As 2016 saw two major global sports events take place with Euro 2016 and the Summer Olympic Games, CIES organised an ambitious symposium to mark its 20th anniversary. The theme for this special event was ’The Manipulation of Sport Competitions’. CIES is now pleased to announce the publication of the event’s proceedings, thanks to the generous contributions of the distinguished speakers who gathered in Neuchâtel on the day of the symposium.
For many years, the manipulation of sport competitions - driven by illegal betting and gambling - has been considered an additional threat to sport’s integrity and a major risk of potential damage to what is seen as the genuine nature of sports - the unpredictability of results at tournaments and during games, as well as the equal competitive balance of those athletes and teams competing.
Betting has been an important revenue source for sport over a long period. However today, following the unprecedented development of the internet, the huge growth of online betting and access to it as well as the massive increase in potential financial gains has led criminal organisations to enter into the market. The latter quickly became aware of how much profit they could achieve from illegal betting, and so started to corrupt both players and referees in order to generate more wealth. As this negative trend continues to grow, it has become a major issue for sports stakeholders and public bodies. These bodies are now severely concerned about the threats posed to public order and the rule of law.
CIES is convinced that the guest speakers who shared their expertise with the symposium audience, as well as the new publication of their contributions, will help readers to better understand the issues linked to this complex subject. Additionally, the new publication will outline the steps currently undertaken and also those needed for the future to detect and fight any attempts to manipulate the outcome of sporting competition.
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