INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin - 30 May 2016 - 12 June 2016

This week we give the floor to Paulo Tarso de Oliveira Gomes, International Relations Security Manager at Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as he talks on sports betting and preparations for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

For the first two weeks of June, there have been a variety of issues ranging from bribery and match-fixing allegations in Australia and Malta, to suspicious betting in United States, as well as bans for doping violations in Nigeria and Russia.

THE FLOOR TO...

Paulo Tarso de Oliveira Gomes, International Relations Security Manager at Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic And Paralympic Games

During my 32 years of service as a Federal Police Officer in Brazil, I have never heard of any event held in the country to discuss specifically the issue of integrity in sports. Our experience in this matter was limited to a few cases in the past regarding match-fixing in football matches. Online bets are not part of the betting culture in Brazil. Therefore, we do not have specific legislation on the subject. However, with billions of people diverting their attention to Rio this year, including the betters and gamblers, we will need to be prepared to identify and suppress any behavior that could jeopardize the integrity of the games. As the Security International Relations Manager at Rio 2016 and single integrity contact point with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Integrity of Sport, I was pleased to have had the opportunity to participate in the workshop held jointly by the IOC and INTERPOL in Rio de Janeiro, from 30 to 31 May. This event was not only a very good opportunity for all of us to learn about the best practices worldwide against the manipulation of sports but also about the tools used to prevent and enforce these illegal practices, such as the “handbook of protecting sport from competition manipulation”, launched by the IOC and INTERPOL.

With only eight weeks to the opening ceremony, I can state that the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in close partnership with the Brazilian authorities, is fully committed and engaged in the prevention and investigation of any form of crime against sports. The creation of the Joint Integrity Intelligence Unit (JIIU), between the IOC and Rio 2016, is proof that all measures will be taken to ensure the beauty of games through results that only depend on the skill and effort of each athlete. From the creation of the JIUU, we can also built a partnership with the Special Secretariat for Security of Major Events (SESGE). This partnership will allow us to work with their intelligence cell if anything suspicious should arise. This cell will have representatives from all law enforcement agencies and will work around the clock during the games.

INVESTIGATIONS

Australia

The NRL is bracing itself for another scandal after NSW Police confirmed its organised crime squad has opened an investigation into alleged match-fixing in the league. “The Organised Crime Squad is in the early stages of examining information relating to alleged match fixing in the NRL,” a police spokeswoman said. “No further comment is appropriate at this stage.” The NRL confirmed on Thursday morning they were cooperating with authorities in the investigation. “The NRL is treating this as a serious matter and will take any action necessary to protect the integrity of the game,” an NRL spokesman said.

The Australian Crime Commission warned in their February 2013 “blackest day in Australian sport” press conference that criminal figures were possibly infiltrating sporting clubs, with the danger that they could manipulate results.

Detective inspector Wayne Walpole, in charge of the state’s charter against organised crime infiltrating sport, told News Corp Australia on Thursday such infiltration had already begun at clubs.

“I’m not saying corruption or match fixing has happened, but I’m saying the infiltration is there and that infiltration can lead to the compromise of the sports of the athlete,” he said.

The NRL was last hit by match-fixing allegations in 2010 when Ryan Tandy was convicted of trying to fix the early stages of a match between his Canterbury team and North Queensland.

Source: "Police launch investigation into alleged match-fixing in NRL", 2 June 2016, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/02/police-launch-investigation-into-alleged-match-fixing-in-nrl

Tuesday, 14 June 2016