FIRST DEDICATED SPORT INTEGRITY HOTLINE ESTABLISHED IN UNITED STATES AND CANADA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Sport Integrity Hotline launched by ICSS to help US and Canadian athletes, coaches and sports organisation report misconduct in sport

6 December 2017: The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) - an international non-profit organisation working in the field of sport safety, security and integrity - has announced the establishment of a confidential Sport Integrity Hotline to help athletes, fans and those involved in the sports industry report misconduct and sport integrity issues in the United States and Canada.

In line with its overall mission to help safeguard sport, the ICSS and its SIU has set up a specialised and multi-lingual Sport Integrity Hotline to help athletes, coaches, administrators and members of the public report anonymously and in confidence any allegation of misconduct or integrity issue that has taken place within sport.

Managed by a specialist ethics and case-management third-party provider, WhistleBlower Security, the Sport Integrity Hotline will be available to receive confidential reports 24 hours a day / 365 days a week via phone, email or online.

Reports and allegations made to the hotline will be managed through a secure and encrypted case management system to protect the identity of the reporter. Once a report is submitted, an alert will immediately be sent to an experienced sport integrity expert at the SIU, who will analyze the case and review any evidence submitted. Details of the case will then be shared with appropriate authorities or relevant bodies – including law enforcement agencies.

To report an allegation of misconduct or an integrity issue in sport, the Sport Integrity Hotline can be contacted in the US and Canada via:

Phone: +1-866-921-6714

Email: sportintegrityhotline@integritycounts.ca

Website: www.integritycounts.ca/sportintegrityhotline

Speaking of the new Sport Integrity Hotline, Michael Hershman, ICSS Group CEO, said:

"At a time where many current and former athletes in the United States and Canada are bravely speaking out about the years of victimisation and abuse they have suffered, it is important that we continue to encourage more people to come forward and to provide them with the right resources and professional tools to help confidentially report and uncover instances of corruption, discrimination and other integrity issues that affect sport today.

"As a landmark step forward in this area, the ICSS is proud to announce the establishment of a new Sport Integrity Hotline in the United States and Canada today, which aims to provide a truly independent and confidential whistle-blower platform for athletes, coaches, sports organisations and members of the public across North America and supports the ongoing work of our dedicated Special Investigations Unit and experienced sport integrity experts at the ICSS."

Shannon Walker, President WhistleBlower Security Inc. added:

"WhistleBlower Security is excited to partner with the ICSS to provide the support and tools to introduce the Sport Integrity Hotline, which is aimed at providing a dedicated whistleblowing platform to help protect the integrity of sport globally and encourage more athletes and members of the public to come forward and report integrity issues in sport."

"Indeed, sport is a growing area of interest for many in the ethics and compliance sector and at Whistleblower Security; we appreciate the opportunity to align ourselves with committed and leading international organisations, like the ICSS, who are dedicated to ensuring integrity and ethics for their workplaces and within their industry."

Led by a team of international law-enforcement, anti-corruption experts and sport-integrity investigators with over 60 years’ combined experience, the SIU offers confidential investigation services, specialised training and independent integrity advice to support governing bodies, law enforcement, athletes and organisations across the sports industry.

For more information about the Sport Integrity Hotline and the ICSS Special Investigations Unit, please visit www.theicss.org or contact info@theicss.org

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS

Please see attached the logos of the Special Investigations Unit and Sport Integrity Unit to accompany the release.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

About the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS)

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) is an independent and non-profit organisation that plays an integral role in addressing the most prominent challenges facing the world of sport today.

Having assembled a team of top international experts in sport safety, security, integrity and good governance; the ICSS works with multiple sectors with the aim of safeguarding sport.

Through its two business divisions, ICSS ENTERPRISE and ICSS INSIGHT, the ICSS offers a range of safety, security, integrity, transparency and anti-corruption services to governments, international organisations and across the sports industry.

For more details about the ICSS and its work, please visit www.theicss.org or follow us on twitter at @the_ICSS.

About the ICSS Special Investigations Unit (SIU)

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has established a dedicated Special Investigations Unit (SIU) under the ICSS Enterprise as part an ongoing commitment to help safeguard sport and to meet the growing demand for independent investigations and intelligence services within the sports industry.

As part of its portfolio of services, the SIU investigates allegations of misconduct and integrity violations across several areas adversely affecting sport:

Administrative corruption and misconduct

Fraud, including match fixing, illegal betting and money laundering

Athlete Welfare, including sexual harassment and abuse

Conflicts of Interest and breaches of ethics

Human trafficking and child protection issues in sport

Use of sport for radicalisation

If you or your organisation is interested in learning more about the ICSS Special Investigations Unit services and would like to speak to one of our investigators, please contact info@theicss.org

About Whistleblower Security

WhistleBlower Security, based in Canada provides global 24/7/365 multi-lingual hotlines along with its proprietary web-based IntegrityCounts Anonymous and Confidential Reporting System. WBS is committed to supporting our clients by providing a safe venue to address allegations of workplace harassment, wrongdoing, and other incidents such as fraud. WBS’ secure mechanism to review, respond and resolve issues brought forward by employees and other stakeholders enhances organizational and cultural integrity, ethics and accountability.

For more information visit www.whistleblowersecurity.com

For further media enquiries, please contact the ICSS Media team via media@theicss.org.

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