As the Paris 2024 Olympic Games approach, the IOC has launched the “Believe in Sport” campaign. This initiative is supported by six athlete ambassadors and aims to raise awareness about the dangers of competition manipulation among qualified athletes, their support teams, and officials, while encouraging them to make informed and ethical decisions.
Competition manipulation occurs when athletes intentionally underperform or deliberately lose, and when officials make intentional incorrect decisions that affect competition outcomes.
The campaign is being launched now, encouraging all athletes participating in Paris 2024 to complete the online course before the Olympic Games begin. The six ambassadors, who are promoting participation in the course, are Pascal Gentil, Olympic taekwondo athlete from France; Nina Kanto, French handball player; Nchimunya Mweetwa, footballer from Zambia; Louise Bawden, Olympic beach volleyball athlete from Australia; Consuelo de las Heras, field hockey player from Chile; and Maria Barakat, NOC staff member from Jordan.
In the coming weeks, the ambassadors will work to educate about the rules and urge athletes not to share any confidential information related to their sport. They will also participate in specialized seminars to inform about the resources and educational measures necessary for their Olympic delegations.
The “Believe in Sport” section is now available on Athlete365, the IOC’s digital platform for athletes. This section includes a variety of materials on how to prevent competition manipulation. During the Games, all those accredited for Paris 2024 will have the opportunity to meet the ambassadors, who will be present in the Olympic Village.
“I am honored to be an ambassador for ‘Believe in Sport’ at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said ambassador Louise Bawden, who competed for Australia in three Olympic Games in volleyball and beach volleyball.
“In a world where we are all more contactable and accessible than ever, ensuring that athletes are informed about the risks associated with competition manipulation reduces the chances of coercion or errors that lead to significant consequences,” Bawden concluded.