ICSS work together with the CSD and IPDJ

By: Will Shand, Madrid/Lisbon, June 12, 2014: ICSS, The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has this week signed agreements with the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) of Spain and the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (IPDJ) to boost their major national efforts to safeguard the integrity of sport.

These first direct agreements with national authorities will see the ICSS work together with the CSD and IPDJ to explore the development of Spanish and Portuguese versions of the recently announced Sorbonne-ICSS Guiding Principles throughout Ibero-America and CPLP countries, which will include several measures for sport, government and betting operators and regulators to implement in order to combat corruption, match-fixing and betting fraud.

As part of both agreements, the CSD, IPDJ and the ICSS will develop programmes aimed at ensuring the highest ethical standards in sport, as well as sharing information, knowledge and best practice on issues relating to the integrity, safety and security of sport.

The agreements will also see the ICSS, with its team of international security and integrity experts, work closely with the CSD and IPDJ to communicate the positive values of sport and enhance gender equality, social integration and the protection of children.

To this end, they will jointly organise a range of conferences, seminars and workshops aimed at promoting sport integrity among the sport movement. These events will involve sport federations, leagues, clubs, coaches, referees and athletes and have a particular focus on young people and their role in safeguarding sport integrity.

Mohammed Hanzab, ICSS President, said:

“With new reports of match-fixing and corruption now plaguing sport on a daily basis, it is clear the integrity of sport is under threat and that the very morals and ethics of sport need to be protected. It is also clear that governments must be at the forefront of the fight against corruption, match-fixing and illegal betting in sport.

“These first direct agreements with national authorities are a crucial step in winning this battle and we are all fully committed to protecting and preserving the integrity of sport.”

Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, new Chief Executive of ICSS Europe said:

“The findings of the Sorbonne-ICSS Sport Integrity Report prove that organisations from across sport, government and betting need to work together to now take action and implement the practical recommendations made in the Sorbonne-ICSS Sport Integrity Guiding Principles.

“The ICSS, CSD and IPDJ are deeply passionate about sport and absolutely determined to raise awareness of its positive values, particularly among young people. As part of these agreements, several international projects will be developed that draw on the ICSS’s knowledge and team of world-leading experts to ensure that sport and its core values are protected. The ICSS is truly honoured to serve sport and to serve sport across Ibero-America and throughout CPLP countries.”

On the IPDJ agreement with the ICSS, Emídio Guerreiro, Secretary of State of Sport and Youth said:

“Portugal believes that close cooperation with those strongly committed to the protection of sports values and sports integrity is the way to achieve tangible results to safeguard the true spirit of sport.

“We are in the front line of fight against doping, match-fixing and all forms of interference to sport values and that is why the Portuguese Government has launched a comprehensive and long term plan in 2012 to safeguard the integrity and the highest ethical standards in sport, called the “National Plan of Ethics in Sport” (PNED).

“We see the ICSS as an important partner, with an international leading role in this context and look forward to enforcing and enhancing the best cooperation possible through our National Sports and Youth Institute in this field.”

Miguel Cardenal Carro, President of Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) said: “The Consejo Superior de Deportes and ICSS are united in safeguarding sport. For us, safeguarding sport means to work for its integrity and safety.

“The signing of this Memorandum will not only allow us to work together with an institution like the ICSS, which is developing major international projects, but will open much wider horizons in the protection of sport integrity and promoting the highest ethical standards in it.

“Through this agreement, we will establish new possibilities of cooperation throughout Spain, with a special focus on Latin America, in areas such as promoting peace through sport, fighting against emerging threats, as well as working for gender equality and for the protection of children.”

The announcements follow the recent Sorbonne-ICSS Sport Integrity Forum, where the outcomes of a two year study revealed the astonishing scale of the threat to sport from match-fixing and betting fraud, with an estimated US$140 billion laundered through sport betting by organised crime each year.

Significantly, several practical recommendations – the Sorbonne-ICSS Guiding Principles- emerged from the report. These highlighted the immediate need for governments to lead the fight against corruption, whilst stressing that it is only through government action that the vulnerability of sport betting to transnational organised crime can be addressed.