Match-fixing – the global threat to the credibility of sport

Scandals of match-fixing or other forms of manipulation of sport competitions continue to appear in a number of sports and at various levels across the globe and an effective international approach against this threat to sport it is still to be found. As it has been apparent in the fight against doping, cases of match-fixing also show that it is of utmost importance for sport to be engaged in information exchange and close cooperation with law enforcement to effectively discover potential match-fixing activities.

Increasingly, governments – at various levels – look to implement policies to assist in the fight against match-fixing and the recently ratified Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (the Macolin Convention) also shows a commitment from state parties to preserve the integrity of sport.

But it takes two to tango. In all instances of match-fixing, athletes are involved and effective prevention strategies are obviously required from sports organisations.

Athletes, clients, criminals: Who benefits from sports betting in the US
In the closing session at Play the Game 2019, delegates will hear from high-profile speakers who will discuss the challenges to combatting match-fixing and present examples of how measures of investigation and prevention can be applied. The discussion is framed by the recent legalisation of sports betting in the USA and speakers will discuss what impact this will have for the US sporting scene.

Paulina Tomczyk, General secretary of EU Athletes, will present experiences in the field of match-fixing  prevention under the project initiative of ‘PROtect Integrity’, aimed at educating athletes about sports betting integrity issues and the dangers of getting involved in any form of match-fixing.

Delegateswill alsohear a presentation from Michael Bahrs, Detective Chief Superintendent in Bochum Police, Germany, who will give his perspective on the threat sport is facing from criminals and what should be done to tackle it.

Professor Richard H. McLaren, who investigated the Russian doping scheme, is now involved with anti-match-fixing activities in tennis and will give his perspective on the current situation in international tennis, where a report from independent investigators in 2018 reported there was ‘a Tsunami’ of fixing.

Declan Hill, independent journalist and associate professor of investigations at the University of New Haven, is a leading expert in match-fixing and corruption in sport. He will present new research on how the legalisation of sports betting will affect U.S. sport and which sport will be most affected by gambling corruption. 

How to match the match-fixers
In a parallel session a wide range of speakers will shine a light on a variety of aspects related to match-fixing. Freelance journalist Steve Menary, UK, will look at the lack of regulation for friendly matches across Europe, while sports editor Mulemba Issiaka, Rwanda, will talk about match-fixing in East Africa. Minhyeok Tak, lecturer at Loughborough University, will present on how to uncover match-fixing through technical betting data analysis, while Thomas Bach, Vice-president of the NOC and Sports Confederation of Denmark, and Severin Moritzer, CEO of the Play Fair Code, will give their views on prevention and monitoring strategies. Finally, Amelia Fouques, President of the Canadian Sport Law Association, will take an in-depth look at the CAS case against the Turkish football club Trabzonspor.