The Global Alliance for Integrity in Sport (SIGA) announced the opening of applications for organizations interested in acting as Accredited Certification Bodies (OCAs). The initiative marks a new stage in the entity’s independent certification, which no longer operates on a centralized model and now has a structure with global reach.
The announcement takes place during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and reinforces the organization’s strategy to expand the international application of its mechanisms aimed at sporting integrity.
How the new certification model will work
The Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS) is presented by SIGA as the world’s only independent framework dedicated to the assessment and rating of sporting organizations based on the Universal Standards for Integrity in Sport.
The standards cover areas such as good governance, financial integrity and transparency, integrity in sports betting and youth development and protection. Furthermore, the entity develops new parameters related to social and environmental sustainability in sport and artificial intelligence applied to sporting integrity.
Under the new model, SIGA will grant licenses to certified entities to carry out SIRVS assessments in previously defined scopes. Activities may cover specific regions, specific standards and different segments of the sports industry.
At the same time, the organization will maintain ownership of the system’s standards, methodology, intellectual property, governance, oversight, and quality assurance mechanisms. In this way, the entity intends to ensure consistency, independence and credibility in all certifications carried out worldwide.
Expanding the scope of certification
According to SIGA, the initiative represents the largest structural expansion in its history. With this, the organization seeks to make independent integrity certification accessible to sports entities of different sizes, countries and levels of governance.
Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, co-founder and global CEO of SIGA, said: “For too long, sport has been its own arbiter. Scandals in governance, finance and betting have shown, time and again, that tossing one’s own responsibility and declaring oneself fit for purpose is neither sufficient nor considered truly trustworthy.
The world demands proof — independent, rigorous, internationally recognized proof — that sports organizations govern themselves and operate with integrity. SIRVS exists to provide exactly that.”
Medeiros added: “Today, as we open the doors to Accredited Certification Bodies around the world, we ensure that no sport, and no country, is left behind.”
SIGA’s global CEO stated: “This is not an administrative change. This is the moment when SIGA’s mission becomes truly global — and Sport finally receives the ultimate solution to safeguard its own integrity, credibility and future.”
Criteria for participation and selection process
SIGA said it will receive applications from organizations with experience in certification, auditing, verification, evaluation, compliance, law, accounting or professional services. Likewise, the entity highlighted its interest in candidates working in sports governance, integrity and risk management.
In this sense, participants will undergo assessment based on the eligibility and capacity criteria established by the organization. Among the aspects analyzed will be professional experience, independence, governance structure, financial sustainability, conflict of interest policies, ethical adequacy and operational capacity.
Accreditation will be granted on a non-exclusive basis and within determined scopes. In addition, approved bodies must continually comply with SIGA requirements, participate in training, integrate quality assurance processes and follow the entity’s policies and ethical standards.
In turn, the organization will also make an exclusive Pioneer ACB package available to the first successful candidates. The initiative seeks to recognize the initial commitment of these institutions and contribute to the construction of the next stage of global certification of sporting integrity.
Katie Simmonds, SIGA Global Commercial Director and SIRVS Technical Team Coordinator, added: “This is a strategic opportunity for organizations with recognized expertise in assurance, compliance, auditing and professional services to expand their role in sport, directly contributing to higher standards of governance and integrity.”
Simmonds added: “The organizations that present themselves now will not be mere service providers, they will be co-architects of a more responsible and reliable sports industry.
This is a rare opportunity to combine business purpose with genuine impact. The ACBs will be at the center of an international movement that is changing the way sport is governed and how the world sees it.”
Interested organizations will be able to submit their applications until October 1, 2026. To do so, they must consult the terms of the process and fill out the online form made available by the organization.
About SIGA
SIGA serves as an international organization dedicated to promoting integrity in sport. Currently, the entity develops independent classification and certification systems based on its Universal Integrity Standards.
Funded by its members, the organization operates independently and on a non-profit basis. Therefore, its objective is to promote high standards of governance and integrity throughout the sports industry.
The institution brings together representatives of sport, governments, universities, international organizations, sponsors, companies, rights holders, non-governmental organizations and professional service providers from different regions of the world.
Finally, SIGA is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has continental subsidiaries SIGA America, SIGA Europe and SIGA Latin America.
