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Integrisport Erasmus+ Awareness raising seminar organised in the Netherlands

by with No Comment Integrisport

On November 9 and 10 2020, the 7th Awareness Raising Session on the subject of manipulation of sports competitions (match fixing) and other sport criminal offences (corruption, fraud, money laundering and conspiracy) of the IntegriSport Erasmus+ project was held, organised on this occasion by the Ministry of Security and Justice of the Netherlands and coordinated by the CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity.

“Based on the fact-finding work in this project and on my own experience, there is a clear need to make the issue of manipulation in sport a bigger priority in the Netherlands in order to fight it effectively!” was the key message by Mr. Chiel Warners, Information Coordinator/Program Director Match-fixing of the Ministry of Justice and Security in the Netherlands. Due to the current circumstances and to ensure the protection of the health of all participants, CSCF together with the host Ministry, decided to carry out the event entirely online. In this way, the session brought together prominent speakers both nationally and internationally with expertise in the application of the law in the context of sport, sport policy, sport betting, virtual currencies as threats of sports manipulation, and athletes against sport manipulation, inter alia.

As has been the case with previous IntegriSport Erasmus+ awareness sessions in each of the six other partner countries, this seminar offered law enforcement officials and judicial authorities a unique setting to exchange experiences as well as to leverage knowledge and cooperation on how to address activities that fundamentally undermine the integrity, value and credibility of sport. As a result, Mr. Warners, as coordinator of the Dutch National Platform, emphasised that “this IntegriSport session was only the first where it comes to the sharing of experiences and knowledge. As soon as circumstances permit, it will be followed up with more in-depth, case-based discussion held face to face.”

Furthermore, Norbert Rubicsek J.D., former Lieutenant Colonel and now director of CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity, emphasised “the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies and private organisations such as those representing athletes, the sports movement and the world of betting to understand the different point of views, but the mutual goal of fighting against the manipulation of sports competitions”.

On behalf of IntegriSport Erasmus+, CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity, as the project coordinator, would like to extend a special thanks and appreciation to the guest speakers and project partners: Global Lottery Monitoring System – GLMS, EU Athletes, Ministry of Justice and Security in the Netherlands, The Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), the Dutch Police, the Federal Prosecutor ́s Office of the Kingdom of Belgium and Netherlands Public Prosecution Service. These discussions were vital in engaging law enforcement with relevant stakeholders and better identifying various operational and cooperation issues.

INTERPOL also intervened in support of IntegriSport, highlighting the need for law enforcement to use police and judicial cooperation channels to expand intelligence gathering and education. The session also benefited from the valuable participation of FIFPRO World Players’ Union, Financial Intelligence Unit – the Netherlands (FIU), Gaming Authority, Instituut Sport Rechtspraak (ISR), the Royal Dutch Lawn Tennis Association (KNLTB), the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, Dutch Olympic Committee & National Sport Federation, Dutch Lottery (Nederlandse Loterij), NL Sporter, CFK, academics and the Belgian Federal Police.

Last but not least, we would like to mention that the IntegriSport journey does not end here but continues with IntergriSport Next (2021-2022)!

For more information, please contact the CSCF Projects Team:

Tel: +31 611 88 08 38,

email: integrisport@cscfsport.com

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Integrisport Erasmus+ Awareness Raising Session Organized in Portugal

by with No Comment Integrisport

A 2-day Integrisport Erasmus+ Project Awareness Raising Session on combating the manipulation of sports competitions for the Policía Judiciária and the Prosecution Service of Portugal, took place in Lisbon on 18-19 February 2020. The training was co-organised by Policía Judiciária and CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity under the framework of the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme.

During the event, police officers and prosecutors discussed and exchanged ideas on good practices for fighting sport manipulation with the representatives of the invited Portuguese and international stakeholders.

Internationally recognized experts in the field of combating sports manipulations from various organizations also contributed to the success of the event through in-depth presentations. Experts included representatives from Polícia Judiciária, EU Athletes, Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS), CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity, as well as Interpol Integrity in Sport unit, the Institution of Sport and Youth of Portugal, the Portuguese Olympic Committee, Portuguese Football Federation and Betting Regulation and Inspection Service of Portugal.

