Key Policy Developments

1. International Convention on the manipulations of Sport Competitions

1. Background

The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (or Macolin Convention) is a multilateral treaty that aims to prevent, detect, and punish match fixing in sport. The convention was concluded in Macolin/Magglingen, Switzerland, on 18 September 2014. At its conclusion, it was immediately signed by 15 states of the Council of Europe; it is open to ratification of Council of Europe states and any other state in the world. The treaty will enter into force after being ratified by five states, three of which must be Council of Europe Member-states. Prior to the opening for signatures, there was a 2-year consultation on the drafting of its provisions (EL/WLA were part of the Consultative Committee).

2. Purpose and main provisions:

The purpose of this Convention is to prevent, detect, punish and discipline the manipulation of sports competitions, as well as enhance the exchange of information and national and international cooperation between the public authorities concerned, and with sports organisations and sports betting operators. The Convention calls on governments to adopt measures, including legislation, notably:

  • Prevent conflicts of interest in sports betting operators and sports organisations;
  • Encourage the sports betting regulatory authorities to fight against fraud, if necessary by limiting the supply of sports bets or suspending the taking of bets;
  • Fight against illegal sports betting, allowing to close or restrict access to the operators concerned and block financial flows between them and consumers.

Sports organisations and competition organisers are also required to adopt and implement stricter rules to combat corruption, sanctions and proportionate disciplinary and dissuasive measures in the event of offences, as well as good governance principles. The Convention also provides safeguards for informants and witnesses.

3. Signatures and Ratifications

Currently, 7 countries have ratified the Convention, namely, Norway, Portugal, Ukraine, Moldova, Switzerland, Italy and Greece.

The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, officially entered into force on 1 September 2019.

A list of current signatures and ratifications is available here

The first statutory committee meeting of the Follow-Up Committee will take place on 8-9 October 2020 at the Council of Europe HQ in Strasbourg (France).

4. Entry into force and follow-up

The Convention’s official entry into force on 1 September 2009 triggered the Convention Follow-up Committee. The Members of the Follow-up Committee will be the states that have ratified the Convention and relevant organisations will be able to ask for an Observer status.

2. Macolin RoadMap

The Council of Europe oversees the implementation of the Macolin Roadmap. It provides a structured framework allowing the main actors to better align their efforts and coordinate their actions. It is regarded as the most possible efficient strategy to promote the Convention and to assure its rapid entry into force.

The Roadmap targets the building of networks and the technical assistance to countries that the Council of Europe carry out through the project “Keep Crime Out of Sport – manipulation of sports competitions 2018-2020” (KCOOS+).

GLMS had submitted a report on behalf of the lottery sector : Macolin Road Map Report

On 20-21 September 2018, the CoE held its 3rd International Conference on the Promotion and Implementation of the CoE Convention. As an outcome, the CoE published a document with 14 priorities. (available here )

As a follow-up, the Convention Secretariat has built an action plan in relation to the 14 “priorities” identified by the Conference. The action plan should be based on synergies that national and international stakeholders are ready to set up. The Macolin Roadmap action plan should be regarded as an accelerator of what certain stakeholders could be doing, or come as a complement to what they are doing, or simply be developed in parallel to their on-going activities (avoiding overlaps). As much as possible, actions to be proposed should take into account what is already going on or take advantage of existing resources / activities, defining the possible leaderships and responsibilities. The Macolin Roadmap shall additional visibility and consistency to activities contributing to common objectives and responding to the main challenges highlighted during the Conference.

3. Network of National Platforms (Group of Copenhagen)

The Secretariat of the Council of Europe (Sport Conventions Division, DGII) established the informal “Network of National Platforms” (henceforth referred to as the “Group of Copenhagen” in reference to the first meeting held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 5 July 2016) to act within the framework of co-operation activities for the promotion of the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (Macolin Convention).

The Group of Copenhagen endorsed a betting and non-betting Alert and Surveillance System of suspicious activities providing practical tools which should increase the reactivity and the efficiency of the National Platforms, as well as their trans-national co-operation (including as part of monitoring of major international sport events.

