Corruption in sport initiative

22 February 2016

Banner for Transparency International Corruption in Sport Initiative

Sport is a multi-billion dollar business engaging billions of people. It is also a global symbol of fair play and a source of great joy for many people on this planet, whether participating, attending or watching events.

With so much public involvement, political influence and money at stake, corruption remains a constant and real risk. Mounting scandals around match-fixing, major events and elections, and systemic deficiencies in sports governance are now so undermining public trust that it is reaching a tipping point.

Keeping sports clean is therefore a global imperative. Our goal is to ensure that sport can continue to “create a way of life based on (…) the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles” (Olympic Charter).

Latest: Ireland’s horror week in sport: perpetrators and victims of the unOlympic Games

Gareth Sweeney, editor of Transparency International's Global Corruption Report: Sport, takes a look at Irish involvement in Olympic scandals, both as a perpetrator and a victim. Read more

Latest: FIFA: another own goal?

Deborah Unger, media contact for sport at Transparency International, explores the ramifications of recent decisions by the new FIFA leadership in the context of the ongoing reform process. Read more

What we're doing

Transparency International aims to mobilise wider audiences in the fight against corruption through connecting the sports community to the wider movement against corruption. This ‘Corruption in Sport Initiative’ includes partnerships with experts, supporters and sponsors through new research, analysis, dialogue and key recommendations. Transparency International’s focus areas are:

Improving the governance of sport organisations
Strengthening the integrity of the bidding, awarding and hosting of major sporting events
Preventing and combatting match-fixing

On 9 April 2015, we began publishing new analysis and commentary by leading experts in the field. We will continue to release new material linked to key sports events. Readers can sign up for updates here.

This content was updated and published as Transparency International’s Global Corruption Report by Routledge in February 2016. Read an introductory blog post by the series editor, Gareth Sweeney.

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Articles, analysis and commentary

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Executive Summary – Global Corruption Report: Sport
Gareth Sweeney, Transparency International

Full Global Corruption Report

3.14 Rio 2016 and the birth of Brazilian transparency
Andy Spalding, Pat Barr, Albert Flores, Kat Gavin, Shaun Freiman, Tyler Klink, Carter Nichols, Ann Reid and Rina Van Orden, University of Richmond | Preview blog

3.15 Sports mega-event legacies: from the beneficial to the destructive
Helen Lenskyj, University of Toronto

3.16 Urban speculation by Spanish football clubs
Nefer Ruiz Crespo, Transparency International Spain

4: Match-fixing

4.1 Why sport is losing the war to match-fixers
Declan Hill, investigative journalist

4.2 The role of the betting industry
Ben Van Rompuy, ASSER Institute

4.3 Cricket in Bangladesh: challenges of governance and match-fixing
Ifthekar Zaman, Rumana Sharmin and Mohammad Nure Alam, Transparency International Bangladesh

Online feature: Why are countries taking so long to act on match-fixing?
Kevin Carpenter, sports business and legal consultant

4.4 The gap between sports institutions and the public will: responses to match-fixing in Lithuania
Rugile Trumpyte, Transparency International Lithuania

4.5 Australia’s ‘National Policy on Match-Fixing in Sport’
Jane Ellis, Transparency International Australia

4.6 Match-fixing: the role of prevention
Ulrike Spitz, Transparency International Germany

4.7 New media approaches to tackling match-fixing in Finnish football
Annukka Timonen, Transparency International Finland

4.8 Prevention and education in match-fixing: the European experience
Deborah Unger, Transparency International

4.9 The Austrian approach: How to combat match-fixing and promote integrity in sport
Severin Moritzer, Play Fair Code

5: The US model: collegiate sports and corruption

5.1 The roots of corruption in US collegiate sport
Donna Lopiano, Sports Management Resources

5.2 Academic fraud and commercialised collegiate athletics: lessons from the North Carolina case | Related blog post by Allen Sack
Jay M. Smith, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

5.3 The evolution of professional college sport in the United States
Allen Sack, University of New Haven

5.4 Inequality, discrimination and sexual violence in US collegiate sports
Erin Buzuvis, Western New England University, and Kristine Newhall, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

6: The role of participants

6.1 The International Olympic Committee’s actions to protect the integrity of sport
Pâquerette Girard Zappelli, International Olympic Committee

6.2 Combating the risk of corruption in sport: an intergovernmental perspective
Stanislas Frossard, Council of Europe, Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport

6.3 UNESCO: building on global consensus to fight corruption in sport
Nada Al-Nashif, UNESCO

6.4 The role of Switzerland as host: moves to hold sports organisations more accountable, and wider implications | Related blog post by Gareth Sweeney
Lucien W. Valloni and Eric P. Neuenschwander, Froriep

6.5 Promoting integrity in sport: a sponsor’s perspective
Jaimie Fuller, SKINS

6.6 A player’s perspective on the need for reform to enhance transparency and integrity in sports
Louis Saha, Axis Stars

6.7 Organised athletes: a critical voice in sports governance | Blog post
Brendan Schwab, Fédération Internationale des Associations Footballeurs Professionnels and UNI World Athletes

6.8 The role of supporters in effective governance | Blog post
Ben Shave and Antonia Hagemann, Supporters Direct

6.9 Learning from others: the Kick It Out campaign
Richard Bates, Kick It Out

6.10 Big business blurs sports journalism’s critical eye
Peter English, University of the Sunshine Coast

6.11 New ball game: covering sports, with teams as competitors
John Affleck, John Curley Center for Sports Journalism

6.12 What the anti-corruption movement can bring to sport: the experience of Transparency International Germany
Sylvia Schenk, Transparency International Germany

Who's involved in our initiative

Transparency International’s ‘corruption in sport initiative’ is guided by our Expert Advisory Panel:

Jens Sejer Andersen International Director, Play the Game Q&A
Wolfgang Baumann Secretary General, TAFISA
Paquerette Girard-Zappelli Secretary, International Olympic Committee Ethics Commission Q&A
Tony Higgins President, Scottish Professional Footballers’ Association; Vice President, FiFPro Europe Division
Jacques Marnewicke Head of Group Compliance, Sanlam; Chair, UN Global Compact Sub-Working on sport sponsorship and sport-related hospitality
Richard Pound lawyer, Stikeman Elliott LLP; former President, World Anti-Doping Agency; former Vice President of the International Olympic Committee
Ben Shave Development Officer, Supporters Direct Europe Q&A

The following Transparency International national chapters are participating:

Contributing institutions include:

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in articles are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other individuals or organisations involved.

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Please note: The Corruption in Sport Initiative was launched on 8 April 2015, and is being regularly updated with new articles and analysis.

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Corruption in sport initiative