Mr. Claudio Marinelli, the representative from Interpol’s Integrity in Sport, Anti-Corruption Office recognized that tackling match-fixing and other crimes in sport requires national and international cooperation between sport, public authorities, betting regulators, the gambling industry and law enforcement: INTERPOL helps bring all these stakeholders together to tackle crimes in sport.

The Council of Europe’s Convention on Manipulation of Sports Competitions and the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation on the fight against sport manipulation was introduced by the Institution of Sport and Youth of Portugal and CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity.

As Mr. Luís Neves, National Director of Polícia Judiciária said: “The fight against … manipulation of sports results is a priority of the economic and financial crime unit of Polícia Judiciária”.

“Although Polícia Judiciária have concluded some very successful cases on match fixing, we need to keep one step ahead of the criminals. Integrisport Erasmus+ is a very important project for Polícia Judiciária and the Portuguese stakeholders to be able to gain more knowledge and extend their cooperation at national and international level in order to tackle sport manipulation and clean up sport even more efficiently.” – he added.

Mr. Norbert Rubicsek, director of CSCF and project manager of Integrisport Erasmus+, said: “In order to fight sport manipulation effectively, law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities need to have an in-depth, targeted understanding on sport manipulation and the perspectives of other stakeholders. These are the main objectives of Integrisport Erasmus+.

The Integrisport Erasmus+ awareness raising sessions in each partner country give law enforcement officers and judicial authorities the possibility to better understand and tackle the dangers of sport manipulation to sport and the society.”

The next awareness raising session will be held in Bratislava in March 2020.

For more information, please visit:

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Athletes against the manipulation of sports competitions

by with No Comment Integrisport

The Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports FINCIS is involved in Integrisport Erasmus+, a two-year (2019–2020) project on the prevention of the manipulation of sports competitions funded by the EU. Athletes representing the countries participating in the project have released a video where they object to the manipulation of sports competitions.

In this video, Finnish athletes are represented by the captain of the national ice hockey team Jenni Hiirikoski and wheelchair sprinter Leo-Pekka Tähti.Hiirikoski says that manipulation of sports competitions ruins sports and destroys athletes’ careers. As for Tähti, he expresses his support for the authorities in their battle against the manipulation of sports competitions. In return, he expects the authorities to support athletes when they need it.
 
 
International experts of the prevention of the manipulation of sports competitions will be training Finnish police officers and prosecutors in Helsinki this week. The aim of the training is to improve the authorities’ competence to investigate and prosecute suspected crimes related to the manipulation of sports competitions. The training complies with the Council of Europe Convention against the manipulation of sports competitions and the related guidelines.
 
“This training enables us to improve our national skills to prevent the manipulation of sports competitions. Authorities and sports require tight co-operation. Together we can provide athletes with the support they need and protect them from the manipulation of sports competitions,” says Jouko Ikonen, FINCIS Chief Investigative Officer.
 
“Integrisport Erasmus+ has been established to provide help law enforcement and judiciaries to have in-depth knowledge on sport manipulation and how to fight against it. The Project also aims to provide a unique opportunity for the law enforcement participants to meet with the representatives of athletes, sport movement and the betting world and to understand the different point of view but mutual aim to fight against manipulation of sports competitions. It is a unique project as it addresses the key stakeholder that enforces all the regulations and laws in the protection of sport integrity,” says Norbert Rubicsek, project manager of Integrisport Erasmus+.
 
The project is coordinated by Stichting CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity and it has the support of the Council of Europe. In addition to Finland, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia and Hungary are involved in the project. EU Athletes, GLMS, and Aix-Marseille University are the project’s cooperative organisations.
More information:
Susanna Sokka
FINCIS – Information Manager
tel. +358 40 740 7477
 
Follow the project:
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‘Combating Sport Manipulation’ Awareness Raising Session for the Lithuanian Law Enforcement and Judiciary – Integrisport Erasmus+

by with No Comment Integrisport

The third awareness raising session of Integrisport Erasmus+ on combating sport manipulation and match fixing took place between 2-4 December in Vilnius, and was co-organized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the Lithuanian Sport Centre, together with CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity.