The Group of Copenhagen has also developed an operational new phase of the System, entitled the “Logbook”. The key idea is to set up a multi-sourced data collection process of all betting and non-betting alerts, combined with a data analysis / interpretation process. It should enable the GoC to produce accumulated knowledge capable of helping National Platforms to develop strategies and law enforcement agencies to increase investigations and sanctions against the manipulation of sports competitions.

Find out more here.

More recently, a working group made up of law enforcement and ministries of the Group of Copenhagen, together with expert consultants, have produced a typology of manipulations of sports competitions.  It classifies the different types of competition manipulation that could fall within the definition provided by the article 3 of the Macolin Convention. The Framework also provides a basis upon which uniformed statistical information can be collected to help the Group of Copenhagen members identify areas of risk or emerging threats.

GLMS and the Council of Europe have in place an MoU with the objective to support the development of the LogBook by the Group of Copenhagen.

4. CoE PACE report: Time to act: Europe’s political response to fighting the manipulation of sports competitions

The Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) of the CoE has recently published a report” named “Time to act: Europe’s political response to fighting the manipulation of sports competitions” (Doc. 14518)

The Rapporteur is Swiss MEP Roland Büchel. The report was discussed in a hearing of the PACE in October in Strasbourg, while the full report iwas adopted by the Plenary in April 2020. Read the report here . This was followed by a draft resolution and recommendations in June 2020.

UNESCO had its 6th International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport, MINEPS VI, in Kazan from 13 to 15 July 2017.

One of the key outputs of the meeting, attended by sport ministers and officials from 116 states, was the adoption of the ‘Kazan Action Plan’ which set out concrete actions in the field of inclusion and sustainability, and sport ethics

here the final version of the Kazan Action Plan.

The action plan encourages the countries to acknowledge political goals grouped in three main policy areas:

  • Developing a Comprehensive Vision of Inclusive Access for All to Sport, Physical Education and Physical Activity
  • Maximizing the Contributions of Sport to Sustainable Development and Peace
  • Protecting the Integrity of Sport

Among the specific goals are the enforcement of gender equality, the fostering of inclusive participation and the establishment of multi-stakeholder partnerships. Moreover, the action plan links sport and physical education to the UN Agenda 2030 on sustainable development goals by pointing at how sport can contribute to improved health and well-being, city environments, safe and inclusive societies, and other sustainability factors.

the 5 concrete follow-up actions in the Kazan action Plan:

1.Elaborate an advocacy tool presenting evidence-based arguments for investments in physical education, physical activity and sport.

2.Develop common indicators for measuring the contribution of physical education, physical activity and sport to prioritized SDGs and targets.

3.further support sport ministers’ interventions in the field of sport integrity (in correlation with the International Convention against Doping in Sport). – here sports integrity has a main focus on doping and good governance

4.Conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a Global Observatory for Women, Sport, Physical Education and Physical Activity.

5.Develop a clearinghouse for sharing information according to the sport policy follow-up framework developed for MINEPS VI.

Following the adoption of the kazan Action Plan in July 2017 – certain working groups have been set up with the objective to follow-up on the recommendations. The first meeting of the Working Group on Action 3 of the Kazan Action Plan ”Unify and further develop international standards supporting sport ministers’ interventions in the field of sport integrity” took place on April 25. The main objective of the first meeting was to identify and define “sports integrity” – at large (match-fixing, equality, spectators violence, good governance).

A second meeting was held in February 2019 in Paris. The working group discussed the concept of “sports integrity” and defined policy areas, which include the safeguarding of athletes, spectators and stakeholders, violence, doping, sport competition manipulations.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption (entered into force in 2005) is a legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. The Convention’s far-reaching approach and the mandatory character of many of its provisions make it a unique tool for developing a comprehensive response to a global problem. The vast majority of United Nations Member States are parties to the Convention.

