Vienna, October 21st, 2024 – The Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (COP) aims at improving understanding, capacities and coordination of State Parties to combat this kind of crime.
On the margins of its the Conference, the UNODC Programme on Safeguarding Sports from Corruption and Economic Crime organized the side event “Game Over: Exposing the Linkages between Corruption and Organized Crime in Sport”. The main aim of the event was to raise awareness of the threat posed by organized crime to sport.
New Publication: Game Over report
During the side event, a new UNODC report was launched:” Game Over: Exposing the linkages between corruption, serious and organized crime in sport.”
The report features case studies and practical evidence-based recommendations to support global efforts in addressing the infiltration of organized crime groups in sport. Contributions came from 90 experts across 32 countries, alongside 13 representatives from 11 organizations.
Three key takeaways from the report:
UNODC will continue to advance research on the connection between corruption in sports and other crimes, drawing on past experiences and international best practices to develop solutions that maintain integrity in the sports arena.
Expert Panel Discussion
Following the launch of the new publication, experts and senior officials from UNODC, Sport Integrity Australia, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China), the South African Police Service, the National Crime Agency (United Kingdom), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (United States) delivered a series of presentations.
The presentations provided valuable insights into the ways organized crime is infiltrating sports, particularly through illegal betting, competition manipulation, and money laundering.
The discussion emphasized the shared global challenges in recognizing and combating these threats, particularly the cross-border nature of such crimes, including insider information leaks.
Additionally, the expert panel discussed how new technologies facilitate these illicit activities and stressed the urgent need for stronger legislation and improved cooperation among law enforcement agencies.