During this 3-day event, which was organized in the framework of the EU-financed Project Integrisport Erasmus+, the representatives of Lithuanian Law Enforcement and Judiciary had in-depth conversations and were provided with a comprehensive approach on how to combat sport manipulation and how to co-operate with domestic and international stakeholders to tackle this very serious phenomenon.

The issue of sport manipulation was introduced by representatives of Lithuanian competent authorities, such as the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, the Lithuanian Football Federation and the Gambling Supervisory Authority, and also by international organizations, including EU Athletes, Global Lottery Monitoring System and CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity, the coordinator of Integrisport Erasmus+.

The Council of Europe, as supporting partner of Integrisport Erasmus+, presented the Convention on Manipulation of Sports Competition and the international aspect of the co-operation in this domain.

Mrs. Kornelija Tiesnesytė, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sport expressed in her opening speech that “it is very important unite forces in fight agains sport integrity threats. Sport is crosssectoral phenomena and I hope this seminar will help Lithuanian law enforcement officers and prosecutors to recognize patterns of match-fixing while investigating other crimes. The seminar is also a chance to strengthen cooperation at national and international level and exchange good practice.”

Norbert Rubicsek, director of CSCF and Integrisport Erasmus+ project manager added, “Criminal procedures in sport manipulation- related cases are unique: they are frequently committed in two or more countries and involve, in some way or another, the competencies of the private sector, of which sport is one. This is why national and trans-national co-operation amongst law enforcement and judiciary and other governmental organizations on the one hand and the private sector on the other hand, is a vital step in the fight against this phenomenon.”

The Integrisport Erasmus+ awareness raising sessions in each partner country give law enforcement officers and judicial authorities the chance to better understand and tackle the dangers of sport manipulation to sport and to society. Project partners include Cyprus Police, Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (FINCIS), Rapid Response and Special Police Force – Hungary, National Tax and Customs Administration – Hungary, Ministry of Security and Justice – the Netherlands, The Lithuanian Sport Centre– Lithuania, Ministry of Justice – Judicial Police – Portugal, Presidium of the Police Force, Ministry of Interior – Slovak Republic, GLMS – The Global Lottery Monitoring System, EU Athletes, Aix-Marseille University – Centre of Sport and the coordinator, Stichting CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity, and the Council of Europe (CoE) as a supporting organisation. Integrisport is also a partner project of the KCOOS+ project of the CoE.

The next awareness raising session will be held in Helsinki in February 2020.

For more information, please visit:

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Integrisport Erasmus+ Awareness Raising Session Organized in Hungary

by with No Comment Integrisport

The Rapid Response and Special Police Services, National Bureau of Investigation, the National Tax and Customs Administration together with CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity co-organized an awareness raising session on combating sport manipulation and match fixing in the framework of Integrisport Erasmus+ from 12th to 14th of November in Budapest.

During the 3-day training organized specially for members of the Hungarian Police, as well as the National Tax and Customs Administration, the Hungarian Prosecution Service and judges of the Hungarian Criminal Court, within the EU co-funded project, participants had an open discussion on sport manipulation and match fixing and how this phenomenon has been affecting Hungary. International experts including the Vice Federal Prosecutor of the Belgian Federal Prosecution Service and representatives from the EU Athletes and Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) and from the coordinator of Integrisport Erasmus+, CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity. animated the exchange. Their contributions were accompanied by national expertise from the Hungarian Football Federation, the Hungarian Football Player’s Union, the Hungarian Lottery, Szerencsejáték Zrt, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Hungarian Prosecution Service.

The Hungarian Police and CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity also informed the participants of the activities of the Hungarian National Platform related to the Council of Europe Convention on Manipulations of Sports Competitions including international co-operation.

As Lt. Colonel Zita Zmolnik, Deputy Director of the National Investigation Bureau, said in her opening speech: “National and international law enforcement and judicial co-operation, and the common thought of relevant public stakeholders and the private sector, are vital in order to successfully fight against this special type of crime phenomenon.” In order to combat sport manipulation, law enforcement and judicial authorities need to be prepared. This is where Integrisport Erasmus+ has an important role: by providing awareness raising to law enforcement agencies, which is crucial to achieve this aim.

