Court of Arbitration for Sport dismisses Franco Feitt appeal

FIFA and UNODC wrap up year-long global programme

CAS upholds the appeal of Nikita Khakimov

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the appeal filed by the Russian badminton player Nikita Khakimov against the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in relation to the decision rendered by the BWF Hearing Panel on 18 November 2020 (the Challenged Decision) in which he was found have committed violations of the BWF Code of Conduct relating to betting and match-fixing and sanctioned with a five-year suspension from badminton-related activities.

2021 Suspicious Betting Trends in Global Football Report

Stats Perform Integrity and Starlizard Integrity Services have released their fourth annual Suspicious Betting Trends in Global Football Report. The report aims to provide fellow stakeholders in the sports integrity community with a significant and informative overview of current trends in suspicious football betting.

FIFPRO and UEFA join forces to fight match-fixing

FIFPRO and UEFA have signed a joint cooperation agreement that recognises the Red Button whistleblowing app as the go-to platform for professional footballers to report possible match-fixing incidents.

German tennis player banned for 12 months

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has today confirmed that German tennis player Dario Drebenstedt has been banned from the sport for 12 months and fined $5000 after being found guilty of several breaches of Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) rules. The offenses all took place at a tournament in Egypt in 2021 and related to an attempt to buy a wild card and attempted corrupt approaches to other players.

INTERPOL: Integrity in sport - bi-weekly bulletin - 7-20 September

INVESTIGATIONS

Belgium

Belgian police to investigate possible basketball fraud case

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Belgian basketball federation has asked the country’s federal police to investigate a possible fraud case related to the organization of 3x3 tournaments in the runup to the Tokyo Olympics.

Following discussions with the local Wallonia and Flanders federations, Basketball Belgium said in a statement on Tuesday that it contacted a police unit specialized in sports fraud to conduct a “thorough investigation.”

The federation said a disciplinary inquiry was being carried out by Basketball Flanders in addition to a criminal complaint.

De Standaard newspaper reported last month that fake 3x3 basketball tournaments were set up in Belgium from August to October 2019 in a bid to allow the Belgium team to collect the necessary points to be able to take part in qualifying for the Olympic Games.

bwin becomes Official Partner of the UEFA Europa League and new UEFA Europa Conference League

UEFA is pleased to announce it has signed a ground-breaking partnership with bwin to become an Official Partner of the UEFA Europa League and the newly formed UEFA Europa Conference League, for the next three seasons (2021-24).

Sport Integrity Australia announce Corporate Plan 2021-2025

Australia is a nation of sports lovers. Sport plays an important role in Australia’s culture. Our love of sport is reflected in the large numbers of people who play and participate in sport, attend sporting events or passionately watch their teams on television.

Moroccan player Simohamed Hirs banned for life from tennis

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirms that Moroccan tennis player Simohamed Hirs has been banned for life from the sport, following investigations into multiple incidents of match fixing.

IFs and NOCs strongly support fight against competition manipulation at Tokyo 2020

Over the past few months, International Federations (IFs) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) across the globe have worked closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to help ensure fair competitions during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Two Uzbekistan tennis players banned

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has confirmed that two tennis players from Uzbekistan, Temur Ismailov and Amal Sultanbekov, have been banned from the sport, following an investigation into match fixing at a tournament in 2019.

FIFA INTEGRITY BRIEFINGS COMPLETED AHEAD OF TOKYO 2020

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics fast approaching, FIFA has completed a series of integrity briefings with the participating teams and referees in order to raise awareness of potential threats to the game and outline FIFA’s preventative measures.

The sessions included practical examples on critical situations that team members and referees may face before, during or after the competition, as well as details on the appropriate mechanisms to report any incident relating to match manipulation.

EURO 2020 match-fixing prevention work proves a success

UEFA’s comprehensive measures against potential match-fixing at UEFA EURO 2020 were based on two main pillars: education and prevention on the one hand, and monitoring and intelligence on the other.

