A/60/283 xenophobic incidents. The Special Rapporteur considers that, in view of the gravity of some racist acts and the coverage that they were given in the media, their condemnation and the measures taken against those responsible do not reflect the seriousness of the situation. 40. In view of this increase in racist incidents, the Special Rapporteur believes it is necessary and urgent for politicians and national and international sporting bodies to take a firm stand, not only demonstrating greater commitment to, and vigilance in, the fight against racism and discrimination in sport, but also becoming more involved in awareness-raising campaigns and activities at the national and international levels in order to promote an image of interculturalism and multiracial integration at sporting events. 41. In the context of a greater mobilization of international sporting bodies, the Special Rapporteur has intensified his contacts with sporting bodies in order to promote cooperation and complementarity in efforts to combat racism in sport. He therefore had an initial meeting with Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), on 20 October 2004. This meeting paved the way for cooperation with the Olympic organization in the area of information exchange. On 6 December 2004, the Special Rapporteur also had a meeting in Zurich with Joseph S. Blatter, President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), who expressed his deep concern about the recent racist incidents in football and outlined the actions that FIFA is taking to combat racism. 42. The Special Rapporteur has noted that there have been some positive initiatives by sports federations or other organizations to combat racism in sport, such as the measures taken by FIFA or the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that are mentioned in his previous report to the General Assembly (A/59/329, paras. 33 to 35). 43. Among more recent initiatives, the Special Rapporteur draws attention to the FIFA Executive Committee’s decision, at its meeting of 7 and 8 March 2005, to create a multiethnic “team” of FIFA Ambassadors against Racism, which brings together leading players and coaches both past and present.5 This team of ambassadors, the captain of which is the French player Thierry Henry, will be responsible for actively promoting the fight against racism by embodying the values of football, primarily through interviews, events and summits. 44. The Special Rapporteur also wishes to congratulate FIFA for the activities it has organized each year, since 2002, as part of its worldwide Anti-Discrimination Day. In 2005, FIFA organized the fourth Anti-Discrimination Day to coincide with the semifinals of the FIFA Confederations Cup (Germany 2005), held on 25 and 26 June, and the quarter finals of the FIFA World Youth Championship (Netherlands 2005), held on 24 and 25 June. The Day was marked by various activities designed to deliver a clear message against racism, not only in football but also in society as a whole. At these matches, before kick-off, the two team captains read a declaration condemning and rejecting all forms of discrimination in football and society as a whole by firmly saying “no to racism”. As part of the official pre-match protocol, teams and match officials posed jointly behind a banner displaying the unequivocal message of “Say No to Racism”. For the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June, FIFA __________________ 5 See FIFA press release of 21 June 2005 entitled “Top national teams show solidarity in fight against discrimination” on FIFA’s official website: www.fifa.com. 15