The Office of the UN on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) UNODC provides secretariat services to the Conference of the States Parties (COSP), the main decision-making body established under the Convention. UNODC is mandated to ensure the efficient functioning of the Implementation Review Mechanism, the mandatory peer-review process for all States Parties to the Convention against Corruption aimed at assessing their compliance with the provisions of the Convention. In particular, UNODC facilitates the conduct of the country reviews and also prepares thematic implementation reports and regional addenda, with the aim to reflect trends, challenges, good practices and technical assistance needs in implementation of the Convention.

Link to UN Convention against corruption

KEY RESOLUTIONS AND POLICY DOCUMENTS

Resolution 8/4 – December 2019

The latest resolution on Safeguarding Sport from Corruption, was adopted by the UNODC Conference at its Eighth Session, in Abu Dhabi, from 16 to 20 December 2019.

Operative paragraph 15 encouraged States parties, ‘in order to tackle the problems of competition manipulation, illegal betting and related money-laundering activities, to periodically evaluate national policies, effective practices and national law with a view to determining their efficiency and effectiveness in preventing and combating corruption in sport and to make use of the booklet entitled “Model criminal law provisions for the prosecution of competition manipulation” and the study entitled Criminalization Approaches to Combat Match-Fixing and Illegal/Irregular Betting: A Global Perspective, joint publications of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Olympic Committee, and of the Resource Guide on Good Practices in the Investigation of Match-Fixing and National Anti-Corruption Strategies: A Practical Guide for Development and Implementation, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’ and

16. Also encourages States parties to enhance international cooperation to
tackle illegal betting, given its cross-border dimension.’

Read resolution 8/9

Resolution 7/8 – November 2018

Indeed, specific reference to sports integrity and illegal betting was made at the international level with the adoption of resolution 7/8 on Corruption in Sport, by the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption at its seventh session, held in Vienna from 6 to 10 November 2017.

Operative paragraph 10 of the resolution invited “States parties, when reviewing their national legislation, to consider the problems and issues of illegal betting, competition manipulation and other offences related to sport when associated with corruption, and in that regard takes note with appreciation of the joint publication by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Olympic Committee of the booklet and study entitled Model Criminal Law Provisions for the Prosecution of Competition Manipulation”

The resolution represented a significant milestone in addressing corruption in sport, not least the fact that it was supported by, at that time, the 183 States parties to the Convention – also in line with the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sport Competitions.

Read the Resolution 7/8

Paper on

Policy 

UNODC  published jointly with INTERPOL and the International Olympic Committee in June 2020 a new report addressing the current health crisis and the action required by those involved in tackling corruption in sport and preventing the manipulation of competitions, in particular sports organisations and governments. Read here.

SAFEGUARDING SPORT FROM CORRUPTION Conference:

On 3-4 September 2019, the UNODC organised the SafeGuarding Sport from Corruption Conference in Vienna. The Conference gathered more than 300 participants. GLMS also attended.
The overall aim of the conference was to serve as a global platform for Member States, sports organizations and other relevant stakeholders to discuss and share progress on the implementation of resolution 7/8, on corruption in sport. Each panel session was linked to the relevant paragraphs of the resolution, with panel participants providing recommendations relating to the paragraphs, and covered the following topics over the course of the two-day conference:
• Legislative and law enforcement measures
• Multi-stakeholder global and national partnerships
• Reporting mechanisms and detection
• Advancement of gender equality and empowerment of women
• Safeguards against corruption in major sporting events
• Good governance in sport
• Competition manipulation and illegal betting

The panel discussions facilitated a dialogue and provided a sophisticated overview of issues examined from different perspectives.

Full Conference Report available here 

EU and Sports Integrity

The EU has been for years active in the field of sports integrity, be it via supporting relevant projects (e.g. through the ERASMUS+ programme) or by addressing relevant matters via its EU Work Plan for Sports. The EU addressed relevant matters at the White Paper on Sport (2007) and the Communication on Sport (2011).

