ThePulse turns the critical spotlight on the head of Play The Game, Jens Sejer Andersen.

Photo: Morten Flarup

Play the Game is build on admirable thoughts and good intentions, but how does it actually help to prevent corruption and doping use?

You can always discuss, whether or not conversation, education, journalism and research works. But if we give up on our belief, that one person bringing information to another, sharing his or her knowledge and thoughts, is meaningful, then there are a lot of things, which will come to an end in this world.
That said I am probably the first person to ask myself every morning when I get up and several times during the day, whether or not it really is worth all the trouble, and I would like to point to a couple of things. Firstly, Play the Game has throughout the years provided a home for the homeless questions in sport. It has been a forum for some people, who, because of knowledge they had, have been harassed, threatened professionally or physically and even on their life, because they dared to dig into some cases, which other people with either economical or political power did not want them to dig into. Also, there are some very concrete examples of events taking place in the forum of Play the Game, that have had remarkable effects later on. For instant Sandro Donati’s ground breaking lecture on the roads of the global doping trade. All indications suggest that this lecture was a deciding factor in the present focus of WADA, the EU and various countries on how to get to the providers in stead of only the athletes.

Do you think that the existence of Play the Game makes an athlete considering to use doping or a leader in a sports organization considering to take a bribe choose the right path?

That is probably setting the bar a little too high. But at least Play the Game helps to create a sports environment with optimal conditions for the athletes, who follow the rules and helps to make it more difficult and less appealing to use doping or take bribes.

Have you ever yourself taken a short cut to reach a goal and afterwards realized that you did it in a questionable way?

I probably have, but right now at the end of a long conference I honestly don’t know. But I can tell you this much: I have never been tested positive.

Note: The funding from the Danish government to Play the Game expires at the end of 2007, but the organization has received a preliminary message from the Ministry of Culture, that a new four year period will be approved. However, primary elections in Denmark on the 13th of November might stir up the question of future funding, if a new government is elected.