Norbert Rubicsek, director of CSCF and Integrisport Erasmus+ project manager added, “Law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities are the primary stakeholders involved in the investigative and court phases of criminal law cases of manipulations of sports competitions. It is therefore extremely important that on the one hand they are well prepared and informed and on the other hand, that other stakeholders fully understand the role of these key stakeholders. Law enforcement and judiciary are the link to completing the chain in a sports manipulation criminal case and are also a vital link in identifying legislation that needs to be in place to effectively combat manipulations of sports competitions.

The Integrisport Erasmus+ awareness raising sessions in each partner country give law enforcement officers and judicial authorities the possibility to better understand and tackle the dangers of sport manipulation to sport and the society. Project partners include Cyprus Police, Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (FINCIS), Rapid Response and Special Police Force – Hungary, National Tax and Customs Administration – Hungary, Ministry of Security and Justice – the Netherlands, The Department of Physical Education and Sports – Lithuania, Ministry of Justice – Judicial Police – Portugal, Presidium of the Police Force, Ministry of Interior – Slovak Republic, GLMS – The Global Lottery Monitoring System, EU Athletes, Aix-Marseille University – Centre of Sport and the coordinator, Stichting CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity and the Council of Europe (CoE) as a supporting organisation. Integrisport is also a partner project of the KCOOS+ project of the CoE.

The next awareness raising session will be held in Vilnius in December 2019.

For more information, please visit:

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Integrisport Erasmus+ Awareness Raising Session Organized in Cyprus

by with No Comment Integrisport

A 3-day Integrisport Erasmus+ Project Awareness Raising Session for law enforcement officers and judicial authorities of Cyprus on combating manipulation of sports competitions took place in Nicosia on 18-20 September 2019. The training was co-organised by Cyprus Police and CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity in the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

During the event, participants discussed the sport manipulation and match-fixing situation in Cyprus and engaged in lively exchange on good practices on fighting the phenomenon. Internationally recognized experts in the field of combating sports manipulations from various organizations, also contributed to the success of the event through concrete presentations. Experts included representatives from EU Athletes, Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) and CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity as well as the law enforcement agencies and prosecutor’s offices of France, the Netherlands and Portugal. The Council of Europe, as a supporting partner of Integrisport Erasmus+ was also represented and delivered a presentation on the Macolin Convention and international co-operation regarding the fight against sport manipulation.

As Mr. Kypros Michaelides, Chief of Cyprus Police shared in his opening speech: “Integrisport Erasmus+project is very important for Cyprus Police and the Cypriot stakeholders in general as there is a need for more information, more coordination and more improvement in the areas of legislation regarding battling manipulations of sports competitions, corruption and the protection of whistle blowers. Integrisport Event is considered a very important initiative to provide awareness for law enforcement in combating sports manipulation and also to improve the discussions on the creation of a National Platform. Esteem speakers from all over EU member states have increased the importance of the three-day event”. The Chief also thanked the famous athletes for taking part in the short film which was prepared for dissemination purposes.

Norbert Rubicsek, director of CSCF, project manager of Integrisport Erasmus+ added: “As tackling sport manipulation requires a multi-stakeholder effort that impacts on so many different legal areas, law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities need to have an in-depth, targeted understanding from the perspectives of other stakeholders and should be able to possess all tools possible to address the issue in investigations and in courts.”

The Integrisport Erasmus+ awareness raising sessions in each partner country give law enforcement officers and judicial authorities the possibility to better understand and tackle the dangers of sport manipulation to sport and the society.

The next awareness raising session will be held in Budapest in November 2019.

For more information, please visit:

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INTEGRISPORT NEXT – Kick-off of the project

by with No Comment Integrisport Next

Official launch of EU-financed project IntegriSport Next 2021-2022

“Raising awareness about the damages of sports manipulations (#matchfixing)” 

The launch of the EU-funded project, IntegriSport Next ERASMUS +, was officially held today at a kickoff meeting, this time online due to current circumstances.  

This project, developed and coordinated by the CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity, is considered the continuation of the successful IntegriSport Erasmus+ project (2019-2020), consolidating itself as an important platform for raising awareness for law enforcement and judiciaries about the damages of sports manipulations in Europe (#matchfixing). 