Issues Related to match-fixing have been addressed in all the EU Work Plans for Sport so far. In the first EU Work Plan (2011-2014), match-fixing-related matters were addressed at the EU Expert Group on Good Governance. The 2nd EU Work Plan for Sport included an Expert Group on Match-Fixing (2014-2017) as well. Currently the 3rd EU Work Plan for Sport (2017-2020) is on-going.

EU has also supported on many occasions projects related to the fight against match-fixing. Apart from the on-going ERASMUS+ programme, already in 2012, during the preparatory action in the field of sport, the EU had funded 5 projects in the field of match-fixing. Those projects run in the years 2013-2014. The project “What national networks in the EU against match-fixing”, run by IRIS (and in which European Lotteries was a key partner) was one of those projects.

In 2015, DG HOME also published a special call “New integrated mechanisms for cooperation between public and private actors to identify sports betting risks” . The projects that received funding under this call included

About the 3rd EU Work Plan for Sport

The 3rd EU Work Plan for Sport (2017-2020) based on the Commission’s evaluation, has been adopted in May 2017 by the EU Ministers responsible for sport at the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council meeting.

The new EU Work Plan for Sport which will came into force on July 1, set out the key topics which Member States and the Commission should prioritise until 2020: integrity of sport will focus on good governance, safeguarding minors, fighting matchfixing, doping & corruption; economic dimension focussing on innovation in sport, and sport & digital single market; sport & society focussing on social inclusion, coaches, media, environment, health, education & sport diplomacy.

There are 2 Expert Groups (integrity and skills and workforce development in sport), and new working methods will be introduced, including cluster meetings. The Commission has been advised to ensure the follow–up of the two High Level Groups, on sport diplomacy and grassroots sport.

The duration of the Work Plan, as suggested by the Commission, was prolonged till the end of 2020 – 3.5 years, to align it with the Erasmus+ programme and the Multiannual Financial Framework.

To download the new EU Work Plan for Sport 2017-2020, click here or see ec.europa.eu.

The EU Expert Group Sports Integrity

This Expert Group is addressing sports integrity at large, therefore good governance matters, doping and issues related to spectators violence will be also part of the discussions.

The first meeting of the EU Expert Group Sports Integrity (under the EU Work Plan 2017-2020) was held on 23-24 April in Varna. The meeting had a focus on the national platforms, including some practical examples.

The 2nd meeting of the EU Expert Group on Sports Integrity took place on 11-12 October 2018 in Palermo, Italy. The Council of Europe presented the results of the CoE International Convention on the Promotion & Implementation of the Convention, whereas member-states also presented some developments at a national level. The Commission presented the results of the ERASMUS+ 2018.

The 3rd meeting of the EU Expert Group on Sports Integrity took place on 21-22 February 2019 in Larnaca, Cyprus. Relevant stakeholders had the chance to present their projects and provide updates on their work. GLMS – which has an Observer status in the Group also had the chance to inform the Expert Group Members and Observers of the latest developments of its work. On this occasion, the Study “Mapping of corruption in sport in the EU” which was commissioned by the Commission and was delivered by ECORYS and Loughborough Universiy was also presented. The key objective of this small-scale research study has been to complete a mapping review of the types of corruption that exist in different EU Member States. With reference to match-fixing, the study has emphasised the complex interplay of factors and contextual issues that can influence match-fixing activity. The research has also provided insights in to the diversity of match-fixing practices and its association with other types of corruption such as bribery. Specific examples of match-fixing have also revealed the importance of factors such as pay levels of athletes and the level of media exposure of specific matches. Illegal betting is also identified as a means of corruption in sport in EU28.

The full study can be accessed here

The 4th meeting of the EU Expert Group on Sports Integrity took place on 5-6 June 2019 in Helsinki. Member-States and Observers had the chance to discuss a wide range of matters, while the upcoming Finnish presidency of the Council presented its priorities in the field of sports.