Six Moroccan tennis players provisionally suspended

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today confirms that six tennis players from Morocco have been provisionally suspended by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Charles Hollander QC, pending an inquiry into match fixing allegations. The players are: Amine Ahouda, Anas Chakrouni, Ayoub Chakrouni, Mohamed Zakaria Khalil, Soufiane El Mesbahi and Yassir Kilani.

Jayasundara banned for seven years under ICC Anti-Corruption Code

Sanath Jayasundara, a former performance analyst at Sri Lanka Cricket, has been banned from all cricket for seven years after the ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

Ultimate Tournament joins ESIC as Anti-Corruption Supporter

Esports betting operator Ultimate Tournament eSportsbook™ is the newest addition to ESIC’s dedicated list of Anti-Corruption Supporters. In this capacity, Ultimate Tournament will assist ESIC in investigating suspicious betting activity across their betting platform, endorsing ESIC’s greater effort against match-fixing and betting fraud within the esports betting industry.

Anti-Corruption Supporters like Ultimate Tournament work with ESIC by providing information needed for initiating and conducting investigations on match-fixing and betting fraud.

INTERPOL: Integrity in sport - bi-weekly bulletin

An investigation into possible corruption during the Olympic boxing competition at Rio 2016 is to be led by Professor Richard McLaren, the man who uncovered the full extent of Russian state-sponsored doping. McLaren, who found that more than a thousand Russian athletes in 30 sports had been part of a sophisticated doping programme, has now been tasked with investigating potential judging and refereeing irregularities in Rio by the International Boxing Association (Aiba).

INTERPOL: Integrity in sport - bi-weekly bulletin

INTEGRITY IN SPORT

GLMS' April 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to our April 2021 Newsletter!

Zoysa banned for six years under ICC Anti-Corruption Code

Sri Lanka's Nuwan Zoysa has been handed a six-year ban from all cricket after he was found guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

Team Owners In Crossfire Over Cricket's Anti-Corruption Rules: ICC v Deepak Agarwal

Published Wednesday, 07 April 2021.

INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin 18 January 2021 - 1 February 2021

Egyptian tennis player banned for three years

US player Adam El Mihdawy banned from tennis

NFL announces findings and discipline following independent investigation of integrity of the game policy violations by the Miami Dolphins

THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) Upholds the appeal of Nikita khakimov

65 suspicious betting alerts reported by IBIA in Q3 2021

he International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) reported 65 cases of suspicious betting to the relevant authorities during the third quarter (Q3) of 2021. The Q3 2021 total represents a 14% decrease compared to Q3 2020, which saw 76 alerts. The Q3 2021 alerts covered tennis (23 cases), football (18), table tennis (17), esports (2) and one each in handball, cricket, squash, basketball and futsal. From a geographical perspective, Europe accounted for nearly 60% of all alerts reported during Q3, followed by Asia with 15% and Africa 12%.

NHL finds no evidence Evander Kane gambled on games

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The NHL found no evidence that San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane bet on NHL games or tried to throw games after investigating allegations made by his estranged wife.

Marlon Samuels charged under ICC Anti-Corruption Code

The International Cricket Council (ICC), on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has charged former West Indies player Marlon Samuels with breaching four counts of the ECB Anti-Corruption Code for Participants of the T10 League (the ‘Code’).

ITA Webinar with a focus on competition manipulation

Lausanne (RWH) The coming webinar of the International Testing Agency ITA will address the wider topic of integrity in sport with a focus on competition manipulation.

INTERPOL: Integrity in sport - bi-weekly bulletin

INVESTIGATIONS

Belgium

Did Belgium’s 3x3 basketball team commit fraud to qualify for the Olympics?

Basketball Belgium, the Belgian basketball association and the international basketball federation are conducting an investigation into possible fraud involving the organisation of three-on-three basketball tournaments. The investigations have been launched following allegations of fraud involving the Belgian 3x3 Lions, who shone at the Tokyo Olympics.

ESIC Update Regarding NA ESEA Match-Fixing Investigation

OVERVIEW:

For some time now, ESIC has been investigating several instances of match-fixing behaviour which took place in the North American region amongst CS:GO players participating in an ESEA tournament series. While this investigation is still ongoing, ESIC has made this release for the purposes of issuing an interim update.

