Written by Camila Tort and Diana Pasha
Sports have always been an integral part of human society, and their benefits go beyond entertainment and physical health. As recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013, sports “promote education, health, development and peace”. Given the importance of sports, especially for development, the United Nations Member States proclaimed 6 April the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace.
At the same time, and as recognized by the States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), “sport is an important enabler of sustainable development, and recognizing the growing contribution of sport to the realization of justice and peace through its promotion of tolerance, fairness and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and young people, individuals and communities, as well as to development objectives relating to health, education and social inclusion” (CAC/COSP/2019/17). Sports can also play a significant role in preventing corruption, especially among the youth. Sports can promote ethical values such as fairness and respect and can be used as an educational tool to raise awareness and encourage a culture of integrity and anti-corruption.
Unfortunately, sports are not only a means to achieve development but can also be used for crimes. Given the central role of sports in societies and the amount of money generated by sports events and competitions, sports have indeed attracted the attention of criminals. In recent years, we have witnessed a substantial increase in criminal activities within the sports sector. From match-fixing scandals to bribery, doping, and illegal betting, corruption has infiltrated various aspects of sports. Corruption not only undermines the integrity of sports but has negative consequences for athletes, fans, and society as a whole. Corruption in sports directly affects the essence of sports. Corruption undermines sports' competitive character, nobility, and fairness of competition. With corruption, sports will not be sports anymore. For those reasons, it is essential to understand the different forms of corruption and their impact on the integrity of sports.
As described above, sports and corruption are related in many ways, and exploring this topic is crucial for understanding the impact of corruption on the integrity of sports, its negative consequences for society, and also, how we can use sports as a tool to promote integrity, ethics, and justice. For these reasons, episode 4 of the “YouthLED Anti-Corruption TALKS”, an initiative organized by UNODC’s YouthLED Integrity Advisory Board Members, focused on the interlinkages between corruption and sports.
During this event, we explored how corruption and sports are related and how sports can be a tool to prevent and fight corruption in societies. We discussed the impact of corruption on the integrity of sports and its negative consequences for society. In particular, the renowned panelists representing the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sports, the Olympic Movement Unit to the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions, and academia, highlighted the role of various stakeholders in combating corruption in sports, including sports organizations, international organizations, governments, law enforcement, civil society, and academia. They emphasized that enhancing sports integrity requires a collaborative approach and multi-actor cooperation. We learned that laws and regulations are the first steps in safeguarding sports from corruption and that education and implementation strategies are also essential. We also discussed best practices and successful interventions to prevent and detect corruption in sports and how sports can promote ethical values such as fairness and respect and be used as an educational tool to encourage a culture of zero-tolerance against corruption.
UNODC representative, Ms. Alexandra Sokolova, presented the UNODC Programme on Safeguarding Sports from Corruption and Crime, focusing on the policy background of its establishment as well as providing info on the activities that have been carried out within the framework of this Programme. She also presented UNODC's Global Report on Corruption in Sport and the report's main findings. As reflected in the report, sports are seriously affected by crime, and crime can take many forms when it comes to sports, for instance corruption. Ms. Sokolova also highlighted the role of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) as a legal base for combating corruption in sports. In this regard, she also shared examples of the work done by UNODC in the matter, including dedicating efforts to ensuring that legislation, regulations, and rules align with the principles of the Convention, and to developing comprehensive policies on anti-corruption in sports for the States Parties. Ms. Sokolova furthermore reflected on the role of international organizations, governments, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders in supporting such cooperation efforts and ensuring it effectively tackles corruption in sports. In this line, the report recommends, among other things, supporting "programmes, projects, task forces, expert groups and existing initiatives that promote and enhance cooperation and the exchange of information and good practices among law enforcement, criminal justice authorities and corruption prevention authorities, lawmakers, and policymakers”.
