Independent Sport Integrity Hotline first report gives snapshot of integrity breaches, allegations of corruption and abuse

30 Oct 2019, Doha

More than 240 allegations of corruption in sport have been reported to the Sport Integrity (SI) Hotline, highlighting a significant number of match-fixing, internal corruption and sexual abuse issues.

Established in 2018, by the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), to provide a safe and secure whistleblowing platform dedicated to reporting misconduct in sport, the SI Hotline has released its first summary of reported cases showcasing the scale and scope of integrity violations impacting global sport.

The SI Hotline data shows;

• Football is the sport most affected by allegations with 87% of the reported cases

• Other sports affected include: tennis, handball and athletics with 23% of cases

• Match-fixing (23%), money laundering (12%) and internal corruption (10%) are the most frequently reported types of crimes

• Geographically, [Middle East and North] Africa and Europe dominate the regions where cases are being reported

• Reported crime types related to sport include terrorism, tax evasions, player trafficking, betting fraud and fan violence

Graphics are attached providing an overview of the reported cases

The SI hotline operates on a WhistleBlower Security (WBS) platform - a third-party specialist ethics and case management provider. The hotline is further strengthened by CLUE, a state-of-the-art intelligence-management technology that supports efficient case resolution.

Whistleblowers from every region can submit their cases online or report by phone. The Hotline operates over 220+ supported languages with dedicated phone numbers for easy access to the SI Hotline for whistleblowers.

Once a case is submitted, an integrity expert at the Sport Integrity Unit (SIU) will analyse the alleged information to verify for authenticity. As content verification is the most challenging part of the investigation, the process goes through multiple checks for the authenticity of the report before the SIU determines to involve the relevant authorities and law enforcement agencies, this is done by way of an SIU Integrity Alert.

Throughout the reporting and case management process, strict precautions are taken to protect case confidentiality and the anonymity of the whistleblower.

The ICSS was established to work towards safeguarding sport and, over the past nine years, has invested heavily in research, resources and mechanisms to fight corruption in sport.

The SIU is led by Dale Sheehan and Fred Lord, both experts in this field with senior roles in law enforcement agencies such as INTERPOL and Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The SI Hotline has demonstrated, in a relatively short period of time, the requirement for this service has been acknowledged by international policy makers, governments and sport institutions. The SI Hotline is seen as a vital tool to help protect those who most need it and to encourage people to come forward to preserve the integrity of sport.

As with all whistleblower hotlines, it is imperative to ensure people feel safe, secure and protected when they submit information.

The SI Hotline has developed a significant capability which provides the SIU with one of the world’s largest independent, cross sport anti-corruption intelligence databases. The serious interconnected crime types, identified in sport have paved a way to identify emerging threats and provide early warnings to governments and sports of potential threats to the safety, security and integrity of sport.

For more information on Sport Integrity Hotline and the whistleblower process, please visit; http://theicss.org/sport-integrity-hotline/

ENDS –

NOTE TO EDITORS

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

About the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS)

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) is a global, independent and non-profit organisation. We work tirelessly to address some of the most prominent challenges and issues facing the world of sport today.

Having brought together respected leaders from sport, law enforcement, international organisations, academia and government agencies, we have an established team of experts in the fields of sport and event safety and security, sport integrity and sport investigations.

Through our consultancy work and advisory services and with the support of our donors, the ICSS is able to invest in safeguarding sport – from initiating the first-ever research into the scale of Manipulation of Sports Competitions as part of the Sorbonne-ICSS Sport Integrity Research Programme, 2012-14, to advising and working with international organisations leading to sport integrity policy development, the ICSS has made its impact.

For more information about the ICSS, please visit www.theicss.org

For further information, please contact:

Nadeesha Rathnayake

ICSS

nadeesha.rathnayake@theicss.org

+974 5051 2815 / +974 4430 8062

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