Coghlan To Speak At IRB World Rugby Conference And Exhibition

The International Rugby Board has announced a strong line-up of speakers to participate in a panel discussion on ‘Integrity: Protecting integrity and promoting inclusion’, at the IRB World Rugby Conference and Exhibition that will take place on November 17-18 at the Hilton London Metropole.

Sir Craig Reedie, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Olympic Committee Vice-President, will be joined by Sir Ronnie Flanagan, Chairman of the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, Heather Rabbatts CBE, the Football Association’s first female director and chair of the FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board, and Fiona Coghlan, the recently retired Ireland Women’s captain, to explore the greatest threats to the integrity of sport such as match-fixing and doping and what can be done to eradicate them.

Fiona is a feted Irish rugby player. She captained her country to its first Women’s Six Nations title and Grand Slam in 2013 and was named Irish Sportswoman of the year that same year.

In 2014 she helped Ireland make history with their first ever win over New Zealand in the pool stages of Women’s Rugby World Cup and led them to an historic World Cup semi-final appearance before announcing her retirement at the end of the tournament last month.

The panel will also explore the issue of discrimination and how to further promote inclusion across the sporting landscape.

The discussion will focus on how education for players, coaches and Unions can help in the battle against issues related to integrity and inclusion.

IRB Chief Executive Brett Gosper said: “The high calibre of speakers on the Integrity panel will all bring a unique set of experiences and perspectives to what is sure to be a fascinating discussion. Protecting integrity and eradicating discrimination are two of the greatest challenges facing sport in the 21st century.

“ConfEx provides us with the perfect platform for senior figures working in and around rugby and international sport to come together and share their knowledge.

“We are confident that with our growing list of thought-leading speakers we will deliver a world class conference on the issues that really matter to the rugby family and the wider sporting community.”

Taking place at Hilton London Metropole, the ConfEx offers a dynamic platform to discuss, learn and create partnerships that will project rugby’s values worldwide.

Supporting the IRB’s mission to reach out to new markets around the globe, the vision of ConfEx is to empower the rugby community and help it achieve ever-increasing heights of rugby participation and excellence.

Panels on Rugby World Cup – Past and Future and Concussion – Driving cultural change have already been announced.

For further information about ConfEx, please go to www.irb.com/confex. You can also join the conversation on Twitter: @IRBConfEx and #IRBConfEx.