At a digital EU Expert Group meeting on Sports Integrity on 24 June 2020, Member-States and Observers had the chance to discuss a wide range of matters, while the ougoing Croation presidency and the upcoming German presidency of the Council both of whom presented achievements and priorities respectively in the field of sports. The EU also informed that its new work plan for sport was underway for the period starting 2021 and that it was finalizing the report of the 2017-1010 Work Plan for Sport.

GLMS also had the chance to provide the participants with some updates on its work.

The EU Expert Group Sports Integrity Members & Observers

European Parliament in particular

The European Parliament has on many occasions addressed the matter of sport competition manipulations. Below a list of the reports / declarations that have addressed the phenomenon

Institution - DocumentDateMain References to sport competition manipulations

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION on the integrity of online gambling

(2008/2215(INI))

(the 'Schaldemose Report)		2009

*THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

7. Is of the opinion that the growth of online gambling provides increased opportunities for corrupt practices such as fraud, match-fixing, illegal betting cartels and money-laundering, as online games can be set up and dismantled very rapidly and as a result of the proliferation of offshore operators; calls on the Commission, Europol and other national and international institutions to closely monitor and report on findings in this area;

8. Considers that the protection of the integrity of sports events and competitions requires cooperation between sports rights owners, online betting operators and public authorities at national as well as EU and international level;

9. Calls on the Member States to ensure that sports competition organisers, betting operators and regulators cooperate on measures to tackle the risks related to illegal betting behaviour and match-fixing in sport and explore the establishment of a workable, equitable and sustainable regulatory framework to protect the integrity of sports;

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION on online gambling in the Internal Market

(the 'Creutzmann Report)

2011

Gambling and sport: the need to ensure integrity

36. Notes that the risk of fraud in sports competitions – although present since the outset – has been exacerbated since the emergence of the online sports betting sector and represents a risk to the integrity of sport; is therefore of the opinion that a common definition of sport fraud and cheating should be developed and that betting fraud should be penalised as a criminal offence throughout Europe;

37. Calls for instruments to increase cross-border police and judicial cooperation, involving all Member States' competent authorities for the prevention, detection and investigation of match-fixing in connection with sport betting; in this respect, invites Member States to consider dedicated prosecution services with primary responsibility for investigating match-fixing cases; calls for a framework for cooperation with organisers of sports competitions to be considered with a view to facilitating the exchange of information between sports disciplinary bodies and state investigation and prosecution agencies, by setting up, for example, dedicated national networks and contact points to deal with cases of match-fixing; this should happen, where appropriate, in cooperation with the gambling operators;

39. Expresses its concerns over the links between criminal organisations and the development of match-fixing in relation to online betting, the profits from which feed other criminal activities;

40. Notes that several European countries have already adopted strict legislation against money laundering through sport betting, sport fraud (classifying it as a specific and criminal offence) and conflicts of interests between betting operators and sport clubs, teams or active athletes;

European Parliament resolution on match-fixing and corruption in sport

March 2013

K. whereas bets on fixed matches are mainly offered by operators outside the EU, thus necessitating an international focus on the fight against match-fixing; M11. Asks the Commission to ensure that all the Member States prohibit betting on competitions involving minors;

M14. Calls on the Member States to set up regulatory bodies to identify and combat illegal activities in sports betting and to collect, exchange, analyse and disseminate evidence of match-fixing, sports fraud and other forms of corruption in sport, both in Europe and beyond; stresses the need for close cooperation with other regulators, including licensing authorities, enforcement bodies and the police;

21. Calls on the Commission to identify third countries – such as those known as ‘Asian betting havens’ – that raise specific issues as regards betting related match-fixing in respect of sports events taking place within the EU and to increase its collaboration with those countries in the fight against match-fixing;

22. Calls on the Council to proceed in a swift and ambitious manner with the discussions on the proposal for a new money laundering directive (COM(2013)0045) to address the use of online sports betting for money laundering;

resolution of 10 September 2013 on online gambling in the internal market

Sept 2013

s.49(1) notes that match fixing occurs in both the offline and the online gambling markets and that, in the majority of cases, online betting-related match-fixing occurs through gambling operators established in unregulated markets outside the EU;

s.53 Calls on sport federations and gambling operators to include, in a code of conduct, a ban on betting on so-called negative events, such as yellow cards, penalty kicks or free kicks during a match or event; calls on Member States and gambling operators to ban all forms of live sports betting since these have proved to be very vulnerable to match-fixing and therefore pose a risk to the integrity of sport;

