The Panathlon Club of Lisbon marked its 46th anniversary with a Celebration of Ethics dedicated to the promotion of positive sport values, fair play and integrity in sport. The event brought together a broad and diverse audience, clearly extending beyond the Club’s own membership and reflecting the growing reach and relevance of its activities. Representatives from sports federations, associations and clubs accounted for approximately 43% of the participants, while public and institutional bodies represented around 22%, and universities and secondary schools approximately 7%. Members of the Panathlon Club of Lisbon, together with partners and guests, completed a uniquely plural gathering, providing a living witness to the Club’s ability to impact and mobilise a wide range of stakeholders across the sporting, institutional and educational landscape.
This celebration took place in a highly symbolic setting, reflecting nearly half a century of active commitment by the Panathlon Club of Lisbon to the promotion of ethical values in sport. The evening began with a reception for guests, followed by an opening moment highlighting the Club’s historical legacy and its ongoing mission to promote a fairer, more transparent and more human-centred sport. Particular emphasis was placed on the Club’s role as a catalyst for dialogue and engagement beyond its own community, fostering ethical reflection through initiatives that resonate across multiple sectors of society.
The institutional addresses featured interventions by the President of the Panathlon Club of Lisbon, Eng. Mário Almeida, by Dr. Lídia Praça, Member of the Board of the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (IPDJ), representing the Secretary of State for Sport, and by Dr. Fábio Figueiras, President of the Executive Committee of the Ética Summit and Vice-President of the Board of the Panathlon Club of Lisbon. In addition to framing the institutional significance of the celebration, this moment also served to reflect on the success of Ética Summit 2025 as a benchmark initiative at both national and international levels, and as a concrete example of how the Panathlon Club of Lisbon has been able to engage audiences well beyond its membership, creating spaces for shared responsibility and ethical awareness in sport.
This celebration also included the launch of the third volume of the Panathlon Club of Lisbon Collection, entitled “Open Issues on Sports Ethics from a Legal Perspective”, coordinated by Dr. Alexandre Mestre. This publication continues a collection launched in 2023 and represents a meaningful contribution to the national bibliography on sports ethics, reinforcing the Club’s role in knowledge production and dissemination across academic, professional and institutional communities. Several of the co-authors were present, enabling direct interaction with participants from diverse backgrounds.
The event further featured the presentation of the “Mário Simas” Fair Play Awards 2025. The Fair Play – Attitude Award was presented to Paulo Gonçalves, a triathlon athlete and officer of the Portuguese Navy, for his exemplary gesture of interrupting his race at the XTERRA event in Golegã to assist an athlete in distress. The Fair Play – Promotion Award was presented to Lúcia Jerónimo, Director at the Portuguese Badminton Federation, in recognition of her sustained and structured work in promoting ethics, integrity and transparency within the sport. The Fair Play – Career Award was presented to Professor Rui Proença Garcia, acknowledging his outstanding academic and scientific dedication to ethical reflection on sport; as he was unable to attend, a video message from the awardee was shared with those present.
The Panathlon Award 2025 was also presented to Dr. Luís Paulo Relógio, a leading legal expert with more than five decades of experience in sports law and sports justice. The distinction recognised not only his academic and institutional contributions, but also his active and ongoing engagement with the Panathlon Club of Lisbon, reinforcing the bridge between legal expertise, governance and ethical responsibility in sport.
One of the most symbolic moments of this celebration was the formal presentation of the Ethics Flag to the Panathlon Club of Lisbon, a distinction awarded under the framework of the National Plan for Ethics in Sport. The Ethics Flag was presented by Dr. José Lima, Coordinator of the National Plan for Ethics in Sport, and by Dr. Carla Silva, Member of the Board of the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth. This recognition formally acknowledged the consistent and structured work carried out by the Panathlon Club of Lisbon in promoting ethical values in sport, values that continue to resonate far beyond the Club itself.
This celebration concluded with the traditional anniversary cake and the singing of “Happy Birthday”, in an atmosphere of shared purpose and collective commitment. Marking 46 years of history, the event reaffirmed the Panathlon Club of Lisbon’s role as a convening platform for diverse communities and as a driving force for ethics and integrity in sport, demonstrating through its audience and its actions that its impact is both tangible and expanding.
