EUROPOL supports Joint Project on Sport Manipulations of the European Union and the Council of Europe

The Joint Project 'KEEP CRIME OUT OF SPORT' of the Council of Europe and DG HOME AFFAIRS of the European Commission is the operational aspect of the 2014 Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions adopted by the Council of Europe. The Convention is currently open to signatures and ratifications worldwide.

'KEEP CRIME OUT OF SPORT' enters its second phase with its first Regional Seminar – Recognising the problem, creating the trust in The Hague, the Netherlands on 20-21 June. The seminar will bring together representatives from law enforcement and justice, ministries, betting operators, betting regulatory authorities and the sport movement from Albania, Belgium, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and The United Kingdom. The first phase had kicked off with questionnaires from various relevant stakeholders from 47 EU and Council of Europe Member States. This has provided the project with sound input for the seminars, which will focus on establishing and running national platforms, exchanging of information and building trust between various stakeholders nationally and internationally.

The two-day seminar, the first out of 5 scheduled to take place this year within the project, will include a number of working sessions for the 40 participants as a first step towards finding solutions to long-standing challenges. The regional seminar will welcome speakers and moderators from, Europol, Interpol, Captivate Consulting, the Oxford Research Institute and Sportradar.

The outcomes of the first seminar will feed into the next four regional seminars which will take place around Europe as well as the upcoming Conference on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions of the Council of Europe in autumn 2016. The work will culminate in the publication of a practical how-to guide on implementing measures to fight sports manipulations.

Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, is actively engaged in combatting sports corruption and in particular sports manipulations through its dedicated operational project established in 2014. In this context, Europol also cooperates with the EU Expert Group on Match-fixing and with the Council of Europe on the implementation of the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.

For more information please visit: Keep crime out of Sport