In an effort to strengthen integrity in sports, more than 6,000 athletes and their team members participated in educational initiatives on preventing competition manipulation during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG). This significant achievement was announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as part of International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD), highlighting the IOC’s commitment to combating competition manipulation and educating athletes in this critical area.
Competition manipulation, including match-fixing, insider information misuse, and illegal betting, poses an increasing threat to the sports world. In response, the IOC launched its most ambitious educational program in 2024, designed to raise awareness among young athletes about the risks of such practices and equip them with the tools to make informed and ethical decisions throughout their sporting careers.
BELIEVE IN SPORT AT PARIS 2024
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, over 4,000 athletes actively engaged with the “Believe in Sport” booth, located at the Athlete365 House within the Olympic Village. This educational initiative aimed to promote integrity in sports through interactive activities and real-life scenarios, allowing athletes to understand the risks associated with competition manipulation and learn to identify them. Participants were also encouraged to use the IOC Integrity Hotline to report any suspicions of manipulation.
Shane O’Donoghue, an Irish field hockey athlete, emphasized the value of this training: “It’s great to have a reminder here; it keeps us informed,” he commented during his visit to the booth. The presence of six athlete ambassadors, committed to the IOC’s “Believe in Sport” campaign, played a key role in spreading these messages and providing direct support to athletes visiting the booth. Nina Kanto, a “Believe in Sport” ambassador, highlighted the importance of educating young athletes on the consequences of their decisions in sports, particularly regarding manipulation and betting.
THE COMMITMENT AT GANGWON 2024
Prior to the Paris Games, the anti-corruption education program began at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), where more than 2,000 young athletes received training on preventing competition manipulation. Interactive sessions and workshops were held at the Youth Olympic Villages, supported by athlete ambassadors and IOC Young Leaders. Freestyle skier Fin Melville Ives from New Zealand noted the program’s effectiveness, stating, “We’ve all learned about this, but we’ve never seen how it works in practice. It’s been a lot of fun doing the activities and learning more about these programs here.”
Former alpine skier and campaign ambassador Andrej Miklavc stressed the importance of educating athletes about the risks associated with online betting. “Athletes must understand the aspects of potential threats and how they can become unintentional victims,” Miklavc explained, highlighting how easily athletes can be exploited by individuals with malicious intentions, especially in today’s sports betting environment.