Ms. Konstantina Orologopoulou, Ethics and Compliance Officer at International Olympic Committee, shared with the audience the work of the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sports (IPACS). Among other things, she explained that IPACS was established in 2017 to combat corruption in sports through a collaborative and that "IPACS was first officiated at the IOC's International Forum on Sport Integrity held in February 2017. She also expressed that, being a multi-stakeholder institution, the mission of IPACS is "to bring together international sports organizations, governments, inter-governmental organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen and support efforts to eliminate corruption and promote a culture of good governance in and around sport". As mapped by Ms. Orologopoulou, IPACS mainly has four lines of actions divided into specialized task forces:
Furthermore, Ms. Rida Ahmed, Ethics & Compliance, Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions at International Olympic Committee, stated that competition manipulation is a significant problem facing the sports sector and that unfortunately manipulation is done through betting, which has greatly affected varied individuals, including young athletes. Ms. Ahmed also highlighted the role the technologies have on facilitating this crime. In this regard, she expressed that online betting sites are primarily found in countries with few rules and regulations on sports betting, leading to more problems for law enforcement. The speaker continued by informing that this has led to a chain of sports fraud through money laundering carried out through these betting platforms. Since 2013, the number of countries involved in competition manipulation has significantly increased.
Ms. Ahmed also shared with the audience the work that the Olympic Movement Unit to the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions is doing to prevent and combat the manipulation of competitions and the related need to work with National Federations and the wider public at grassroots level to keep mobilizing resources to ensure that the necessary actions are taken against those found committing crimes in the sports industry. The speaker continued by stressing the importance of youth education and awareness of what manipulation of sport competitions is, what it looks like, and what to do if faced with it. This is necessary because, as posited by the speaker, successful anti-manipulation efforts must not only be grounded on the rule of law but must likewise seek the integration of multilateral partnerships to strengthen education and empowerment, especially for and with youth as main partners.
Lastly, Andy Spalding, Associate Professor at University of Richmond School of Law, shared with the participants the work of the Olympics Compliance Task Force, a collaboration of international anti-corruption and human rights academics and practitioners that is working to help design a new anti-corruption and human rights compliance approach to be applied to major sporting events, such as Olympics for instance. Particularly on this issue, he highlighted the necessity of clear, specific, and enforceable codes of conduct and anti-corruption provisions and the need for including civil society into the efforts.
Corruption in sports can take many forms. To effectively safeguard sports from corruption, we must:
More in details, the legal framework, regulations, and guidelines must be implemented at the national and international levels. To achieve these goals, international organizations need to continue dialogue facilitation on sports and anti-corruption. For this purpose, bringing together representatives from all relevant stakeholders is crucial for adopting recommendations, sharing lessons learned, exchanging best practices, and coming up with pragmatic and practical solutions for dealing with corruption in the sports industry, as well as, to prepare for new challenges.
Compliance programs, codes of conduct, and contracting standards can also play a crucial role in preventing corruption in the sports industry, especially in organizing big sports competitions and events. However, for these instruments to succeed, they must be clear, specific, and enforceable. Establishing oversight mechanisms and sanctions for lack of implementation is also crucial. In this regard, community-based organizations, such as the Olympics Compliance Task Force, can play an essential role in reducing the risks of corruption in sports among the communities.
Youth also has a role in safeguarding sports from corruption. Many athletes represent the youngest sectors of the population; however, despite their young age, they might witness acts of corruption and injustices in the sports industry. Educating them on what corruption is, the consequences of corruption in sports, how to identify instances of corruption, and what to do when faced when one type of corruption is crucial for holding the criminals accountable and ensuring the integrity of the sport.
As young people, we play a crucial role in shaping the future. As such, we can also play a crucial role in promoting integrity in sports and, ultimately, safeguarding the essence of sports. Even though there is no secret successful formula for achieve these goals, here are five tangible suggestions and actions that young people can lead or participate to contribute to these efforts:
In conclusion, the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace recognizes the importance of sports for promoting education, health, development, and peace. However, corruption has infiltrated various aspects of sports, and only by working together can we ensure the integrity of sports and enjoy the benefits that sports bring to our society.
