GLMS contributes to the 1st IntegriSport awareness-raising workshop

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.

GLMS deputy General Secretary, Vagelis Alexandrakis, was among the experts and presented to the participants key matters related to betting regulation, analysed how betting patterns can be monitored and also went through the betting-related provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Sport Competition manipulations.

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.