The project represents a joint commitment to strengthen prevention and cooperation on this phenomenon in six countries: Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Malta and Sweden,bringing together the efforts of: 

  • Country Partners Organisations: The Cyprus Police; Estonian Police; Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports; The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia; Malta Police Force; Swedish Sports Confederation  
  • Partner organisations: The Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) & Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven)  
  • Supporting organizations: FIFPRO   

The abovementioned is planned to be achieved through the consolidation of a comprehensive awareness-raising program and operational support to law enforcement agencies (LEA) and judicial authorities (JA) in Europe to face this phenomenon under the same collective.  

In this way, Integrisport Next (2021-2022) truly generates an ideal space for law enforcement agencies (LEA) and judicial authorities (JA) to debate in transnational meetings and training programs led by recognized experts the use of appropriate investigative techniques, legal instruments, sport policy, sport betting, and virtual currencies in sport at national and international level to be effective in the criminal procedure regarding match-fixing and other sport integrity matters.  

For more information, please contact the CSCF Projects Team: 

integrisportnext.admin@cscfsport.com

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Integriball Erasmus Plus – keep sport clean for youth and female footballers

by with No Comment Integriball

“Integrity, the choice between what is convenient and what is right” Tony Dungy

Integrity is a vital part of sport. It helps to guide us to keep sport clean and ensures the natural joy of athletes in performing on the sports field and that of the fans around the pitch. However, we need to work hard to ensure the integrity of sport. Anyone connected to a sports competition needs to learn, understand and apply the rules, including the rules of integrity. Once we understand why rules must be respected, we understand why it is important to work hard to protect its integrity – to protect careers, to protect the unpredictability of nature and to protect the business of sport.

It is important to understand: the rules of integrity are for, not against us!

While football is one of the sports which is frequently threatened by opportunists, and senior male football players are provided more and more education on the dangers of sport manipulation (match- fixing), younger athletes and female players are still generally behind in receiving this knowledge and understanding the threats, the approaches and the impacts. This was proven by interviews of multiple national team and club players across a section of Europe, who often themselves believed that they could not be targets, given the lower media attention they receive. However, as the pandemic showed, lower level and less visible leagues are attractive exactly because of the lower media attention, lower salaries, and lower level of awareness.

These concerns convinced the CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity, together with the support of 4 federations: the Czech Republic Football Association (FACR), the Malta Football Association (MFA), the Hellenic Football Federation and the Royal Belgium Football Association (RBFA); one players’ union, the Pancyprian Footballers Association (PASP), two institutional partners, GMLS and Ghent University, and two supporting partners, UEFA and the Council of Europe, to develop and implement Integriball Erasmus+, a 2-year project, which provided support to two of the most vulnerable members of the football family: grassroots and female footballers.

The objective of this 2-year project was to “provide customised and dedicated education programmes, focusing on the protection of grassroot footballers (adolescents – U16-18) and female footballers in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece and Malta, from threats of sport manipulation through understanding, awareness and knowledge of approaches, consequences and procedures available to them. This awareness and the guidelines were also adapted to coaches and administrative staff of the participating country federations.We have come a long way since the beginning of 2020, which was not eased by the onset and continued presence of COVID-19. Nonetheless, I am proud to share that we were able to:

– Build knowledge in the participating countries, together with representatives of the participating countries, as proven by surveys prior to, during and after the sessions.

– Develop a knowledge-based useful product which was eventually tailor-made to the sport manipulation situation, level of awareness, actual situation and educational needs of each football federation/football players’ union of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece and Malta; to provide these education tools in the countries to footballers and also prepare future trainers (train-the-trainers), who would be able to further deliver the knowledge for the youth and female footballers in their countries and sustain and transfer know-how.

– Give the opportunity to the motivated persons of our respective countries to make the future generations more cautious about what happens around them and help them to play a clean game and contribute positively to society.

I truly believe that the outputs, that were developed meticulously and delivered widely, will help to prepare not only the participating federation and union football players to be very successful, cautious and knowledgeable sportsmen and sportswomen, but they can also be transferred beyond these countries, thus benefiting the wider society of Europe and beyond.