Report on an integrated approach to Sport Policy: good governance, accessibility and integrity
“Takkula Report”

2017

13. Calls on the Member States to establish match fixing as a specific criminal offence and to ensure that any criminal activity, such as match fixing and corruption in sports, is subject to judicial proceedings and appropriate sanction, where this is not already the case, as match fixing and the manipulation of sport competitions violate the ethics and integrity of sports and are already subject to sanctions by sports authorities;

14. Points out that the challenges associated with the investigation of international cases of match-fixing require cross-border information-sharing and cooperation between sports bodies, state authorities and betting operators, within the framework of national platforms, in order to detect, investigate and prosecute match-fixing; calls on the Member States to consider introducing, where they have not already done so, dedicated prosecution services tasked specifically with investigating sports fraud cases; recalls that the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive introduces a requirement for gambling providers to carry out due diligence checks on high transactions;

15. Urges the Council to find a solution that will allow the EU and its Member States to sign and ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the manipulation of sports competitions with a view to enabling its full implementation and ratification, and urges the Commission to support and facilitate this process and ensure that it is followed up effectively;

16. Reminds the Commission of its promise to issue a recommendation on the exchange of best practices in preventing and combating betting-related match rigging, and urges it to publish this recommendation without delay;

17. Calls on the Commission to strengthen interinstitutional links with the Council of Europe and, subsequently, to develop coordinated operational programmes ensuring the most efficient use of resources;

18. Supports, and further encourages, prevention, education and awareness-raising campaigns and information programmes serving to provide athletes, coaches, officials and relevant stakeholders at all levels with advice on the threats of match fixing, doping and other integrity-related matters, including risks they may encounter and ways in which they can report doubtful approaches; calls on the Commission and the Member States to propose concrete measures to be included in the next EU Work Plan, such as pilot programmes and projects, aimed at ensuring that young persons are given civic education in sports at as early an age as possible;

Council of Ministers in particular

In the past at the level of the Council of Ministers, a number of Presidencies of the EU have also addressed the matter.

Below a selection of relevant documents

Institution - DocumentDate
Council conclusions on combating match-fixing (2011/C 378/01)Sept 2011
Cyprus Presidency Conclusion on Match-fixingNov 2012
Cyprus Presidency - Nicosia Declaration against match-fixingSept 2012

International Olympic Committee

Olympic Agenda 2020 & OM Unit PMC

The IOC being well aware of its social mission towards society has been very active and serious with reference to this problem of sport competition manipulations, which is jeopardising the very credibility of sport. The philosophy of protecting clean athletes and sports integrity was reaffirmed in December 2014 through the adoption of Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. Recommendations 15 and 16 of this Olympic Agenda 2020 specifically refer to the ultimate goal: The protection of the clean athletes.

In order to reach this the IOC created various initiatives which led to the creation of the ‘Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions’ (OM Unit PMC) in early 2017. This Unit works with its unique and all-encompassing ‘3 Pillar Strategy’ and aims to tackle the challenge ‘competition manipulation’ from all angles:

(1)Improve sport regulations and state legislation (which includes some basic rules  – e.g. don’t bet on

your sport, don’t give inside information, always report). For example, the ‘Olympic Movement Code on

the Prevention of Manipulation of Competitions’ was created in 2015 and this Code is implemented in the

Olympic Charter (on the same level as the World Anti-Doping Code). Therefore all International Sport

Federations have to be compliant with this Code and the OM Unit PMC is overseeing this process.

(2)Raise awareness, build capacity and undertake training. This includes numerous activities and capacity building programmes, for example during the YOG, but also a cooperation with INTERPOL (‘Integrity in Sport’).

