Global Action Needed to Defeat Match Fixing -- On the Scene

Experts say government and sport must act to stem illegal betting as the means to end match fixing.

A day-long forum at the Sorbonne in Paris dealt with the implications of a 700-page report on the impact of illegal betting on the growing scourge of match-fixing. The result of two years of research by the French university, the report was commissioned by the International Center for Sport Security, the Qatar-based think tank and consulting organization.

The Sport Integrity Forum 2014 staged by the ICSS was the platform used to launch the study. It is said to be the first comprehensive study of its kind which quantifies the amount of money being wagered on sports events worldwide – – and how much of it is illegally bet. The Sorbonne study indicates up to €500 billion is gambled annually on sports worldwide with up to 80 percent of that figure made up of illegal bets.

This study suggests that such an influx of under-the-table cash drives the ultimate threat that comes with sports gaming: match-fixing. Clamping down on illegal betting will strike a blow against manipulation was the message heard throughout the day at the Sorbonne.

Jens Sejer Andersen, international director for Play the Game, which organizes an annual conference on ethical issues involving sport, believes the ICSS is a positive step towards match fixing. But he says the great unknown of what actually is being wagered illegally makes the challenge more difficult.

"By nature, the mafia does not open its books for us to see," Andersen told Around the Rings.

The forum was held in the ancient Grand Amphitheater, where in 1894 the International Olympic Committee was founded and Athens was awarded the 1896 Games. The name of Pierre deCoubertin and the Olympic ideals of fair play were both invoked repeatedly by speakers.

"It’s very symbolic to be here," IOC member Denis Oswald tells Around the Rings after his talk on legal issues ahead in the fight against match fixing.

"It’s a very important threat. The difficulty is that a lot of the money is illegal. The Internet has changed everything. You can bet 24 hours a day. You can bet from home. Organized crime has seen the possibility to make a lot of money and then tried to take control of illegal betting," Oswald says.

But he notes that, so far, the IOC has detected no untoward betting on the Olympic Games in Beijing, London, and most recently, Sochi. The IOC employs a private contractor to monitor sports betting during the Olympics.

The ICSS report says it appears the two sports appeared to be the primary target of match-fixers, football and cricket. Tennis would be third on the list. Oswald, who until last year was president of FISA, the international rowing federation, said he was unaware of any attempts to manipulate events involving his sport. But he says if efforts to crack down on match-fixing in soccer are successful, for example, the crooks could gravitate towards rowing or any of the other sports on the Olympics program.

Oswald stresses another point made during the forum: governments must be involved to attack match-fixing.

"For sport, it is impossible. We don’t have the means to investigate. If public authorities and law enforcement are willing to cooperate, but in many countries we notice this is not a very high priority."

But he calls this report an important step to raise awareness of this issue, which he does call a threat to "public order."

None of the Olympic sports were officially represented at this meeting, perhaps indicating the low-level threat they seem to currently face for match fixing. But neither were there any leading lights from football, cricket, or tennis, the three singled out in the Sorbonne report, whether at the federation or professional level.

Oswald and novice IOC member Tony Estanguet were the only IOC officials in attendance. IOC security consultant Peter Ryan did attend; he is also a member of the ICSS board.

Written by Ed Hulain Paris

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