To date, this investigation has been subject to significant cooperation with law enforcement agencies, anti-corruption supporters, and other stakeholders in order to ensure that the behaviour being perpetrated is thoroughly investigated and prosecuted under ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Code.

As of the date of this interim release, ESIC announces sanctions against three participants and is still in the process of conducting 34 additional investigations relating to this matter.

Notably, ESIC has observed compelling evidence that suggests that organised crime groups and foreign betting syndicates were involved in fraudulent activities during the course of Season 35 of the ESEA Premier: North America.

INTERPOL: Integrity in sport - bi-weekly bulletin - 27 July 2021

NVESTIGATIONS

Ghana

Football: Player scores two own goals to ruin match-fixing plot in Ghana

A player in the Ghana Premier League Hashmin Musah has claimed that he scored two deliberate own goals in a match on Saturday so as to foil an alleged match-fixing plot.

INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin – 25 May 2021

INVESTIGATIONS

National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF)

Suspicion of a match-fixing around PSG-Red Star Belgrade: the investigation closed

The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) has closed its preliminary investigation into suspicions of rigging of the Champions League match between Paris-SG and the Red Star of Belgrade in October 2018, said Thursday the lawyer of the Serbian club , confirming information from the Team.

COMPETITION MANIPULATION IS A THREAT TO SPORT INTEGRITY: AIU IDENTIFIES MULTIPLE ILLEGITIMATE QUALIFYING PERFORMANCES FOR THE TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES

21 JULY 2021, MONACO: In the lead up to the Tokyo Olympic Games, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has received 17 referrals for investigation of suspicious qualifying performances. The referrals were from 16 countries and included 31 athletes and five relay teams. As a result of the AIU’s investigations, eight qualifying performances for the Olympic Games were not recognised by World Athletics and the relevant athletes denied a place at the Games. A number of cases have been identified by the AIU for further investigation to determine if fraudulent conduct was involved.

Protecting sport’s integrity at Tokyo 2020

Protecting the integrity of sport at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, taking place from 23 July to 8 August 2021, is a top priority for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC Executive Board (EB) was updated today on the measures put in place for Games time – aimed at both preventing and dealing swiftly with competition manipulation.

Two Wimbledon matches investigated over irregular betting patterns

Two matches from this years Wimbledon championships are being investigated over possible irregular betting patterns

UEFA to increase resources in the fight against match-fixing

The UEFA Executive Committee today met in London ahead of the UEFA EURO 2020 final and took the following decisions.

ARF publishes “A Report of Illegal Betting Growth during the Covid-19 Pandemic”

The Asian Racing Federation Council on Anti-illegal Betting and Related Financial Crime (“the Council”) this week released a new report: “A Report of Illegal Betting Growth during the Covid-19 Pandemic”.

Carlos Andrés Sepúlveda Navarro banned from tennis for three years

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has today confirmed that Colombian tennis player Carlos Andrés Sepúlveda Navarro has been banned from the sport for three years after admitting to multiple breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) rules. In addition to the ban, Sepúlveda Navarro was fined $10,000 with $8,000 suspended.

ESIC REFERS EVIDENCE RELATING TO POTENTIAL MATCH-FIXING AND BETTING FRAUD IN RMR EVENT TO VALVE

EPIC’s CIS RMR event has been the subject of public controversy for various reasons. As EPIC is not a member of ESIC, ESIC has not taken steps to investigate the extent of integrity threats in the event. However, on 9 June 2021, ESIC has made a referral to Valve including substantial evidence indicating the existence of potential betting fraud perpetrated by individuals participating or associated with those who were participating in the CIS RMR event run by EPIC.

ESIC has received evidence via its global Suspicious Betting Alert Network (SBAN) that the CEO of Project X, the team from which the Akuma roster emerged, Oleksandr Shyshko, has an active CSGO betting account and has placed numerous bets on highly suspicious Project X matches (when most of the current Akuma roster were playing as Project X) and, crucially, made accurate pre-match bets on the outcome of the Virtus Pro v Akuma match in the CIS RMR, the conduct of which match is subject to the current public cheating allegations against Akuma.