The Closing Event of Integrisport 3 took place on November 11th at the Europol Headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The event featured in-depth panel discussions on the integrity challenges faced in sports and esports, along with a review of the results and impact of IntegriSport 3.0 across partner countries. Law enforcement and judiciary representatives from 22 countries from 4 continents, representatives of the European Union, ULIS, INTERPOL, Europol, Eurojust, the International Olympic Committee, Riot Games and other distinguished guests explored the achievements of the project and the practical steps to protect athletes and ensure fair competition amid emerging threats.
IntegriSport 3.0 Impact and Results
In Austria, the project strengthened collaboration with the Criminal Intelligence Service (BKA) and fostered deeper cooperation with prosecutors and judges, raising awareness of sports manipulation among fraud and organized crime units nationwide.
In Bulgaria, the project introduced sports integrity education to police students for the first time, while fostering ongoing discussions about ratifying the Macolin Convention and reorganizing the National Platform against sports manipulation.
In Estonia, valuable insights gained from Spanish experts led to discussions about creating a specialized police unit for sports corruption at the Estonian Police. The project also connected the Estonian esports community with stakeholders, leading to new collaborations and inclusion in international efforts.
In Greece, the project marked the first awareness-raising session involving a diverse range of stakeholders, leading to greater inclusion of player representation in the National Platform of Greece against sports manipulation. Esports manipulation also became a key focus, with stakeholders supporting its formal inclusion under the Macolin Convention.
In Romania, authorities committed to implementing the knowledge gained through IntegriSport to combat sports-related corruption.
In Spain, there was a significant improvement in monitoring and detection systems, with strengthened communication between regulatory bodies, betting operators, and sports entities. This resulted in enhanced integrity across the sector and public confidence in the fairness of sports competitions.
At the policy-making level, this year brought some significant successes amongst our partner countries and partners: Romania has decided to sign the Council of Europe Macolin Convention, whereas Spain has ratified this very important legal instrument.
Overview of ULIS and its Role in Integrisport 3
- ULIS actively participated since the research phase of the project, leveraging its expert knowledge in the betting industry to enrich the research process. This collaboration turned to be key in shaping a survey that thoroughly covered the pertinent betting aspects.
- The design of the curriculum for the six Awareness Raising Practical Sessions (ARPS) in the six participating countries was done through a systematic approach, using the findings of the Situational Report as a guidance.
- The ULIS platform database provided critical data, offering historical insights and trends related to sports competition manipulation, to enrich the curricula our presentations with concrete cases to be discussed during the ARPS.
- Our previous experiences with Integrisport projects provided a rich source of lessons learned and best practices for developing the curriculum. ULIS was a partner of Integrisport (2019-2021 and Integrisport Next (2023-2024).
- ULIS training material developed for the Awareness Raising Practical Sessions (ARPS) focused on key topics such as betting and non-betting competition manipulation and monitoring of sports betting.
- The curriculum and presentation of each ARPS was adapted to each country acknowledging the different contexts of sports betting practices, different legislations, and law enforcement needs.
- ULIS contributed to the webinars and peer-to-peer organized for law enforcement agents share their experiences on past Integrisport projects.
Collaboration with Law Enforcement and Judiciary Communities
ULIS's collaboration with law enforcement and judiciary communities results as a significant highlight of Integrisport 3.0. If we take in consideration all past Integrisport projects, ULIS has provided training to the law enforcement and judiciary communities in nearly two-thirds of European countries, a considerable achievement that underscores ULIS's dedication to fostering integrity within sports.
Furthermore, ULIS’s integrity reports have proven to be a important piece of evidence in investigations, often serving as valuable references for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The collaboration facilitated an exchange of knowledge, with ULIS providing tailored training to the members of these communities and emphasizing the importance of building long-term relationships. Discussions on future collaborations of the betting lottery industry with such initiatives are central to this effort, which aimed to enhance trust and cooperation among local law enforcement, sports, and sports betting stakeholders.
Joint Statement
At the Closing Conference of Integrisport 3.0 project, the partners signed a joint statement emphasizing the urgent need to combat manipulation and crime in sports and esports. They called for immediate, coordinated action involving law enforcement and judicial bodies, highlighting the necessity of their expertise in investigating and preventing competition manipulation offenses. The statement stresses the importance of addressing both traditional sports and esports, ensuring that adequate resources are allocated to both. The statement invited all stakeholders to recognize the urgency of promoting integrity and values-based sports, committed to principles of good governance, fairness, and social responsibility.
Integrisport 3 Partners:
Coordinating partner:
CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity
Partner organizations:
Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya, Spain (INEFC)
United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS)
Country Partners:
Play Fair Code, Austria; Estonian Center for Integrity in Sports (ESTCIS), Estonia,; Bulgarian Ministry of Youth and Sports, Bulgaria; Greek Ministry of Culture and Sport, Greece; Romanian Ministry of Sport, Romania; Spanish National Police, Spain.
Supporting Partner: FIFPRO