As the director of CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity, and the co-ordinator of Integriball Erasmus+, I would like to warmly thank the hard work of the partners of Integriball, as well as the supporting partners, UEFA and the Council of Europe. I would like to especially thank the contribution of the integrity officers of the involved federations, the president of the Cypriot Players’ Union and his team, the experts of CSCF, our ambassadors, all the interviewees of our research and last, but not least, the boys and girls and senior female football players who participated and will continue to participate in the training sessions of Integriball Erasmus+.

You are truly making a difference.

We stand against manipulations in sports.

Yours in sporting integrity,

Norbert Rubicsek

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Awareness Raising Session – Sweden

by with No Comment Integrisport Next

A stimulating exchange of thoughts and ideas on how to fight and prevent Match-Fixing in Sweden

IntegriSport Next has continued with its Awareness Raising Sessions (ARSs). This time, CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity co-organised the event with its project partner in Sweden, the Swedish Sports Confederation, which is responsible for combating all forms of sports manipulations in Sweden. 

Being the last session of 2021 after successfully completing the ARSs of Estonia and Finland, the event took place in Stockholm on the 24th and 25th of November, where more than 70 people from the law enforcement, judiciary, sport, and betting sectors attended the workshop. The event sparked active debates and discussions about fighting and preventing sports manipulations.

Fulfilling the objective of the project, the session represented a unique opportunity to bring together Swedish law enforcement and judiciary authorities and all the Swedish and international actors who fight against this phenomenon in sport to share ideas, opinions, good practices, and ways to cooperate between them.

Session development

The two-day session was dedicated to giving to the participants a perspective of the situation of sport manipulation at the national and international level, with the participation of first-class speakers who presented their contributions on the following key topics:

  • Sport integrity Sport betting
  • Virtual currencies
  • Related criminal offenses (corruption, fraud, money laundering)
  • National and international co-operation and policymaking

Among the participant organisations, there were not only representatives from project partners but also other international and local institutions that play a crucial role in the field of sports manipulation, such as CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity, the Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS), the Swedish Sports Confederation, FIFPRO, the Swedish Gambling Authority, Svenska Spel, the Swedish Players Union, the Swedish FA, the Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (FINCIS), the Swedish Police Authority, the Prosecution Authority, and the Council of Europe and INTERPOL, as intergovernmental key stakeholders with an active and important work in the domain. Also, the first day had a very enlightening interview with Kenny Stamatopoulos, a former football player who had first-hand experience with match-fixing, who said no and reported it. 

“The Swedish awareness-raising session was an engaging and fruitful workshop, where we, as GLMS, together with our local member, Svenska Spel, were able to share the basics of sports betting, what to look out for when collecting intelligence and preparing evidence, key issues in Sweden related to sports betting integrity and the importance of education and collaborative actions” said Cassandra Fernandes – Legal and Projects Manager of GLMS Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS)

“Addressing the manipulation issues of sport requires a multi-stakeholder effort. At the Swedish Sports Confederation, we want to have an impact on all those actors who can contribute in one way or another to combat this problem. Being involved in this project, we have the opportunity to meet with representatives of law enforcement, the judiciary, the sports movement, and the field of betting, all together raising awareness and understanding different points of view” said Jakob Uddeholt from Integrity Officer – Swedish Sports Confederation

The program of the second day was only for representatives of law enforcement, judicial authorities, and other stakeholders from the public sector with the aim of sharing good practices on how cases of manipulation of national and international sports competitions can be detected and investigated. 

Following the latest trends in criminal activity, participants were able to follow two prominent presentations from the Swedish Cybercrime Center (SC3) and CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity on how cybercrime and virtual currencies are making their way into society and more specifically, in sports, creating new challenges for those who fight against this phenomenon. 

Moreover, the Financial Intelligence Unit of Sweden shared a presentation based on a report on money laundering in the gaming sector in Sweden. This was a remarkable contribution that gave participants insight into the situation based on statistics and real examples of approaches to the issue of money laundering through the gaming sector. 

The day was followed by INTERPOL’s intervention as well as the presentation of two specific case studies on the issue, the local AIK – IFK Gothenburg case and a Finnish case. The three interventions shared notable examples of good and bad practices from international investigations on the manipulations of sports, as well as the role of cooperation between organisations to successfully investigate this type of crime. With this part of the session, the participants received an inside look into how the investigation and prosecution of a real sport manipulation case happens, thus receiving important lessons to consider for the future.

