IOC Whistleblower Hotline to Root Out Corruption

(ATR)The so-called Integrity and Compliance Hotline was unveiled at the first International Forum for Sports Integrity in Lausanne on Monday.

It was one of the many commitments in the IOC’s Agenda 2020 reforms package.The hotline will allow athletes and sports officials to report possible ethics violations and financial misconduct that threaten the integrity of sport.

The web-based hotline is open to the public and "guarantees 100 percent anonymity".

"Anyone can report suspicious approaches or activities related to competition manipulation and or infringements of the IOC Code of Ethics or other matters including financial misconduct or other legal, regulatory and ethical breaches over which the IOC has jurisdiction," said an IOC release.

However, it is not yet clear how the reporting mechanism will operate and how allegations of ethics breaches or corruption will be dealt with by the IOC.

The International Forum for Sports Integrity, the new name for the IOC working group tackling the fight against irregular and illegal betting in sport, "reviewed what has been delivered and prepared a roadmap for future action aimed at strengthening and coordinating all activities to protect clean athletes from match-fixing, manipulation of competitions and related corruption."

IOC president Thomas Bach chaired the meeting which included representatives from world governments, the Council of Europe, the European Union, Interpol, Europol, UN agencies, sports betting operators and Olympic Movement stakeholders such as NOCs and international federations.

"In Olympic Agenda 2020 we stressed the need to protect clean athletes from match-fixing, manipulation of competitions and related corruption," said Bach.

"Today’s forum has brought all key players around the table to address this need and coordinate our action. We are pleased with the support we have received so far in this regard, in particular from the Council of Europe. We are intensifying our efforts to protect the integrity of sport and we ask that governments continue to work hand in hand with us."

The measures adopted today focused on: education and information; intelligence and investigations; and legislation and regulation.

The IFSI called for the proactive and preventive educational measures being used at international and national levels to be reproduced at a local level, partly aided by elite athletes acting as role models in their communities. The importance of governments in raising awareness and coordinating an integrated approach among police, public prosecutors and ministries of justice was also emphasized.

Concerning the exchange of information and intelligence, it was noted that efforts have been strengthened by the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions and the IOC’s Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS)

Today’s forum called for further action – the creation of "national platforms" in line with those outlined in the Council of Europe Convention that would facilitate cooperation between all stakeholders.

It was agreed the role of "sports integrity officers" should be better defined and strengthened within NOCs, IFs and national federations.

Participants at Monday’s summit demanded a robust regulatory framework for the successful protection of clean athletes. Olympic Movement stakeholders have been asked to develop global sports minimum standards – perhaps in the form of a Code for the Olympic Movement – concerning match-fixing and corruption.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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