(3)Ensure information exchange, investigation and prosecution capacities (which includes the ‘Integrity Betting Intelligence System’ IBIS, and the IOC’s Reporting Mechanism.

The Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions

In its bid to strengthen the integrity and credibility of sport and for the successful protection of clean athletes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in December 2015 published the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions. A first of its kind, the Code aims to provide the Olympic Movement and its members with harmonised regulations to protect all competitions from the risk of manipulation. Any sports organisation bound by the Olympic Charter is expected to respect the provisions of the new Code.

This Code is implemented in the Olympic Charter (on the same level as the World Anti-Doping Code). Therefore all International Sport Federations have to be compliant with this Code and the OM Unit PMC is overseeing this process.

The Code can be accessible here:

International Forum on Sports Integrity – IFSI

The first edition of the IFSI:

At the initiative of the International Olympic Committee, the 1st International Forum for Sports Integrity (IFSI) was held in Lausanne on Monday, 13th April 2015. The meeting was chaired by IOC President Thomas Bach and included representatives from world governments, the Council of Europe, the European Union, INTERPOL, Europol, United Nations agencies, sports betting operators, Olympic Movement stakeholders and others. Lotteries were also represented of course. The Forum prepared a roadmap for future action aimed at strengthening and coordinating all activities to protect clean athletes from match-fixing, manipulation of competitions and related corruption.

The measures adopted by the IFSI are centred on three main themes (3-pillar approach of the IOC)

  • Education and Information
  • Intelligence and Investigations
  • Legislation and Regulation

More information on 1st edition of IFSI and roadmap adopted here.

The IFSI forms part of Recommendation 16 of Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement.

The way forward and the UK Anti-Corruption Summit.

The IOC Ethics and Compliance Office (being in charge of the organization of the 2nd edition of the IFSI) was planning to organize the 2nd edition of the IFSi in 2017, again with a focus on match-fixing.

However, as the good governance issue was getting bigger and bigger due to numerous corruption scandals, and as the UK Anti-Corruption Summit convened by the UK Prime Minister in May 2016 which in its communiqué referred to the IFSI and gave it from the one hand more political value and from the other hand a joint focus on match-fixing issues and general ethical conduct-good governance in sport, the focus of the 2017 IFSI would be both match-fixing and good governance in sport.

The preparation of the 2nd edition: IFSI Expert Groups (November 2016)

In view of the upcoming IFSI, the IOC set up last November 4 IFSI Expert Groups to pre-discuss the issues that will be addressed at the IFSI:

1.    Expert Group on Sport Regulations/Legislation,

2.    Expert Group on Education and Capacity Building

3.    Expert Group on Intelligence and Investigations of Breaches of the Integrity of Competitions
4.    Expert Group on Supporting Ethical Conduct within Sports Organisations (anti-corruption)

Lotteries (GLMS / EL) were an active part of the Expert Groups 2 and 3.

The 2nd edition of the IFSI & IFSI Declaration

The second International Forum for Sports Integrity (IFSI), hosted by the IOC, took place in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne on Wednesday as it looked to agree the next steps on the prevention of competition manipulation and corruption in sport. The Forum agreed on the creation of an Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions and the launch of an International Sports Integrity Partnership to combat the problem.

Lotteries (GLMS / EL / WLA) actively participated in this forum.

A common declaration was adopted by the stakeholders – which can be accessible here.

The participants of the 2nd IFSI edition at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne

Jean-Luc Moner-Banet (WLA) acted as a speaker at the 2nd edition of the IFSI

The 3rd edition of the IFSI was held on October 28, 2019.

The 3rd edition of the IFSI had a focus on sport competition manipulations and brought together more than 100 national and international stakeholders.

At the Forum, a new publication, “IOC-UNODC Reporting Mechanisms in Sport: A Practical Guide for Development and Implementation”, was launched. The guide provides information on good practice for sports organisations with regard to receiving and handling reports of wrongdoing, including competition manipulation, harassment, doping and corruption.

