In action at multi-sport events throughout 2023

5 min read|

This year saw a record number of major multi-sport events taking place across the globe, many of which featured Olympic qualifiers for Paris 2024. The Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC) supported the organisers of all the following events in their efforts to prevent competition manipulation:

Winter European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), 21 to 28 January, Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy);
European Games, 21 June to 2 July, Krakow (Poland);
Summer European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), 23 to 29 July, Maribor (Slovenia);
Asian Games, 23 September to 8 October, in Hangzhou (China);
Pan-American Games, 20 October to 5 November, Santiago (Chile); and
Pacific Games, 19 November to 2 December, Honiara (Solomon Islands).

These events brought together a total of more than 26,000 athletes, many of whom will also take part in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 next summer.

The Unit’s support focused on two areas: first, conducting awareness-raising measures on the prevention of competition manipulation, often with several Believe in Sport ambassadors; and second, monitoring all events via the IOC’s Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS) and monitoring partners, thereby providing intelligence. In the event of any irregularity, the OM Unit PMC stood ready to assist with the pre-investigation.

Significant reach

Looking back on the enormous efforts undertaken throughout this year, Friedrich Martens, Head of the OM Unit PMC, reflected on the impact of awareness-raising measures at such events: “Multi-sport events of that scale usually attract a significant number of high-level athletes and involve many NOCs. Preventive measures therefore have significant reach and also trigger long-lasting impact at organisational level.”

Delegation briefings

The preventive measures target athletes, their entourage and officials, and are implemented both prior to and during the event. For instance, shortly before the Pan-American and the Pacific Games, which took place during the last two months, the OM Unit PMC organised webinars for all participating delegations - including the NOCs, Chefs de Mission and athletes. The attendees were informed about the nature of competition manipulation, which rules they would have to follow and how to report any suspicions or if they were themselves approached by criminal individuals or networks. In addition, many NOCs conducted activities at national level, and several worked together with their Believe in Sport ambassadors.

Impactful peer-to-peer communication

Consuelo de las Heras, a Believe in Sport ambassador and hockey player from Chile, said this about her involvement in the Pan-American Games: "I am super happy to be an ambassador for this campaign and contribute to fighting this problem and protecting our sport."

Petra Schwartzman, a member of the Chilean national volleyball team, took part in the activities organised by her NOC and said about this experience: “As part of the national volleyball team, we had gone through training on this topic, but it's very important to get those reminders at competitions. We must not let these kinds of issues affect our sport!”

Petra also visited the educational booth in place during the Pan-American Games, which formed part of the Athlete365 activation in the Athletes’ Village. Such booths were also set up at all the other multi-sport events supported by the OM Unit PMC this year.

Three-time Olympian Pita Taufatofua from Tonga helped as a Believe in Sport ambassador at the Pacific Games. Betting on sports has led to an abrupt end to multiple sports careers, and Pita is determined to prevent this number from growing further: “I speak directly to athletes and entourage who may not realise manipulation or fixing can take place in their sport or that they could be targeted, no matter their sport or country. It is important for me that athletes receive this important education, similar to how they would be educated on doping, so that they know how to protect themselves, and what they can do to keep sport clean and fair."

In addition to Pita Taufatofua, there were two more Believe in Sport ambassadors at the 2023 Pacific Games: Australia's retired volleyball and beach volleyball player Louise Bawden, and Solomon Islands weightlifter Jenly Wini.

Bawden said about her mission at the Pacific Games: “The value and impact of delivering athlete education at the Pacific Games was clear. Many athletes are young and had not yet had exposure to the risks and rules associated with sports integrity and competition manipulation. I was inspired by their willingness to learn, and it reminds me of the value of awareness-raising programmes that contribute to protecting both athletes and fair sport.”

Fellow ambassador Wini competed at the Pacific Games and carried the host nation's flag at the Opening Ceremony on 19 November. She won no fewer than three gold medals at the multi-sport event.

Africa’s Boxing Road to Paris 2024 qualifying event

In addition to supporting the above-mentioned multi-sport events, the OM Unit PMC was also on site at Africa’s Boxing Road to Paris 2024 qualifying event, which took place in Dakar, Senegal, from 9 to 15 September 2023. Together with Believe in Sport ambassador and former professional football player Nchimunya Mweetwa from Ghana, the OM Unit PMC conducted awareness-raising activities for the athletes, their entourage and other delegation members at the Athlete365 activation booth in the main hotel for all participating teams.