April 17 – UEFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have partnered with sports betting entities to fight match-fixing and safeguard sport integrity ahead of EURO 2024 and the Olympic Games in Paris.
On April 11, sports betting entities and international federations convened alongside UEFA and the IOC for a workshop centred on the collaborative efforts between sport and the sports betting industry to combat match-fixing.
The co-organised workshop, which took place at Olympic House in Lausanne and spanned the entire day, aimed to delve into the potential for cross-sector partnerships (a key requirement in the chasing of organised crime bosses and match fixers in Europe) with a particular emphasis on integrity exchange to support the forthcoming Euros.
The workshop kicked off with presentations by the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC) and UEFA’s Anti-Match-Fixing Unit. These presentations offered insights into the strategies employed by each team to tackle match-fixing, their approaches to engaging with the sports betting industry, and their methods for detecting and investigating potentially fraudulent betting activities.
The Euro 2020 anti-match fixing effort as a success, with UEFA saying they believed the “probability of match-fixing at [the event] could be considered as low”.
Even so, UEFA are keeping up their vigilance and have set up a secure integrity website for Euro 2024 where players, referees, officials and members of the public can report suspected cases of match-fixing confidentially and anonymously.
Vincent Ven, Head of Anti-Match-Fixing at UEFA, said: “Sport alone cannot eradicate match-fixing. We must work together – raising awareness, sharing information, ensuring robust prevention and detection systems are in place – to protect sport and athletes.
“During the UEFA EURO 2024, our Germany-based staff (supported by the entire Anti-Match-Fixing Unit based in Nyon) will work hand-in-hand with betting integrity entities, betting operators and regulators, public authorities, and the national associations.
“The main objective is to ensure robust 24/7 monitoring of the competition in compliment to our dedicated prevention and education programme for all participating athletes and officials. UEFA’s multi-stakeholder Anti-Match-Fixing Assessment Group will manage pre and in-competition monitoring, ensuring that UEFA can immediately review and address any potential integrity threats to the tournament.”
Friedrich Martens, Head of the OM Unit PMC said: “Collaboration is essential. During the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, we will work together with a series of betting operators, associations and major betting regulatory authorities to exchange relevant information about irregular betting patterns or suspicious betting activities detected that might imply competition manipulation.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1713952094labto1713952094ofdlr1713952094owedi1713952094sni@g1713952094niwe.1713952094yrrah1713952094