Corruption and integrity in sport: Enforcement, governance and emerging risks

Corruption^[1] in sport, including match-fixing, betting manipulation, bribery and the abuse of governance positions, reaches almost every sport and affects both on and off the field performance.  Whist the awareness of corruption has increased over the years, the prosecution and enforcement has had to become more extensive to tackle the sophisticated of corrupters, for example the increasing reliance of evidence obtained from downloads from phones and computers.

However, this this change, a familiar pattern still exists where vulnerable participants are drawn into wrongdoing, while governing bodies wrestle the commercial, legal, political and integrity interests of their sports. Adding to this the growing number privately organised events that fit awkwardly within existing rules, governance structures, and competition formats that invite manipulation, and prediction markets that may escape gambling regulation.

These issues were examined in a recent webinar hosted by LawInSport on corruption and integrity in sport.