Tuesday, 12 November 2024
The Hague, the Netherlands — The IntegriSport 3.0 project, implemented from 2023 to 2024, concluded with a successful closing conference that gathered national and international stakeholders from 32 countries, including law enforcement and judiciary authorities of 24 countries on 4 continents, representatives of the European Union, Europol, Eurojust, Interpol, the International Olympic Committee, Riot Games and other distinguished organizations together with the project partners, to conclude the project and have comprehensive discussions on the protection of sports and esports from manipulation and crimes.
The project aimed to enhance the awareness of law enforcement and judiciaries on investigation and prosecution of crimes related to sports and esports manipulation through targeted training and collaboration among law enforcement, judicial authorities, and key sports stakeholders.
Achievements of the IntegriSport Initiative
Since its inception, the IntegriSport initiative has been instrumental in fighting sports manipulation and crime in sport and esports, involving over 25 partner organizations, and provided for more than 120 law enforcement and judicial bodies from 16 countries in the last 6 years. Led by the developer of the IntergiSport concept, CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity, the program has provided essential training and fostered collaboration across borders to strengthen the fight against sports and esports-related crimes.
The EU-funded IntegriSport 3.0 continued this mission, with significant contributions from the partners of the project, CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity (the coordinator and content provider), Austria's Play Fair Code, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Bulgaria, the Greek Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, the Estonian Center for Integrity in Sports (ESTCIS), the Romanian National Agency for Sports, and the Spanish National Police. Additionally, IntegriSport 3.0 has benefitted from the involvement of prominent organizations like the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia (INEFC), United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS), and FIFPro, our supporting organization, which have all contributed to strengthening sports integrity frameworks across Europe.
Impact across partner countries
Throughout its three editions, CSCF and its partners have worked to protect sports integrity by educating and building cooperation between law enforcement, judicial authorities, ministries, sports and esports federations. Besides the IntegriSport 3.0 partner organizations, the project countries have seen participation from law enforcement, judiciaries, ministries, sports and esports federations, players' unions, and the national betting industry. Europol, Interpol, the Council of Europe, the International Olympic Committee, and the Maltese Police Force also provided their expertise. This ongoing effort has raised awareness and provided practical tools to combat manipulation in both traditional sports and esports. It also has empowered law enforcement and judiciaries in the partner countries and has encouraged them to engage with their own national stakeholders.
IntegriSport 3.0 Impact and Results
-In Austria, the project fostered deeper cooperation with prosecutors and judges, raising awareness of sports manipulation among fraud and organized crime units nationwide.
-In Bulgaria, the project introduced sports integrity education to police students for the first time, while fostering ongoing discussions about ratifying the Macolin Convention and reorganizing the National Platform against sports manipulation.
-In Estonia, valuable insights gained from Spanish experts led to discussions about creating a specialized police unit for sports corruption at the Estonian Police. The project also connected the Estonian esports community with stakeholders, leading to new collaborations and inclusion in international efforts.
-In Greece, the project marked the first awareness-raising session involving a diverse range of stakeholders, leading to greater inclusion of player representation in the National Platform of Greece against sports manipulation. Esports manipulation also became a key focus, with stakeholders supporting its formal inclusion under the Macolin Convention.
-In Romania, authorities committed to implementing the knowledge gained through IntegriSport to combat sports-related corruption.
-In Spain, there was a significant improvement in monitoring and detection systems, with strengthened communication between regulatory bodies, betting operators, and sports entities. This resulted in enhanced integrity across the sector and public confidence in the fairness of sports competitions.
-At the policy-making level, this year brought some significant successes amongst our partner countries and partners: Romania has decided to sign the Council of Europe Macolin Convention, whereas Spain has ratified this very important legal instrument.
Closing Conference Highlights
The closing conference, held on the 11th of November, was marked by a series of engaging presentations and discussions. The agenda featured the partner organizations of the project sharing insights on the project’s implementation and its impact across the 6 partner countries and on the work of the 3 international partner organizations by
-CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity,
-Play Fair Code,
-The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Bulgaria,
-The Greek Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports,
-The Estonian Center for Integrity in Sports (ESTCIS),
-The Romanian National Agency for Sports,
-The Spanish National Police,
-The National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia (INEFC), and
-The United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS).
The biggest players' representation of the world and supporting partner of IntegriSport programs, FIFPRO highlighted the importance of protecting athletes, showcasing a case study that exemplified best practices in addressing manipulation and corruption.
After a very thorough introduction of case studies on sport manipulation investigation by the Police authorities of Greece and Spain, dynamic panel discussions were held. The panel discussions were dedicated to giving knowledge, thoughts, and support for law enforcement and judiciary to get more insight on the phenomenon of sports manipulation and how they would be able to fight effectively against criminals infiltrating sports and esports all over the world.
The first panel focused on the intersection of sports and integrity, featuring industry experts from the International Olympic Committee, FIFPRO, Play Fair Code, and ULIS, with Europol and CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity as moderators. The discussion highlighted the importance of ethical standards and accountability within sports organizations and explored the important role of law enforcement and judiciary bodies in protecting sports organizations and athletes, fostering a fair and transparent sporting environment.
The second panel addressed the growing field of esports, featuring insights from industry experts at Riot Games, Interpol, and Postimees Grupp, with CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity as moderator. This session explored the unique challenges and opportunities for maintaining integrity within this rapidly evolving sector. Experts discussed the need for robust frameworks to protect players and ensure fair competition, emphasizing the critical role of law enforcement and judicial bodies in this journey, as well as the importance of educating these stakeholders to deepen their understanding of issues in esports.
Throughout the conference, participants engaged in fruitful conversations, exchanging ideas and strategies for future collaboration. The session proved to be fostering connections among stakeholders committed to promoting integrity in sports.
During the event, the 8 partners of IntegriSport 3.0 announced their common statements on protecting sport and esports and supporting law enforcement and judiciaries.
