the artists, the union leaders, the people who chose to love in different ways, were carted off to gulags, where they were suppressed and killed.杏吧原版�

Dr. Hill said that when Navratilova arrived in the U.S., 杏吧原版渢he seed of freedom had been planted in those dark times in Czechoslovakia where she was born, and they flowered and flourished here. Many things can be said about Martina Navratilova. One of them is that she will not shut up. She杏吧原版檚 fought for women to be treated equally and fairly in a time when that wasn't even begun to be discussed.杏吧原版�

Hill also said that Navratilova, who appeared in 32 Grand Slam finals and won 18, 杏吧原版渄iscussed openly the beauty of same-sex relations at a time when that was a desert of discussion.杏吧原版�

杏吧原版楩ight for equity and justice杏吧原版�

The Noble Purpose for Sports Integrity Award advisory panel 杏吧原版� called the Justice League 杏吧原版� includes internationally recognized athletes, academics and activists who have fought against abuse of athletes, predatory sports gambling, match fixing and other corruption in sports.

From dozens of possible nominees for this year杏吧原版檚 Noble Purpose Award, they chose finalists Navratilova; Malcolm Bidali, 杏吧原版渁 whistleblower against human rights abuses in Qatar in the build-up to last year杏吧原版檚 FIFA World Cup;杏吧原版� and Vinicius Junior, the Real Madrid soccer player 杏吧原版渨ho single-handedly took on some of the systemic problems of Spanish sport in confronting a baying mob of thousands of racist fans live on television during a recent match,杏吧原版� Hill said.

Hill then announced Navratilova as the winner. He said there was debate among the advisory council members because in recent years Navratilova has spoken out about trans athletes who compete in women杏吧原版檚 sports. But he said the council chose her because 杏吧原版淢artina Navratilova has chiseled a career of sporting immortality and fight for equity and justice.杏吧原版�

Navratilova took a few moments to gather herself and wipe away tears. 杏吧原版淐oming from a country where I came from, you couldn't speak out,杏吧原版� she said. 杏吧原版淚n America, you actually can speak out and would not be punished for it. But these days, actually, that's not happening. You speak out, and you do get punished for it. Case in point is that I was a controversial nominee for this award, when to me, I'm speaking out because I speak out for fairness. That's all I've ever done, as much as I could in Czechoslovakia. I always spoke out about that, in America, without penalties, really, until now.

杏吧原版淚t is athletes who largely suffer from this lack of integrity in sport,杏吧原版� Navratilova continued. 杏吧原版淭hat is why I will keep speaking out until we figure out a way that's good for everyone. We are not anti-trans. We are pro-women, pro-sports, pro-fairness, pro-equality, and we must find a way where everybody is welcome, but not at the cost of fairness to women and girls.杏吧原版�

杏吧原版楢 passionate professor who cares杏吧原版�

The Center for Sports Integrity杏吧原版檚 second annual Noble Purpose Awards event, via Zoom, drew viewers from around the globe. Dr. Hill said his goal is to illustrate to his students 杏吧原版� sport management, national security, and criminal justice majors 杏吧原版� and to the world what can happen when a single voice becomes a collective voice for change.

Dr. Hill invited Anna Schleck 杏吧原版�23, who graduated from the National Security program in May, to be part of the Justice League and she said it杏吧原版檚 taught her so much about the connections between politics, crime, and sports. 杏吧原版淚 learned that there are so many people dedicated to keeping sports as pure as possible and that they are diverse and talented individuals using their skills to help,杏吧原版� she said.

At the Zoom event, Schleck introduced nominee Malcom Bidali. 杏吧原版淚n doing research and going through the nomination process, I got to learn how much he sacrificed to make sure the world knew what was going on in Qatar as they were preparing for the World Cup.

杏吧原版淭he University and his students are very lucky to have Dr. Hill because he is a passionate professor who cares about his students and goes out of his way to involve them or connect them with opportunities that could open doors to a job or a unique experience such as this,杏吧原版� continued Schleck, who is currently working as a contractor for the Veterans Administration and plans to pursue a career as a national security analyst. 杏吧原版淚 met people working all over the world in different fields that have connections to sports.杏吧原版�

Investigating a culture of abuse

The Center also presented the Anti-Noble Purpose Award, given to 杏吧原版渢he person or entity whose actions have demonstrated the worst principles in the sports world.杏吧原版� The nominees were:

• The Balkan Match-Fixers 杏吧原版� as Dr. Hill described 杏吧原版渃riminals who have spread match-fixing into sports on every inhabited continent.杏吧原版�
• The Executives of PGA Tour 杏吧原版� 杏吧原版渇or cutting a deal with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf behind the backs of the players and the 9/11 victims杏吧原版� families, whom they had previously used to garner support for their public fight against LIV.杏吧原版�
• The Canadian Government 杏吧原版� which Dr. Hill said 杏吧原版渢urned a blind eye to countless incidents of abuse and harassment in their national sports. Thousands of athletes have appealed for an inquiry, and the politicians have demonstrated their true leadership by refusing to allow such a process.杏吧原版�

The Canadian Government was selected as the recipient. Caradh O'Donovan, a former world champion kickboxer and athletes杏吧原版� rights activist from County Sligo, Ireland, nominated the Canadian government because, 杏吧原版淐anadian athletes, advocates and supporters have been calling for the Canadian government to initiate an independent national inquiry into the culture of abuse that exists across all sports in Canada,杏吧原版� she said. Yet that has not happened.

杏吧原版楾hese are important issues杏吧原版�

Dr. Hill contacted the Canadian Ministry of Sport to accept the award. When no one responded, he asked the Honorable Rosemarie E. Aquilina, judge of the 30th Circuit Court in Michigan, to speak as part of the event. The Anti-Noble Purpose Award immediately garnered news coverage in the Canadian press, and Dr. Hill indicated that the award has also generated a great deal of official debate in the Canadian House of Commons.

Judge Aquilina presided over the trial of Larry Nassar, the former sports medicine doctor at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, where more than 150 victims testified. She sentenced Nassar to jail for up to 175 years for sexually abusing young female gymnasts who were entrusted to his care.

According to Reuters, Judge Aquilina 杏吧原版渃alled for an independent inquiry into sports across Canada amid widespread allegations of harassment, abuse and bullying.杏吧原版� In June, she testified before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

杏吧原版淚 hope this award changes the trajectory of how the Canadian government deals with abuse, which can only happen if they finally listen to Canadian athletes, children and advocates, and immediately call for an independent national inquiry into the toxic culture of abuse across Canadian sport and make immediate and meaningful changes,杏吧原版� she said.

Dr. Hill thanked all of the participants joining from around the world and urged people to move the fight for justice in sports forward. 杏吧原版淭hese are important issues,杏吧原版� he said. 杏吧原版淭hey desperately need to be discussed in these times.杏吧原版