SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
International police cooperation agency, INTERPOL has extended its joint-capacity arrangement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expanding its provisions to protect sports integrity.
INTERPOL and IOC renew their cooperation partnership until 2021, with both parties focusing on building training programs which will enhance sports stakeholders’ capacity to recognise corruption and facilitate effective investigations into ‘competition manipulation’.
‘As part of the first period of their partnership (2015 – 2017), INTERPOL and the IOC organized 30 tailor-made capacity building training events involving 46 different countries, with some 1,100 participants trained’ details the joint agreement.
INTERPOL believes that the IOC training programs with further strengthen existing operational networks such as the IOC Integrity Betting Intelligence System or its Match-Fixing Task Force, extending its cooperative capacities.
“Competition manipulation remains a global concern, with organized criminal syndicates operating on a large transnational scale, and targeting an ever wider range of sports,” said INTERPOL’s Director of Organized and Emerging Crime, Paul Stanfield.
“Despite national efforts to respond to competition manipulation, the solution lies through a coordinated approach, between the sports movement and law enforcement, at all levels. Our on-going partnership with the IOC sets the example of an effective strategic partnership at the international level,”
As part of the partnership, INTERPOL and the IOC established mechanisms to exchange information to protect the integrity of the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, in February 2018. with INTERPOL acting as a hub for law enforcement in order to successfully facilitate and coordinate the exchange of data for issues related to integrity in sport and integrity of sports competitions.
“Protecting the clean athletes from all forms of corruption and manipulation is our top priority,” said Pâquerette Girard Zappelli, IOC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer.
“Our strong collaboration with INTERPOL serves to safeguard the integrity of sport. We are very satisfied with the outcomes of our partnership during the last three years and are looking forward to continuing our close teamwork with them.”