In his speech, President Bach praised the close cooperation with the many stakeholders. During the Forum, the IOC and EUROPOL also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Conclusions were published after the IFSI Conference which are available here.

GLMS was represented in the IFSI and GLMS President, Ludovico Calvi, delivered a presentation. (GLMS relevant press release available here)

Policy Documents

The IOC published jointly with INTERPOL and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in June 2020, a new report addressing the current health crisis and the action required by those involved in tackling corruption in sport and preventing the manipulation of competitions, in particular sports organisations and governments. Read here.

The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) also in June 2020 published the findings of the third governance review of its full and associate member federations. Almost all of the 31 International Federations (IFs) that replied to the updated self-assessment questionnaire between November 2019 and January 2020 improved their performance since the last assessment, with the highest scores achieved in the area of transparency.

IOC Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS)

The IOC has developed its Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS) which seeks to enhance monitoring and information exchange between law enforcement, sports organisations, betting operators and sports betting regulating entities. IBIS collects and distributes information and intelligence related to sports betting for use by all stakeholders of the Olympic Movement. It also enables communication between all partners on the sports side and the different sports betting entities, including GLMS and Lotteries of course. Currently IBIS brings together all summer and winter Olympic IFs and all major betting operators and regulatory authorities as well as law enforcement. Practically, regulators and operators undertake to pass on all alerts and relevant information on potential manipulation connected to sports betting on specific events chosen by each IF.

The IOC undertakes to aggregate and analyse the information received before passing it on to the IFs concerned. Launched in 2013, IBIS is continuously expanding and enhancing its activities to safeguard the Olympic and sports movement. At the same time, its novelty consists in the establishment of ‘Single Points of Contacts’ for each stakeholder involved which facilitates and speeds up all the process. Beyond all these processes within IBIS, it also facilitates the establishment of a relation of trust among stakeholders, which is also of key significance.

 

UEFA

Education Initiatives & Integrity Officers network

UEFA has many education and prevention trainings in place. Training is delivered for the about 6’000 new players attending one of the 6 major UEFA competitions each year – but also trainings are also targeting national teams participating in UEFA competitions, as well as referees.

UEFA finances for all its 55 Member Associations one, sometimes two, Integrity Officers. The Integrity Officer Receives BFDS reports regarding domestic matches and initiates disciplinary investigations, is supposed to monitor disciplinary proceedings, constitutes the main point of contact for cooperation with state law enforcement agencies regarding criminal procedures and organises educational programmes for players, referees and coaches. UEFA organises an annual workshop involving all integrity officers.

UEFA 2019-2024 Strategy
On 7 February UEFA unveiled its strategy 2019-2024. Its strategy revolves around the concepts of football-trust-competitiveness-prosperity. One of the policies – under the key concept “faith – announced is also the need to safeguard the good governance and integrity in sport – develop existing and identify new means to protect the integrity of European football competitions. Improve the ability to detect suspicious activity in relation to doping and match-fixing using advanced technology.
The full UEFA strategic document can be found here.

Tennis

In February 2016, the ATP, the WTA, the ITF, and the Grand Slam Board, appointed an Independent Review Panel to address betting-related and other integrity issues facing the sport. The Panel conducted an Independent Review of Integrity in Tennis, addressing the nature and extent of the problem over time and submitted its Interim Report on April 25.
GLMS made a submission to the relevant consultation, which can be viewed here.

Following the publication of the Interim Report of the Independent Review of Integrity in Tennis on April 25, the Independent Review Panel published on  December 19, its final report. The Recommendations of the Final Report of the Panel include the removal of incentives for breaches of integrity, the establishment of a newly-empowered TIU with an independent supervisory board, education measures, greater co-operation and collaboration with the betting sector. National authorities are also recommended to develop national regulation and ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sport Competitions. The Panel has identified no evidence of any institutional corruption or cover-up by the tennis authorities or the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).

GLMS issued a full statement on the occasion of the Final Report, which can be accessed here