The final part of the Awareness Raising Session was an activity that has been one of the pillars of this project, the international peer-to-peer meeting. This time it focused on how to collect and use information during investigations of cases of sports manipulations (match fixing). This was a one-off opportunity for law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities from Sweden to meet peers from other countries to develop the capacity and cooperation in their investigation and prosecution techniques in sports manipulation cases. 

The panel in the meeting consisted of key players of the domain of sport integrity, including CSCF Director Norbert Rubicsek, Claudio Marinelli from Interpol, Cassandra Fernandes, Chris Yaakoubian and Benoit Borsato from GLMS, Jouko Ikonen from FINCIS as well as representatives from the Swedish Police, Swedish Prosecution, Svenska Spel and the Swedish FA. What followed was a stimulating exchange of thoughts and ideas on how to develop capacity and cooperation in their investigations and prosecution techniques in sports manipulation cases. 

“Sharing information between stakeholders is one of the key tools in fighting sport manipulation, so discussions such as these provide great value to the cause not only of the IntegriSport Next project, but also to the partners such as CSCF [Foundation for Sport Integrity] and our partners’ stakeholders”, said Norbert Rubicsek, Director of CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity. 

And with this, the Awareness Raising Sessions have concluded for 2021, with our next three sessions being held next year in Georgia (February), Cyprus (March), and Malta (April).

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Awareness Raising Session – Estonia

by with No Comment Integrisport Next

We have finished our first session of the IntegriSport Next Erasmus Plus Awareness Raising session in Estonia!

The IntegriSport Next project has officially started the implementation phase of the project with the Awareness Raising Session for law enforcement officers, judicial authorities of Estonia and other important stakeholders on all aspects of manipulation of sports competitions.

This time, the session was host by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board and co-organised by CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity in the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. 

During the 2-day event, participants discussed the topics of sport manipulation (match-fixing) related to crime investigations and prosecution activities in Estonia and engaged in a lively exchange on good practices on fighting the phenomenon.  The session not only focused on a knowledge transfer, but also actively facilitated national and international cooperation-building to maximise immersion and impact.

Internationally recognised experts in the field of combating sports manipulations from various organisations also contributed to the success of the event through concrete presentations, as well as different speakers from other organisations. All of them participated with face-to-face or online presentations.

On the first day, speakers included representatives from project partner organisations such as the Estonian Police and Border Guard, the Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) and CSCF experts, as well as special participation from FIFPRO as the project’s supporting partner.

Moreover, representatives from guest organisations also actively took part in the event by giving insights into the situation in the country, including the Estonian Football Association, the Estonian Center for Integrity in Sport (ETCIS), the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Interior of Estonia.

The first day closed with the presentation of the Council of Europe on the Macolin Convention and international cooperation in the fight against sport manipulation.

On the second day, representatives of Law Enforcement, Judicial Authorities, ministries, and the Estonian Center for Integrity in Sport (ETCIS) shared good practices in the investigation and detection of cases of manipulation of national and international sports competitions.

Among the participants on the second day were our project partners the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board and the Finnish Center for Integrity in Sport (FINCIS) and representatives of key organisations and speakers with a history of experience in the domain of manipulation for sport competitions, which includes INTERPOL, the Prosecution Service of Hungary, and the Judicial Police of Portugal.

At the end of the session, the peer-to-peer meeting was held for members of Law Enforcement and Judicial Authorities in order to develop the capacity and cooperation in their investigation and prosecution techniques in sports manipulation cases.

“Great to be part of IntegriSport Next, since in Estonia sports manipulations are sometimes quite unknown and underground and we are interested in every type of solution, so, thank you for this project and all the support to fight against manipulation in sport.” Remo Perli – Estonian Police Border Guard Board

“I was really happy to see the Estonian stakeholders starting to have a discussion or to continue the discussion on how to fight against sports manipulations.”

Norbert Rubicsek – CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity

It was a great session full of inspiring points of view and good energy from all the participants who were very open to learn how to act and what steps to take to fight against sports manipulations in Estonia.

The next awareness raising session will be held in Finland in November 2021.

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