Host sporting events may open gaps for corruption on a large scale, says UNODC

 

Organization of sporting mega events for opening breaches for corruption. Photo: PEXELS

Participating in the II International Sport Integrity Forum held last week in Lausanne, the UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, warned that hosting major sporting events could open gaps for large-scale corruption. 

"For the United Nations, sports have the potential to bring the world together, to contribute to peace and development and to inspire youth to make good and healthy choices," declared the head of the UN agency during the event, organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

"But corruption and the involvement of transnational organized crime threaten to ruin the integrity of sports practice", said Fedotov.

"The complex organization and tight deadlines involved in hosting major sporting events present opportunities for large-scale corruption, even where well-established regulatory systems exist." 

The UNODC Executive Director also noted that illicit practices such as organized gambling and illegal gambling "not only threaten the credibility of the sport, but are also dangerously associated with money laundering and other forms of organized crime." 

At the event, Fedotov and IOC President, Thomas Bach, agreed to strengthen collaboration between the two governing bodies to promote good governance in sport and reduce the risk of criminal activity.

"UNODC recognizes the vital contribution that sport can perform in the empowerment of individuals and communities as well as in the health, education and social inclusion, throughout the world. We look forward to strengthening our work with the IOC and all our partners to end corruption", affirmed the head of the UN agency. 

During the forum, the United Nations Office and the IOC published the study "Criminal Law Provisions for the Processing of Competition Manipulation". The document analyses and compares legislation from different countries aimed at combating illegal sports practices. Access the publication here.

*Information: UN Brazil.

"We thank our UN Online Volunteer, Juliana Nogueira, for her contribution to the translation of this article".    Juliana  is an online volunteer mobilised through  www.onlinevolunteering.org ". 

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