Integrity & the fight against match-fixing

European Sport Summit 2013Major events: Major opportunitiesThursday 20 june 2013

Harri Syväsalmi

Scale

According to Interpol match-fixing is reported

• over 70 countries • accross 6 continents

in the last 12 months alone.

Match-fixing often involves serious organised crime networks operating at national and international level.

”As recent cases show, irregular and illegal betting is a global phenomenon and no sport, elite or otherwise, is immune from this scourge. It is an extremely serious issue that threatens the very integrity of sport. This is why it is at the top of our agenda and we will convene our working group on 14 May to continue our joint efforts.”

Jacques Rogge

IOC Founding working group 1) Education 2) Monitoring, intelligence, analysis3) Legislation, regulations

MINEPS V Declaration of Berlin, 30 May 2013

UNESCO Member States are called upon to (inter alia): • Thoroughly examine all suspicious cases by using

appropiate technology….• Ensure that investigations focus not only on potential

manipulators behind the scenes, but also on athletes and their entourage, sport agents, coaches, referees, representatives of associations/clubs and sport federations, including their officials, managers and emplyees;

Ministers are committed to (inter alia):• Examine the feasibility of establishing national level,

independent, integrity organisations and encouraging international coordinated efforts to monitor and address issues relating to corruption.

Fight against Match-fixing in the EU

• Booming issue on the EU agenda; 2011 Communication on Sport

• Seriousness of the phenomenon and need to ensure cooperation recognized e.g. in– European Union Work Plan for Sport for 2011-2014 (2011)– Council conclusion on combating match-fixing (2011)– Presidency conclusions on establishing a strategy to combat the

manipulation of– sport results (2012)– Commission communication on online gambling (2012)

• 2012 Preparatory Action 'European Partnership on Sports', priority line for projects focusing on the prevention of match-fixing

•  Also mentioned as one of the objectives of the Sport Chapter of the proposed Erasmus for All / Erasmus + Programme allows anti match-fixing actions to be supported after 2014.

• The Commission mandated by the Member States to participate on behalf of the EU to the Council of Europe Drafting Group meetings on a Draft International Convention against Manipulation of Sports Competitions

Council of Europe instrument ?

An issue of sports ethics, but also rule of law and fight against corruptionUse CoE assets

Existing bodies (EPAS, GRECO, CDPC, T-PD, T-DO, T-RV, Moneyval, Cybercrime…)Experience in standard-setting

Possibly open to non European statesPioneer role (as on corruption, doping, cybercrime, …)

Stakeholders

Identification of action to be taken by :Governments

Sports Betting regulators Corruption Criminal law…

Betting operatorsPrivate industryLotteries

Sport organisations

The drafting group : delegations with multiple expertise

Sport

Law enforcementBetting regulators

Scope of a possible Convention

Prevention and co-operation Exchange of informationImplementation of criminal lawSanctionsInternational cooperationFollow-up

Scope of a possible Convention

not on corruption of governance in sportnot on opening of the betting marketnot on funding of sportno request for specific offence in domestic criminal law

Our vision (in 3-5 years)

World-wide mobilisationCooperation (Sport/BO/PA)Education, preventionEffective detection (betting monitoring systems + exchange of intelligence)Clear legal provisionsEffective law-enforcement (incl. cooperation with sports movement)

Monitoring

• 24/7 - 365

• Individuals; players, coaches

• Worldwide

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Hd49GPE78